Blackjack Calculator: The Best Play for Any Hand
Pick your cards and the dealer’s up card. The calculator gives the basic strategy play, hit, stand, double, split or surrender, from the same engine that grades every hand in Blackjack AI Pro. Card counter? Add the true count for index plays.
Stand if doubling is not allowed.
How to use it
- Enter your first two cards and the dealer’s up card. 10, J, Q and K all count as 10.
- Set the table rules: double after split, and whether late surrender is offered.
- Read the play. If the best play is not allowed, the calculator tells you the fallback: double becomes hit (or stand on soft 18 and 19), surrender becomes hit or stand.
- Took a card? Add it in card 3 or 4 and the calculator re-reads your new total, with doubling and surrender switched off.
The hands people ask about most
| Your hand | Dealer | Play | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soft 18 (A,7) | 2 to 6 | Double | Stand if you can’t double. The most misplayed hand in blackjack. |
| Soft 18 (A,7) | 9, 10, A | Hit | 18 loses to the dealer’s likely 19 or 20 too often. |
| Hard 16 | 10 | Surrender, else hit | Card counters stand at true count 0 or higher. |
| Hard 12 | 2, 3 | Hit | Stand on 12 only against 4, 5 and 6. |
| 11 | 2 to 10 | Double | Your best doubling hand. |
| 8,8 and A,A | Any | Split | Always. |
| 10,10 | Any | Stand | Never split tens. Counters split vs 5 and 6 at high counts. |
Want the whole chart at once? It is on the basic strategy chart page. The count plays are on the deviations chart, and the dealer’s ace has its own breakdown: should you take insurance?
Looking it up is the start. The app drills every one of these hands until the right play is automatic.
Blackjack calculator FAQ
How does the blackjack calculator decide?
It looks up your hand and the dealer's up card in the standard multi-deck basic strategy chart (4 to 8 decks, dealer hits soft 17), the same chart Blackjack AI Pro grades every hand against. Pairs are read from the pairs table, soft hands from the soft table, everything else by hard total.
What if I have more than two cards?
Add them. Doubling, splitting and surrender are only allowed on your first two cards, so the calculator switches a double to a hit (or a stand, for soft 18 and 19) and a surrender to the play you would make without it.
What does the true count option do?
If you count cards with Hi-Lo, enter the true count and the calculator applies the Hi-Lo index plays, plus the surrender deviations when late surrender is on. For example 16 vs 10 becomes a stand at 0 or higher, and 12 vs 3 becomes a stand at +2.
Is basic strategy different when the dealer stands on soft 17?
Slightly. With S17 you hit 11 vs ace, stand on soft 18 vs 2 and soft 19 vs 6 instead of doubling, and surrender fewer hands (not 15 or 17 vs ace). Everything else is the same.
Can I use a blackjack calculator in a casino?
Most casinos allow a printed basic strategy card at the table. Using a phone or any device to help you play is not allowed in many places, so learn the chart instead. That is what the trainer is for.