Blackjack Deviation Chart: Illustrious 18 & Fab 4

Every standard Hi-Lo index drawn into its cell. A two-tone cell shows both sides of the index: the lower-left is the play while the true count is below it, the corner is the play once the count reaches it. The chart below is the common 6-deck H17 game (DAS, late surrender) — generated by the same engine that grades decisions in the free blackjack trainer. For other rule sets, decks, or a live true count preview, use the interactive blackjack strategy chart. New to index plays? Start with blackjack deviations explained or the ranked Illustrious 18 list.

6-deck H17 chart with deviations

HHitSStandDDoublePSplitRSurrenderHS ≥ 0two-tone = index cell: lower-left is the play below the index, the corner is the play once the true count reaches it — tap a cell for the full play

Hard totals

Dealer upcard

	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
8	H	H	H	H	HD ≥ +2 8 vs 6 Hi-Lo index play DTC ≥ +2Double HTC below +2Hit	H	H	H	H	H
9	HD ≥ +1 9 vs 2 Hi-Lo index play DTC ≥ +1Double HTC below +1Hit	D	D	D	D	HD ≥ +3 9 vs 7 Hi-Lo index play DTC ≥ +3Double HTC below +3Hit	H	H	H	H
10	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	HD ≥ +4 10 vs 10 Hi-Lo index play DTC ≥ +4Double HTC below +4Hit	HD ≥ +3 10 vs A Hi-Lo index play DTC ≥ +3Double HTC below +3Hit
11	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	HD ≥ -1 11 vs A Hi-Lo index play DTC ≥ -1Double HTC below -1Hit
12	HS ≥ +3 12 vs 2 Hi-Lo index play STC ≥ +3Stand HTC below +3Hit	HS ≥ +2 12 vs 3 Hi-Lo index play STC ≥ +2Stand HTC below +2Hit	HS ≥ 0 12 vs 4 Hi-Lo index play STC ≥ 0Stand HTC below 0Hit	HS ≥ -2 12 vs 5 Hi-Lo index play STC ≥ -2Stand HTC below -2Hit	HS ≥ -3 12 vs 6 Hi-Lo index play STC ≥ -3Stand HTC below -3Hit	H	H	H	H	H
13	HS ≥ -1 13 vs 2 Hi-Lo index play STC ≥ -1Stand HTC below -1Hit	HS ≥ -2 13 vs 3 Hi-Lo index play STC ≥ -2Stand HTC below -2Hit	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
14	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	HR ≥ +3 14 vs 10 Hi-Lo index play RTC ≥ +3Surrender HTC below +3Hit	H
15	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	HR ≥ +2 15 vs 9 Hi-Lo index play RTC ≥ +2Surrender HTC below +2Hit	RS ≥ +4 15 vs 10 Hi-Lo index play RWith surrender offeredSurrender at every count SNo surrender, TC ≥ +4Stand HNo surrender, TC below +4Hit	RS ≥ +5 15 vs A Hi-Lo index play RWith surrender offeredSurrender at every count SNo surrender, TC ≥ +5Stand HNo surrender, TC below +5Hit
16	S	S	S	S	S	H	HR ≥ +4 16 vs 8 Hi-Lo index play RTC ≥ +4Surrender HTC below +4Hit	RS ≥ +5 16 vs 9 Hi-Lo index play RWith surrender offeredSurrender at every count SNo surrender, TC ≥ +5Stand HNo surrender, TC below +5Hit	RS ≥ 0 16 vs 10 Hi-Lo index play RWith surrender offeredSurrender at every count SNo surrender, TC ≥ 0Stand HNo surrender, TC below 0Hit	RS ≥ +3 16 vs A Hi-Lo index play RWith surrender offeredSurrender at every count SNo surrender, TC ≥ +3Stand HNo surrender, TC below +3Hit
17	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S

Soft totals

Dealer upcard

	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
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	HD ≥ +1 A,6 vs 2 Hi-Lo index play DTC ≥ +1Double HTC below +1Hit	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	SD ≥ +3 A,8 vs 4 Hi-Lo index play DTC ≥ +3Double STC below +3Stand	SD ≥ +1 A,8 vs 5 Hi-Lo index play DTC ≥ +1Double STC below +1Stand	SD ≥ 0 A,8 vs 6 Hi-Lo index play DTC ≥ 0Double STC below 0Stand	S	S	S	S	S
A,9	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S

Pairs

Dealer upcard

	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
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	SP ≥ +5 10,10 vs 5 Hi-Lo index play PTC ≥ +5Split STC below +5Stand	SP ≥ +4 10,10 vs 6 Hi-Lo index play PTC ≥ +4Split STC below +4Stand	S	S	S	S	S
A,A	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P

* Only at tables without surrender. When you can surrender these hands (16 vs 9/10/A, 15 vs 10, 15 vs A), keep surrendering at every count — its flat half-bet loss stays better than standing as the deck enriches in tens. The starred stand indices are the hit/stand crossovers for when surrender isn't available.

