Blackjack Strategy: The Best Way to Win Consistently

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Written by Ian Mac
Ian Mac
Ian Mac is a dedicated content writer and editor with consistent 5-star feedback when it comes to creating high-quality gambling content. He writes about casino bonuses, casino destinations and casino games including slots, roulette and blackjack.
, | Updated: September 25, 2025

Blackjack may be a skill-based game, but unless an advanced technique such as card counting is used, it still favors the house rather than the players. Because the game is played with a fixed set of rules and uses standard 52-card decks, mathematically correct moves have been determined for every possible hand. This is the key to winning at blackjack – rather than relying on luck, successful players should follow the correct strategy for the particular version of 21 they are playing.

Blackjack strategy is the best way to get as close as possible to the incredibly low house edge of around 0.50% in most variations of the game. However, even a perfect strategy does not change the odds, and blackjack fans should know that the only way to gain an advantage over the casino is to count cards. Because card counting is a difficult technique that requires advanced skills and is certainly not tolerated by casinos, most patrons prefer memorizing the basic strategy instead.

In this article, we describe the basic strategy common to most blackjack variations. Nevertheless, even the slightest change in the standard rules typically requires an adjustment to that strategy, so before players take a seat at the blackjack table, they need to consider the specific rules under which they will be playing.

What is Basic Strategy for Blackjack?

1Basic Strategy Intro

The simplest and most fundamental system for playing blackjack is known as “basic strategy.” It relies on predetermined probabilities for every possible scenario to offer mathematically correct recommendations. In other words, basic strategy helps players decide when to draw another card, stand, surrender, or double their bets based on the most likely outcome.

2Maximize Your Chances of Winning

For some players, this may not seem like a very reliable or sound way to guarantee a profit – and, in fact, it doesn’t guarantee a win every time. It does, however, maximize the chances of long-term success by identifying the best possible moves against the dealer. The strategy includes several core recommendations: players should always Stand on totals of 19 or higher and Hit on weak hands of 8 or less. Only two hands should be surrendered – 15 against a dealer 10 and 16 against a dealer 9 through Ace. Players should always split Aces and 8s and should never split pairs of 5s or 10s. Finally, bets should be doubled when holding a hard 11.

3Exceptions

There are, however, plenty of exceptions to consider. Basic strategy is typically presented as a chart that shows the correct play for every possible player hand and dealer’s upcard. Moreover, each variation of blackjack requires slight adjustments. For this section of our blackjack guide, we have selected a basic strategy that applies to most versions of the game. It is based on the following rules: the game uses 4 to 8 decks, the dealer hits on soft 17, surrender is allowed, and players can split up to four hands.

Player Hand Dealer’s Up Card
Hard 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
5-8 H H H H H H H H H H
9 H D/H D/H D/H D/H H H H H H
10 D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H H H
11 D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H
12 H H S S S H H H H H
13-14 S S S S S H H H H H
15 S S S S S H H H SU/H SU/H
16 S S S S S H H SU/H SU/H SU/H
17 S S S S S S S S S SU/S
18-20 S S S S S S S S S S
Soft 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
13-14 H H H D/H D/H H H H H H
15 H H D/H D/H D/H H H H H H
16 H H D/H D/H D/H H H H H H
17 H D/H D/H D/H D/H H H H H H
18 D/S D/S D/S D/S D/S S S H H H
19 S S S S D/S S S S S S
20-21 S S S S S S S S S S
Pairs 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
2-2, 3-3 SP/H SP/H SP SP SP SP H H H H
4-4 H H H SP/H SP/H H H H H H
5-5 D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H H H
6-6 SP/H SP SP SP SP H H H H H
7-7 SP SP SP SP SP SP H H H H
8-8 SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SU/SP
9-9 SP SP SP SP SP S SP SP S S
10-10 S S S S S S S S S S
A-A SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP
Legend
H Hit
S Stand
SP Split
SU/H Surrender if allowed, otherwise hit
SU/S Surrender if allowed, otherwise stand
SU/SP Surrender if allowed, otherwise split
SP/H Split if double after split is allowed, otherwise hit
D/H Double if allowed, otherwise hit
D/S Double if allowed, otherwise stand

