Blackjack Basic Strategy Explained

The full basic strategy chart for a common rule set, what it does to the house edge, and which table rules to avoid.

By the Gambling Hero editorial team · Checked October 25, 2026

Short answer

Basic strategy is the mathematically optimal decision for every player hand against every dealer upcard. With 6 decks, dealer standing on soft 17, double after split and 3:2 blackjack, it cuts the house edge to roughly 0.5%. Common alternatives such as mimicking the dealer cost around 5.5%, and 6:5 payouts add about 1.39%.

Blackjack is one of the few casino games where your decisions change the house edge. Basic strategy is the mathematically optimal way to play each hand without tracking cards, and it reduces the casino’s advantage to well under one percent at tables with standard rules. This guide gives the full strategy table for a common rule set, shows what it is worth compared with common alternatives, and explains why rule changes such as 6:5 payouts matter more than most players think.

What basic strategy is

Basic strategy is a chart that tells you whether to hit, stand, double, split or surrender for every combination of your hand and the dealer’s upcard. It is calculated, not guessed: each decision is the one with the highest expected value over the long run. The first accurate version was published in September 1956 in the Journal of the American Statistical Association by Roger Baldwin, Wilbert Cantey, Herbert Maisel and James McDermott, who worked it out with desk calculators. Edward Thorp built on their paper, ran the numbers on an IBM 704 and published Beat the Dealer in 1962.

Basic strategy does not remove the house edge. It minimises it. You will still lose more often than you win in individual hands, and short-term results can swing widely in either direction.

The rule set used in this guide

Strategy depends on the rules, so the table below assumes a widely used set:

6 decks
Dealer stands on soft 17 (S17)
Double on any first two cards
Double after split allowed (DAS)
No surrender
Dealer checks for blackjack (peeks) with an ace or ten showing
Blackjack pays 3:2

The table follows the 4 to 8 deck, dealer-stands-on-soft-17 strategy published by Wizard of Odds, with surrender plays replaced by hits because surrender is not offered. Check the rules printed on the table or in the game’s information screen before you use it.

Basic strategy table

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

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 (hands with an ace counted as 11)

Your hand	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	H	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,7	S	Ds	Ds	Ds	Ds	S	S	H	H	H
A,8 and A,9	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S

Pairs

Your hand	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
2,2 and 3,3	P	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H

Without double after split, the splits of 2,2 and 3,3 against a 2 or 3, of 4,4 against 5 and 6, and of 6,6 against a 2 become hits. If late surrender is offered, Wizard of Odds’ strategy surrenders hard 16 against 9, 10 and ace, and hard 15 against 10.

The logic behind the chart

Dealer weak cards (2 to 6): the dealer must keep drawing to 17, so these upcards bust more often. You stand on stiff hands from 13 (and from 12 against 4 to 6) and double more aggressively.
Dealer strong cards (7 to ace): you hit stiff hands up to 16 because standing loses too often.
Always split aces and eights: two hands starting with an ace are worth more than a soft 12, and 16 is the weakest total you can hold.
Never split tens or fives: 20 is already strong, and 10 is a good doubling hand.
Soft hands cannot bust with one card, which is why doubling soft 13 to 18 against a weak dealer card is often correct.

House edge with and without basic strategy

Wizard of Odds puts the house edge for Atlantic City rules (8 decks, dealer stands on soft 17, double after split, late surrender) at 0.43% with basic strategy. Using common alternatives instead of the chart costs much more. Under the same Atlantic City rules, Wizard of Odds gives these figures:

How you play	House edge
Basic strategy	0.43%
“Never bust” (stand on any hand that could bust)	3.91%
“Mimic the dealer” (hit to 17, never double or split)	5.48%
“Assume a ten in the hole”	10.03%

Wizard of Odds also cites Peter Griffin’s estimate that the average player’s mistakes add 1.41% to the basic strategy house edge, and notes that not having enough money to double or split, while otherwise playing correctly, adds 1.9%.

Worked example: adjusting for this guide’s rule set

Wizard of Odds also publishes the approximate effect of each rule change. Starting from 0.43% for the Atlantic City rules, our rule set uses 6 decks instead of 8 (about 0.02% better for the player) and has no surrender (late surrender against a ten is worth about 0.07% to the player). The approximate house edge is therefore 0.43% − 0.02% + 0.07% = 0.48%. Adding these effects together is an approximation, but it is close enough to compare tables. You can enter your own figures in our RTP and house edge calculator.