The Illustrious 18 list, ranked by value

Don Schlesinger's list in profitability order — the first few rows carry most of the money, so if you only learn part of it, learn from the top down. Insurance at true count +3 is #1; the famous 16 vs 10 stand is #2.

Illustrious 18 deviations with H17 and S17 true count indexes
#	Your hand	Dealer shows	H17 index play	S17 index play
1	Insurance	A	Take at TC ≥ +3	Take at TC ≥ +3
2	16	10	Stand at TC ≥ 0	Stand at TC ≥ 0
3	15	10	Stand at TC ≥ +4	Stand at TC ≥ +4
4	10,10	5	Split at TC ≥ +5	Split at TC ≥ +5
5	10,10	6	Split at TC ≥ +4	Split at TC ≥ +4
6	10	10	Double at TC ≥ +4	Double at TC ≥ +4
7	12	3	Stand at TC ≥ +2	Stand at TC ≥ +2
8	12	2	Stand at TC ≥ +3	Stand at TC ≥ +3
9	11	A	Double at TC ≥ -1	Double at TC ≥ +1
10	9	2	Double at TC ≥ +1	Double at TC ≥ +1
11	10	A	Double at TC ≥ +3	Double at TC ≥ +4
12	9	7	Double at TC ≥ +3	Double at TC ≥ +3
13	16	9	Stand at TC ≥ +5	Stand at TC ≥ +5
14	13	2	Stand at TC ≥ -1	Stand at TC ≥ -1
15	12	4	Stand at TC ≥ 0	Stand at TC ≥ 0
16	12	5	Stand at TC ≥ -2	Stand at TC ≥ -2
17	12	6	Stand at TC ≥ -3	Stand at TC ≥ -1
18	13	3	Stand at TC ≥ -2	Stand at TC ≥ -2

The Fab 4 surrenders

The highest-value surrender indices (with the companion 16 vs 8 index). They only apply at tables offering late surrender.

Fab 4 surrender deviations with H17 and S17 true count indexes
Your hand	Dealer shows	H17 index play	S17 index play
14	10	Surrender at TC ≥ +3	Surrender at TC ≥ +3
15	9	Surrender at TC ≥ +2	Surrender at TC ≥ +2
15	10	Surrender at TC ≥ 0	Surrender at TC ≥ 0
15	A	Surrender at TC ≥ -1	Surrender at TC ≥ +1
16	8	Surrender at TC ≥ +4	Surrender at TC ≥ +4

What changes under S17

When the dealer stands on soft 17, only these indices move — every other cell in the chart is identical. A dash means no standard index exists under that rule.

Indices that differ between H17 and S17
Your hand	Dealer shows	H17 index play	S17 index play
11	A	Double at TC ≥ -1	Double at TC ≥ +1
10	A	Double at TC ≥ +3	Double at TC ≥ +4
12	6	Stand at TC ≥ -3	Stand at TC ≥ -1
16	A	Stand at TC ≥ +3	Stand at TC ≥ +5
15	A	Stand at TC ≥ +5	—
A,8 (soft 19)	6	Double at TC ≥ 0	Double at TC ≥ +1
15	A	Surrender at TC ≥ -1	Surrender at TC ≥ +1

Reading this chart

What does a two-tone cell mean?

Both sides of one index. The lower-left color is the basic-strategy play while the true count is below the index; the corner color is the play once the count reaches it. The number in the cell is the index itself.

What game is this chart for?

The common 6-deck game: dealer hits soft 17, double after split allowed, late surrender offered — with the S17 column showing where standing on soft 17 moves an index. For any other rule set, the interactive chart regenerates every cell for the exact table you play.

Why might another site's chart show slightly different numbers?

Indices depend on the rules and the rounding conventions used when they were computed, so published tables differ by a point here and there. These are the standard Hi-Lo values, and they're rendered from the same engine that grades your play in the trainer — the chart and your practice feedback always agree.

How to actually learn these

Recalling the right index mid-shoe is the hard part, not reading the chart. The trainer keeps a live Hi-Lo count and grades every decision against this chart as you play, and the interactive chart can preview any true count to show exactly which cells flip. To see how much each spot is actually worth in dollars, see the EV heatmap.