Tips for Basic Strategy Players

Practice Play
blank Decision Hands
blank Action Order
blank Short Pays Blackjack
blank Insurance

Practice Play

To be effective, basic strategy must be executed perfectly, without mistakes. Many players memorize the color-coded strategy charts, but you can also learn the correct moves by playing free online blackjack. It shouldn’t take long, as the strategy is much easier to follow in practice than it appears when shown as a chart.

Decision Hands

It covers several core lessons, such as hitting weak hands and standing on strong ones. More importantly, basic blackjack strategy helps when you’re dealing with the so-called “decision hands”. Typically, any total from 2 through 18 is considered a decision hand because it requires a specific action – players should simply stand on 18 or higher. The guidance for totals from 2 to 8 is fairly intuitive, so you should concentrate on the rules for hands valued 9 through 17.

Action Order

Players should also understand that there is a proper order for evaluating the available actions. First, decide whether to surrender the hand. If surrender is not advised, check whether the hand is a pair that can be split. If neither option applies, consider standing or taking another card, with the possibility of doubling the wager. A few additional factors may also come into play.

Short Pays Blackjack

Some casinos now offer alternative payouts for a player blackjack, such as 6:5 or even 1:1. The traditional 3:2 payout – 1.5 times the wager – is much more favorable. Moreover, the basic strategy was developed specifically for the standard pay table that includes 3:2 for a natural 21 and 1:1 for a regular win against the dealer.

Lower payouts make certain strategy moves pointless, even if they remain mathematically correct. For that reason, short-pays blackjack variations should be avoided whenever possible.

Insurance

A glance at the basic strategy chart shows that taking Insurance is never recommended, and that omission is intentional. Insurance is a side bet, independent of the original wager, that the dealer has blackjack. It is offered when the dealer’s upcard is an Ace and assumes the hole card is a 10, Jack, Queen, or King.

The dealer will reveal a 10-value card only about 31.37% of the time, and the likelihood is even lower if any 10-value cards are already in players’ hands. Furthermore, even when the dealer does hit blackjack, the player merely breaks even – losing the original wager while winning the Insurance bet, which pays 2:1 and usually costs exactly half of the main bet.

Composition-Based Strategy

Basic Strategy Adjustments

Composition-Based Strategy Examples

All blackjack players start with the basic strategy charts, and there may be quite a few of them because both online and brick-and-mortar casinos offer an enormous range of blackjack variations. However, the basic strategy alone is never enough for players who want a reliable income from blackjack. Those who wish to play professionally eventually learn to adjust the basic strategy to the specific composition of their hand and to the cards that have already been dealt, or “burnt”.

This approach is called composition-based strategy, while the familiar strategy charts are referred to as total-dependent strategy. The dynamic nature of the game requires players to consider not only the total of their hand but also the individual cards that compose it. Composition-based strategy techniques are most advantageous in games that use one or two decks. When applied correctly, they can further reduce the house edge and lower the game’s variance.

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How to Play Tricky Hands

Many recreational blackjack players find several hands particularly difficult to master. Players who have memorized basic strategy and understand composition-based strategy can usually spot the correct move right away. Nevertheless, some blackjack hands remain tricky.

blank 8-8 vs Dealer 10
blank 16 vs Dealer 7
blank 11 vs Dealer 10
blank 12 vs Dealer 3
blank Soft 18 vs Dealer 9

8-8 vs Dealer 10

A hard 16 against the dealer is one of the worst situations in blackjack. The player is expected to win only about 23% of the time. The outlook is nearly as bad when facing a dealer 9 or Ace. When that 16 is made up of two 8s, however, you can improve the situation by breaking up the pair.

