Blackjack Strategy: How to Play, Chart & Odds

Blackjack strategy means making the mathematically best decision for every hand: when to hit, stand, double, split or surrender. The core of it is basic strategy, a chart that cuts the house edge to about 0.5% at a typical table, depending on the rules.

This guide covers how to play blackjack step by step, the full basic strategy chart for the most common online rules, the odds behind each decision and the betting myths to ignore. It does not promise profit. Even perfect play leaves the casino a small edge in the long run.

How Do You Play Blackjack?

You play against the dealer, not other players. Each side starts with two cards, and you win by finishing closer to 21 than the dealer without going over 21, which is called a bust.

Card values are simple: 2 to 10 count at face value, jacks, queens and kings count as 10, and an ace counts as 1 or 11. A hand with an ace counted as 11 is a soft hand; any other hand is hard. Our guide to blackjack card values explains soft and hard totals in detail.

What Happens in One Round?

A round follows the same six steps at almost every table:

You place a bet within the table limits.
You receive two cards face up. The dealer receives one card face up (the upcard) and, at most tables, one face down (the hole card).
If the dealer’s upcard is an ace, you may be offered insurance. If the dealer has blackjack, the round ends.
You act on your hand: hit, stand, double, split or, where offered, surrender.
The dealer reveals the hole card and draws by a fixed rule, usually drawing until reaching 17 or more.
Bets are settled. Wins pay 1:1, a natural blackjack usually pays 3:2 and ties are a push.

What Do Hit, Stand, Double, Split and Surrender Mean?

These five actions are your only decisions in blackjack, and basic strategy tells you which one to use.

Hit: take another card.
Stand: keep your total and end your turn.
Double down: double your bet, take exactly one more card and stand.
Split: turn a pair into two hands, each with its own bet equal to the first.
Surrender: give up the hand and get half your bet back. Only some tables offer it.

If your total ties the dealer’s, the hand is a push and your bet is returned; see what is a push in blackjack for edge cases.

What Is Basic Strategy in Blackjack?

Basic strategy is the set of plays with the highest expected return for every combination of your hand and the dealer’s upcard. Computer simulations of millions of hands produced it, and it changes only slightly with the table rules.

The dealer must follow fixed drawing rules, while you can choose. Basic strategy uses that choice well. It stands on stiff hands (hard 12 to 16) when the dealer shows a weak upcard (2 to 6), because the dealer is more likely to bust. It hits those same hands against a strong upcard (7 to ace), because standing loses more often than drawing.

Which Rules Does This Chart Use?

The charts below assume four to eight decks, dealer stands on soft 17 (S17), double on any two cards, double after split allowed and no surrender. These are common rules at online RNG and live tables, but always check the game’s rules panel.

Key: H = hit, S = stand, D = double if allowed, otherwise hit, Ds = double if allowed, otherwise stand, P = split. Columns show the dealer’s upcard.

Hard Totals Chart

A hard total has no ace, or an ace that must count as 1. Find your total in the left column and the dealer’s upcard across the top.

Your hand	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
8 or less	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	H
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	H	H
16	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
17 or more	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S

Soft Totals Chart

A soft total includes an ace counted as 11. Soft hands cannot bust with one more card, which is why the chart doubles them more often.

Your hand	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
A,2 (soft 13)	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,3 (soft 14)	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,4 (soft 15)	H	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,5 (soft 16)	H	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,6 (soft 17)	H	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,7 (soft 18)	S	Ds	Ds	Ds	Ds	S	S	H	H	H
A,8 (soft 19)	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
A,9 (soft 20)	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S

Pair Splitting Chart

Use this chart first when your two cards have the same value. All 10-value cards count as a pair of 10s.

Your pair	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
A,A	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P
10,10	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
9,9	P	P	P	P	P	S	P	P	S	S
8,8	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P
7,7	P	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H
6,6	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H	H
5,5	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
4,4	H	H	H	P	P	H	H	H	H	H
3,3	P	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H
2,2	P	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H

What Changes When the Dealer Hits Soft 17?

At H17 tables (dealer hits soft 17), three cells change with these rules. The rest of the chart stays the same.

Hard 11 against an ace: double instead of hit.
Soft 18 (A,7) against a 2: double if allowed, otherwise stand.
Soft 19 (A,8) against a 6: double if allowed, otherwise stand.

Where late surrender is offered, the most common surrender plays are hard 16 against 9, 10 or ace and hard 15 against 10. Two-deck games change a few more cells; see our double deck blackjack strategy guide.

Which Basic Strategy Rules Should You Memorize First?

Start with eight rules that cover most hands you will see. They capture most of the value of the full chart.