What does that mean in money? The house edge applies to the total amount you bet. If you play 100 hands at 10 per hand, you stake 1,000 in initial bets. At 0.48%, the expected loss is about 4.80. Playing “mimic the dealer” at 5.48% would cost about 54.80 on the same play. These are long-run averages; any single session can end far above or below them.

Rule variations that change the edge

Choosing the right table can matter as much as playing correctly. Wizard of Odds lists these approximate effects, measured against an 8-deck game where the dealer stands on soft 17 and doubling after split is allowed:

Rule	Change in house edge
Blackjack pays 6:5 instead of 3:2	+1.39%
Blackjack pays 1:1	+2.27%
Dealer hits soft 17 (H17)	+0.22%
No doubling after split	+0.14%
Double on 10 and 11 only	+0.18%
No hole card (European style)	+0.11%
Late surrender against a ten	−0.07%
Resplitting aces allowed	−0.08%
Single deck instead of 8	−0.48%

The 6:5 payout is the most expensive common change: on our example rule set it would raise the edge from about 0.48% to about 1.87%, nearly four times as much. A dealer who hits soft 17 also changes a few strategy decisions, such as doubling 11 against an ace, so use a chart that matches the table. Before playing online, open the game rules and check the blackjack payout, the soft 17 rule and the number of decks.

Insurance: why basic strategy declines it

When the dealer shows an ace, you are offered insurance: a side bet of up to half your stake that pays 2:1 if the dealer has blackjack. Basic strategy never takes it. A quick calculation shows why. In a 6-deck shoe there are 312 cards, 96 of them worth ten. If the dealer shows an ace and you hold two non-ten cards, 309 unseen cards remain (the dealer’s hole card is one of them), of which 96 are tens. The chance of a dealer blackjack is 96 ÷ 309 ≈ 31.1%. The expected value of insurance per unit is 2 × 0.311 − 1 × 0.689 ≈ −0.068, a house edge of about 6.8%, far worse than the main game. “Even money” on your own blackjack is the same bet in a different form.

Why card counting is not practical online

Card counting works because, as Thorp showed, the odds shift as cards are removed from the shoe: a shoe rich in tens and aces favours the player. Counting needs many cards to be dealt between shuffles. Online, that rarely happens:

RNG blackjack: Wizard of Odds notes that most online casinos shuffle after every hand, and that counting has little value when cards are reshuffled every hand.
Continuous shuffling machines: Wizard of Odds advises counters to avoid them, because cards are returned to the machine continuously.
Live dealer tables: these use physical shoes, but the casino controls when to reshuffle. Wizard of Odds notes that casinos can respond to counting by shuffling whenever a player raises a bet.

For online play, perfect basic strategy at a table with good rules is the realistic way to keep the edge low.

Common myths

“Assume the dealer has a ten.” It sounds sensible but leads to a house edge of about 10% under Atlantic City rules.
“Never bust.” Standing on every stiff hand costs about 3.91%, roughly nine times the basic strategy edge.
“Insurance protects a good hand.” It is a separate bet with a high edge, as the calculation above shows.
“A betting system can beat the house.” Progressions change the size and timing of bets, not the edge on each one. Expected loss is total amount staked times house edge.
“The dealer is due to bust.” In RNG games, each hand is dealt from a freshly shuffled deck, so previous hands have no influence on the next.
“Blackjack bonuses are easy to clear.” Some bonuses weight blackjack at a low percentage or exclude it. Read the terms; our wagering requirements guide explains game weighting.

Play within limits

A low house edge still means a long-run cost, and blackjack’s fast pace adds up quickly over many hands. Decide your budget and session length before you start, use deposit limits, and stop if you are chasing losses. Our responsible gambling page lists the tools and support available, and our guide to self-exclusion explains how to stop completely if you need to. More game guides are in the games section.

FAQ

Does basic strategy work at online blackjack?

Yes, for RNG and live dealer games with the same rules. The maths is identical; only the rules and payouts may differ, so check them before you play.

What is the house edge of blackjack with basic strategy?

Under Atlantic City rules, Wizard of Odds gives 0.43%. Our example rule set (6 decks, S17, DAS, no surrender) works out at roughly 0.48%. Tables paying 6:5 for blackjack add about 1.39%.

Should I always split aces and eights?

Under the rules in this guide, yes, against every dealer upcard.

Can you count cards in online blackjack?

Not usefully in most games. Wizard of Odds notes that most online casinos shuffle after every hand, which removes the information counting relies on.

Is it worth taking insurance?

Not under basic strategy. In a 6-deck game the insurance bet carries a house edge of around 6.8% when you hold two non-ten cards.

Sources

Last updated October 25, 2026 by the Gambling Hero editorial team.