Many players fear that splitting 8-8 may result in losing both hands, and while that can happen, splitting is still the correct move. Over the long term, the math shows that this choice is more profitable. Short-term variance will always exist, but for consistent basic strategy play you should stick with the split in this spot.

16 vs Dealer 7

Most blackjack beginners struggle with hard totals between 12 and 16. These hands are challenging because they can bust easily yet can also improve to strong totals like 18, 19, 20, or 21. When dealt a 16 against a dealer 7, many players try to avoid busting by standing.

However, hitting and hoping for a low card is the better play because cards 2 through 5 are still plentiful in the shoe. Remember, your hard 16 might be 9-7 or 6 plus a 10-value card. It is wiser to draw and aim for a low card (2–5) than to leave the outcome to the dealer.

11 vs Dealer 10

You should always double hard 11 against any dealer upcard, even a 10. The reason is straightforward: the player is more likely to turn 11 into 21 than the dealer is to draw an Ace for blackjack. In fact, with one card, the player will make 20 or 21 roughly 60% of the time, while the dealer is less likely to reach 20. By doubling down, you can earn twice as much in this favorable spot.

In most blackjack variations the dealer hits soft 17, and doubling a hard 11 against a dealer 10 is correct. If the dealer stands on all 17s, however, you should hit instead.

12 vs Dealer 3

Many inexperienced players who receive a hard 12 against a dealer 3 prefer to stand, believing it is better to leave the potential bust card to the dealer. This is a mistake. A total of 12 busts only if a 10 is drawn, and that happens roughly 4 times in 13.

With a hard 12, a 10 (15 or 16 cards, depending on deck size) busts you, but cards 5 through 9 give you a solid hand of 17–21 – and about 20 such cards remain in the shoe. The exact mix of “good” and “bad” cards depends on your initial combination – whether it’s 10-2, 9-3, 8-4, or 7-5.

Soft 18 vs Dealer 9

Standing on totals of 18 or higher is generally recommended, because these are strong hands. When you hold a soft 18 (A-7) against a dealer 9, however, the situation changes. The dealer’s 9 is a powerful card that can easily become 19 with a 10-value card. Since 10-value cards are the most common in the deck, a potential dealer 19 will beat your soft 18.

In this matchup, you win about 8 out of 20 hands if you stand. If you hit, you win roughly 9 out of 20. Because the odds are slightly better, hitting is the preferred play.

Blackjack Strategy Charts

Once players master the basic strategy for multi-deck blackjack in which the dealer hits soft 17 (H17), they can make small adjustments tailored to the specific variation they are playing. There is a wide variety of blackjack games, each with slightly different rules that can alter the odds for certain hands.

The basic strategy above is designed for a four- to eight-deck game where the dealer hits soft 17. While this format is most common in land-based casinos, other versions offer better odds and a different house edge, so their basic strategies vary in some situations.

blank Multi-Deck Blackjack, Dealer Stands on all 17s
blank European Blackjack
blank Single-Deck Blackjack

Multi-Deck Blackjack, Dealer Stands on all 17s

This chart is helpful for players of traditional Vegas Rules blackjack. The game uses four to eight decks of 52 cards, and the dealer stands on all 17s.

