BJT

Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart

When to hit, stand, double, split or surrender, for every hand against every dealer upcard, on the most common table in the US.

The chart and trainer use the same strategy engine, so the rules you study are the rules you practice.

This table
House edge0.54%

6 decks · dealer hits soft 17 · double after split · double any two · Late surrender · blackjack pays 3:2

Change the rules

When to hit, stand, double or split

HHitSStandDDoublePSplitRSurrender

Hard totals

Dealer upcard
2345678910A
8
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
9
H
D
D
D
D
H
H
H
H
H
10
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
H
H
11
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
12
H
H
S
S
S
H
H
H
H
H
13
S
S
S
S
S
H
H
H
H
H
14
S
S
S
S
S
H
H
H
H
H
15
S
S
S
S
S
H
H
H
R
R
16
S
S
S
S
S
H
H
R
R
R
17
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S

Soft totals

Dealer upcard
2345678910A
A,2
H
H
H
D
D
H
H
H
H
H
A,3
H
H
H
D
D
H
H
H
H
H
A,4
H
H
D
D
D
H
H
H
H
H
A,5
H
H
D
D
D
H
H
H
H
H
A,6
H
D
D
D
D
H
H
H
H
H
A,7
D
D
D
D
D
S
S
H
H
H
A,8
S
S
S
S
D
S
S
S
S
S
A,9
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S

Pairs

Dealer upcard
2345678910A
2,2
P
P
P
P
P
P
H
H
H
H
3,3
P
P
P
P
P
P
H
H
H
H
4,4
H
H
H
P
P
H
H
H
H
H
5,5
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
H
H
6,6
P
P
P
P
P
H
H
H
H
H
7,7
P
P
P
P
P
P
H
H
H
H
8,8
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
R
9,9
P
P
P
P
P
S
P
P
S
S
10,10
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
A,A
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P

Hard 5–7 always hit and hard 18+ always stand, so those rows are omitted. Where the chart says Double or Surrender but the table won't let you, hit instead — except soft 18 (A,7) vs 3–6 and hard 17+, where you stand.

blackjacktrainer.fyi/charts/basic-strategy — interactive chart, EV per cell, and the free trainer

Printable cheat sheet — free download

Printable blackjack basic strategy chart and cheat sheet: color-coded hard totals, soft totals, and pairs grids for the standard 6-deck game with dealer hitting soft 17, double after split, and late surrender
Tap to view full size
One sheet · poster quality

All three grids on a single cheat sheet, exactly as the engine plays them. Print it, save it to your phone, keep it next to you while you practice.

Download PDFPNG

Vector PDF, 735 KB · PNG 2480 × 3712 px · 6 decks, H17, DAS, late surrender

How to read the chart: four worked hands

These examples use the 6-deck H17 rules above, without card counting. Check pairs first, then soft totals, then hard totals.

10,6 vs 10: Surrender

Two different cards totalling 16 use the hard-total grid.

If Surrender is unavailable: Hit.

8,8 vs 10: Split

A pair uses the pairs grid before the hard-total grid.

A,7 vs 3: Double

An ace counted as 11 uses the soft-total grid.

If Double is unavailable: Stand.

A,7 vs 9: Hit

Soft 18 can still need another card against a strong dealer upcard.

Charts for other games

Basic strategy shifts with the rules — a single-deck chart is not a shoe chart with a different label. Each page below regenerates every cell for that game and lists exactly which plays change.

Single deckH17, no DAS, no surrender — the classic Vegas pitch game.House edge +0.34%Double deck2 decks, H17, DAS — the common mid-stakes pitch game.House edge +0.43%8 deckS17, DAS, late surrender — the Atlantic City-style big shoe.House edge +0.35%

Dealer stands on soft 17? (S17)

If your table's felt says the dealer stands on all 17s, 5 cells on this chart change and the house edge drops by about 0.22%. The full side-by-side — every cell that flips, and why S17 is the better game — is on the H17 vs S17 comparison.

Reading this chart

How do I use it?

Find your hand on the left, read across to the dealer's upcard, play the letter you land on. Rows are hard totals, soft totals (an ace counting as 11), and pairs — and when a hand reads two ways, pairs beat totals and soft beats hard.

How much does basic strategy actually help?

It takes the house edge to about +0.54%, down from roughly 2% for a player going on instinct. That is the largest single improvement available in blackjack, and it costs nothing. The house edge calculator prices each rule on its own.

Is one chart enough for every casino?

Almost. The core never moves, but deck count, H17/S17, DAS and surrender each shift a handful of cells — which is why this site builds the chart from the table's rules rather than printing one and hoping. Read the felt, pick the matching chart, and you're exact.

What about card counting?

Counting is built on top of this. Once the chart is automatic, Hi-Lo and the deviation chart come next — the index plays that flip specific cells when the deck runs hot or cold.

Reading it is easy. Recalling it at the table isn't.

The trainer deals real hands and grades every decision against this exact chart, so the mistakes you make here are the ones worth drilling.

Drill your weak spots