Blackjack basic strategy chart

The best move for every two-card hand against every dealer card. These are the answers Strategle checks you against, for these table rules: 6 decks, the dealer stands on soft 17, you can double on any two cards and after a split, and there's no surrender.

H Hit
S Stand
D Double
P Split
Changes with other rules

How to read it

Find your hand down the left and the dealer's face-up card along the top. A hard hand has no ace, or an ace that has to count as 1. A soft hand has an ace counting as 11, so one more card can't bust it. Pairs have their own table, because you can split them.

Hard totals
You	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
	Dealer's card
8 or less	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
9	Hit	Double	Double	Double	Double	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
10	Double	Double	Double	Double	Double	Double	Double	Double	Hit	Hit
11	Double	Double	Double	Double	Double	Double	Double	Double	Double	Hit
12	Hit	Hit	Stand	Stand	Stand	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
13	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
14	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
15	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
16	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
17 or more	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand

Soft totals (with an ace)
You	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
	Dealer's card
A,2	Hit	Hit	Hit	Double	Double	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
A,3	Hit	Hit	Hit	Double	Double	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
A,4	Hit	Hit	Double	Double	Double	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
A,5	Hit	Hit	Double	Double	Double	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
A,6	Hit	Double	Double	Double	Double	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
A,7	Stand	Double	Double	Double	Double	Stand	Stand	Hit	Hit	Hit
A,8	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand
A,9	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand

Pairs
You	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
	Dealer's card
2,2	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
3,3	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
4,4	Hit	Hit	Hit	Split	Split	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
5,5	Double	Double	Double	Double	Double	Double	Double	Double	Hit	Hit
6,6	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
7,7	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hit
8,8	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split
9,9	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Stand	Split	Split	Stand	Stand
10,10	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand	Stand
A,A	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split	Split

The ideas behind it

2 to 6 are the dealer's weak cards. The dealer has to keep drawing until 17, and from a low card that often ends in a bust. So you stand on 12 to 16 (except 12 against a 2 or 3) and let the dealer take the risk.
Against 7 or higher, expect the dealer to make 17 or more. A hand of 12 to 16 loses if you stand, so you hit.
Double when one card is likely to put you ahead. 10 and 11 often become 20 or 21, so you double against most dealer cards.
Always split aces and 8s; never split 10s or 5s. Two aces make a poor 12 but two great starts; two 8s make 16, the worst total. Two 10s are already 20, and two 5s make a 10 to double on.
Soft hands are for doubling. An ace hand can't bust with one card, so against a weak dealer it's worth twice the bet.

Other rules, other answers

A few hands change when the dealer hits soft 17 or the game uses one or two decks; they're marked with a dot and never appear in Strategle's daily hands, so the answer is never in doubt. Where a table allows surrender, some hard 15s and 16s would surrender; Strategle's table doesn't, so those are hits.

Where it comes from

This is the standard chart for these rules, as published by the Wizard of Odds. Every square is re-checked with our own odds calculator, which plays out each hand against every dealer outcome. Basic strategy is the play that loses the least over time; it lowers the house edge but doesn't beat it. Strategle is a free puzzle: no money, no bets, no prizes and no links to casinos.

Play today's five hands · Practise with unlimited hands