Player Hand Dealer’s Up Card
Hard 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
5-8 H H H H H H H H H H
9 H D/H D/H D/H D/H H H H H H
10 D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H H H
11 D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H
12 H H S S S H H H H H
13-14 S S S S S H H H H H
15 S S S S S H H H SU/H H
16 S S S S S H H SU/H SU/H SU/H
17-20 S S S S S S S S S S
Soft 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
13-14 H H H D/H D/H H H H H H
15 H H D/H D/H D/H H H H H H
16 H H D/H D/H D/H H H H H H
17 H D/H D/H D/H D/H H H H H H
18 S D/S D/S D/S D/S S S H H H
19-20 S S S S S S S S S S
Pairs 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
2-2, 3-3 SP/H SP/H SP SP SP SP H H H H
4-4 H H H SP/H SP/H H H H H H
5-5 D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H H H
6-6 SP/H SP SP SP SP H H H H H
7-7 SP SP SP SP SP SP H H H H
8-8 SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP
9-9 SP SP SP SP SP S SP SP S S
10-10 S S S S S S S S S S
A-A SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP
Legend
H Hit
S Stand
SP Split
SU/H Surrender if allowed, otherwise hit
SU/S Surrender if allowed, otherwise stand
SP/H Split if double after split is allowed, otherwise hit
SU/SP Surrender if allowed, otherwise split
SP/D Split if double after split is allowed, otherwise double
SP/S Split if double after split is allowed, otherwise stand
D/H Double if allowed, otherwise hit
D/S Double if allowed, otherwise stand

European Blackjack

European blackjack has no hole card, which slightly alters the game’s rules and strategy. More importantly, the player forfeits all bets if the dealer has blackjack, including any additional wagers from splits or doubles. This variation is usually played with four to eight decks, and the dealer stands on all 17s. Players may double only on hard totals of 9, 10, or 11 and after a split.

Player Hand Dealer’s Up Card
Hard 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
5-8 H H H H H H H H H H
9 H D/H D/H D/H D/H H H H H H
10 D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H H H
11 D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H H H
12 H H S S S H H H H H
13-16 S S S S S H H H H H
17-20 S S S S S S S S S S
Soft 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
13-17 H H H H H H H H H H
18 S S S S S S S H H H
19-20 S S S S S S S S S S
Pairs 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
2-2, 3-3 SP SP SP SP SP SP H H H H
4-4 H H H SP SP H H H H H
5-5 D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H H H
6-6 SP SP SP SP SP H H H H H
7-7 SP SP SP SP SP SP H H H H
8-8 SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP H H
9-9 SP SP SP SP SP S SP SP S S
10-10 S S S S S S S S S S
A-A SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP H
Legend
H Hit
S Stand
SP Split
D/H Double if allowed, otherwise hit

Single-Deck Blackjack

Only a handful of casinos offer single-deck blackjack, and the rules can vary slightly between venues. The chart below outlines the strategy for a single-deck game where the dealer hits soft 17.

Player Hand Dealer’s Up Card
Hard 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
4-7 H H H H H H H H H H
8 H H H D/H D/H H H H H H
9 D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H H H H H H
10 D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H H H
11 D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H
12 H H S S S H H H H H
13-14 S S S S S H H H H H
15 S S S S S H H H H SU/H
16 S S S S S H H H SU/H SU/H
17 S S S S S S S S S SU/S
18-21 S S S S S S S S S S
Soft 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
13-16 H H D/H D/H D/H H H H H H
17 D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H H H H H H
18 S D/S D/S D/S D/S S S H H H
19 S S S S D/S S S S S S
20-21 S S S S S S S S S S
Pairs 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
2-2 SP/H SP SP SP SP SP H H H H
3-3 SP/H SP/H SP SP SP SP SP/H H H H
4-4 H H SP/H SP/D SP/D H H H H H
5-5 D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H D/H H H
6-6 SP SP SP SP SP SP/H H H H H
7-7 SP SP SP SP SP SP SP/H H SU/S SU/H
8-8 SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP
9-9 SP SP SP SP SP S SP SP S SP/S
10-10 S S S S S S S S S S
A-A SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP
Legend
H Hit
S Stand
SP Split
SU/H Surrender if allowed, otherwise hit
SU/S Surrender if allowed, otherwise stand
SP/H Split if double after split is allowed, otherwise hit
SP/D Split if double after split is allowed, otherwise double
SP/S Split if double after split is allowed, otherwise stand
D/H Double if allowed, otherwise hit
D/S Double if allowed, otherwise stand
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