Always split aces and 8s.
Never split 10s or 5s.
Double 11 against every upcard except an ace (S17 tables).
Double 10 against 2 through 9.
Stand on hard 17 or more.
Stand on hard 13 to 16 against 2 through 6; hit against 7 through ace.
Hit hard 12 against 2 and 3; stand against 4 through 6.
Never take insurance.

When you play online, you can keep the chart open in another window while you learn, which removes memory mistakes.

What Are the Odds in Blackjack?

With basic strategy at a standard multi-deck table, you win about 42% of hands, lose about 49% and push about 8.5%. Doubles, splits and 3:2 naturals pay more on the hands you win, which narrows the gap to a house edge near 0.5%.

Outcome	Approximate share of hands
Player wins	42.4%
Dealer wins	49.1%
Push	8.5%

A natural blackjack arrives in roughly 1 hand in 21 (about 4.75% in a six-deck game). That is why a 6:5 payout, which cuts the natural’s profit from 1.5 to 1.2 bets, adds about 1.4% to the house edge.

How Often Does the Dealer Bust?

The dealer busts most often when showing a 5 or 6 and least often when showing an ace. These figures explain most of the basic strategy chart.

Dealer upcard	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
Bust chance	35%	37%	40%	42%	42%	26%	24%	23%	21%	12%

Figures are approximate for a multi-deck game where the dealer stands on soft 17.

How Likely Are You to Bust When You Hit?

Your bust risk on one more card depends only on your hard total. With 16 out of every 52 cards worth 10, a hard 12 busts on any 10-value card, and the risk climbs with each point.

Your hard total	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
Bust chance on a hit	31%	38%	46%	54%	62%	69%	77%	85%	92%

Values assume a full deck composition. A hard 16 busts 62% of the time when you hit, yet basic strategy still hits it against a 7 through ace, because standing on 16 loses even more often against those upcards.

How Do Table Rules Change the House Edge?

Rules shift the house edge more than most players expect. The payout on blackjack matters most, followed by the soft 17 rule.

Rule	Approximate effect
Blackjack pays 6:5 instead of 3:2	+1.4%
Dealer hits soft 17	+0.2%
Double on 10 and 11 only	+0.2%
No double after split	+0.1%
Late surrender offered	−0.1%

Effects are measured against a standard six-deck game and vary slightly with the full rule set.

Should You Take Insurance or Side Bets?

No. Insurance carries a house edge of about 7.4% in a six-deck game, and most side bets carry edges of several percent or more. Both cost far more than the main hand.

Insurance is a side bet that the dealer’s hole card is a 10-value card when the upcard is an ace. It pays 2:1, but only 4 of the 13 card ranks are worth 10, so the bet loses money over time. “Even money” on your own blackjack is the same bet under another name, and basic strategy declines it too.

Side bets such as pairs or poker-hand combinations pay large multiples, but their payout tables are set well above the true odds. Read the paytable in the game’s info panel if you choose to play them for entertainment.

Do Betting Systems and Card Counting Work?

Betting systems do not change the house edge. Card counting can work in some physical shoe games, but it is ineffective at RNG tables, which reshuffle every hand.

The Martingale system doubles your bet after every loss to win back one unit. It produces many small wins and occasional very large losses. Starting at $10, seven losses in a row require a $1,280 bet, and table maximums or your bankroll usually stop the sequence first. Seven straight losses are uncommon but not rare across a long session.

Card counting tracks the ratio of high to low cards left in the shoe and raises bets when it favors the player. Online RNG games shuffle after each round, so there is nothing to track. Live dealer shoes are usually cut deep or shuffled continuously, which removes most of the benefit. We explain the concept so you can recognize claims that sell it as an easy system; we do not recommend it as a way to make money.

How Should You Manage Your Blackjack Bankroll?

Bet a fixed small share of your session budget on each hand and stop at a preset loss limit. Basic strategy lowers the cost per hand, but variance still produces long losing streaks.

Keep your base bet flat. Remember that doubles and splits can put two to four times your bet on the table in one round, so leave room for them. Our bankroll management guide covers session limits and unit sizing in more detail.

When you are ready to play, compare table rules, limits and bonus terms on our list of online blackjack casinos, all reviewed by our team.

Blackjack has a built-in house edge, so every session has an expected cost. Set a deposit and time limit before you play, never chase losses, and use the tools in our responsible gambling guide. In the US, call 1-800-MY-RESET for free, confidential help.

Related Blackjack Guides

Online blackjack casinos: where to play, table rules and bonuses compared.
Blackjack card values: how to count hands, aces and soft totals.
Double deck blackjack strategy: the chart changes for two-deck games.
What is a push in blackjack: ties, naturals and bet returns.
Live dealer casinos: real-card blackjack tables streamed online.

Blackjack Strategy: How to Play, Basic Strategy Chart and Odds