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Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart

The standard multi-deck chart: hard totals, soft totals, pairs and surrender. Generated from the same engine that grades every hand in Blackjack AI Pro, so what you read here is exactly what the app expects.

Updated 2026-10-28 · 4 to 8 decks · dealer hits soft 17 · double any two · late surrender where shown

HHitSStandDDouble (hit if not allowed)DsDouble (stand if not allowed)PSplitRhSurrender (hit if not allowed)RsSurrender (stand if not allowed)

Hard totals

Your hand has no ace counted as 11. Rows below 8 are always hit, and 17 and above always stand.

Hard totals
Hard \ Dealer2345678910A
5HHHHHHHHHH
6HHHHHHHHHH
7HHHHHHHHHH
8HHHHHHHHHH
9HDDDDHHHHH
10DDDDDDDDHH
11DDDDDDDDDD
12HHSSSHHHHH
13SSSSSHHHHH
14SSSSSHHHHH
15SSSSSHHHRhRh
16SSSSSHHRhRhRh
17SSSSSSSSSRs
18SSSSSSSSSS
19SSSSSSSSSS
20SSSSSSSSSS

Soft totals

Your hand has an ace counted as 11. Soft 18 (A,7) is the one most players get wrong: double against 2 through 6, stand against 7 and 8, hit against 9, 10 and ace.

Soft totals
Soft \ Dealer2345678910A
A,2HHHDDHHHHH
A,3HHHDDHHHHH
A,4HHDDDHHHHH
A,5HHDDDHHHHH
A,6HDDDDHHHHH
A,7DsDsDsDsDsSSHHH
A,8SSSSDsSSSSS
A,9SSSSSSSSSS

Pairs

Always split aces and eights. Never split tens or fives. The rest depend on the dealer’s card.

Pairs, no double after split
Pair \ Dealer2345678910A
2,2HHPPPPHHHH
3,3HHPPPPHHHH
4,4HHHHHHHHHH
5,5DDDDDDDDHH
6,6HPPPPHHHHH
7,7PPPPPPHHHH
8,8PPPPPPPPPP
9,9PPPPPSPPSS
T,TSSSSSSSSSS
A,APPPPPPPPPP

Pairs when double after split is allowed

With DAS you also split 2,2 and 3,3 against 2 and 3, 4,4 against 5 and 6, and 6,6 against 2.

Pairs, double after split allowed
Pair \ Dealer2345678910A
2,2PPPPPPHHHH
3,3PPPPPPHHHH
4,4HHHPPHHHHH
5,5DDDDDDDDHH
6,6PPPPPHHHHH
7,7PPPPPPHHHH
8,8PPPPPPPPPP
9,9PPPPPSPPSS
T,TSSSSSSSSSS
A,APPPPPPPPPP

Surrender

When late surrender is offered, give up hard 16 against 9, 10 and ace, and hard 15 against 10 and ace (marked Rh above), and hard 17 against an ace (marked Rs: stand if you cannot surrender). If surrender is not offered, play the fallback letter.

How to use the chart

  1. Find your hand type first: pair, then soft, then hard.
  2. Read across to the dealer’s up card.
  3. Play the letter. If the play is not allowed (you already hit, or the table forbids it), use the fallback: D becomes hit, Ds becomes stand, Rh becomes hit, Rs becomes stand.

Reading the chart is the easy part. Playing it at speed, with chips on the table, is the skill. The Basic Strategy mode in Blackjack AI Pro grades every decision and keeps separate accuracy for hard, soft and pair hands, so you see exactly which rows still cost you.

Want the chart at the table? The free Blackjack Cheat Sheet puts it in your Apple or Google Wallet. To try it now, play a free blackjack game.

Blackjack AI Pro for iPhone and Android

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Basic strategy FAQ

Which rules is this basic strategy chart for?

Multi-deck (4 to 8 decks), dealer hits soft 17, double on any two cards, late surrender shown where it applies. The pairs table has a second version for double after split. It is the same chart Blackjack AI Pro grades against.

What do the letters mean?

H hit, S stand, D double (hit if doubling is not allowed), Ds double (stand if not allowed), P split, Rh surrender (hit if surrender is not offered), Rs surrender (stand if not offered).

Does basic strategy change with the count?

A few plays do. Those are called deviations or index plays, ordered by value on the deviations chart.

How much does basic strategy reduce the house edge?

Perfect basic strategy brings a typical 6-deck H17 game down to about a 0.55 percent house edge (0.36 percent if the dealer stands on soft 17). Playing by feel usually costs 1 to 2 percent more. Every rule set is on the blackjack odds page.