OC Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart — The Only Card You'll Ever Need

Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart — The Only Card You'll Ever Need

Free blackjack basic strategy chart for every hand vs dealer upcard. Learn when to hit, stand, double, or split with our printable strategy card.

← Back to Blog

Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart — The Only Card You'll Ever Need

Published on: July 2, 2026

What is Blackjack Basic Strategy?

Basic Strategy is the mathematically optimal way to play every possible blackjack hand against every possible dealer upcard. It was first calculated by mathematicians in the 1950s using early computers, and it's been refined ever since.

Using Basic Strategy reduces the house edge from ~2% (guessing) to ~0.5%. That's a 75% reduction in how much the casino expects to win from you.

The Complete Basic Strategy Chart

Hard Totals (No Ace counted as 11)

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 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 H
16 S S S S S H H R R R
17+ S S S S S S S S S S

Key: H=Hit, S=Stand, D=Double (hit if can't), R=Surrender (hit if can't)

Soft Totals (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 D D D D S S H H H
A,8 S S S S S S S S S S
A,9 S S S S S S S S S S

Pairs (Split Decision)

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 R
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

Key: P=Split, S=Stand, H=Hit, D=Double, R=Surrender

Why Basic Strategy Works

Every decision in Basic Strategy is based on Expected Value (EV). For example, why do you hit on 16 vs dealer 7?

  • Standing on 16: The dealer has a 7 upcard and will make a hand 17+ about 62% of the time. Your EV of standing is approximately -$0.40 per dollar bet.
  • Hitting on 16: You'll bust about 62% of the time, but when you don't bust, you improve to 17-21. Your EV of hitting is approximately -$0.30 per dollar bet.

Hitting loses less money than standing. That's the entire logic of Basic Strategy — minimizing losses on bad hands, maximizing gains on good ones.

$$EV(Hit\ 16\ vs\ 7) \approx -0.30 < EV(Stand\ 16\ vs\ 7) \approx -0.40$$

The Most Important Rules to Memorize

If you can't memorize the full chart, learn these 5 rules first:

  1. Always split Aces and 8s. Two Aces give you two chances at 21. Two 8s turn a terrible 16 into two playable hands.
  2. Never split 10s. A hand of 20 is too strong to break up.
  3. Always double on 11. You have the best chance of making a strong hand (21, 20, or 19).
  4. Always hit soft 18 vs dealer 9, 10, or A. Soft 18 is vulnerable against strong dealer cards.
  5. Stand on hard 17+. The risk of busting is too high.

Common Mistakes

  1. Taking Insurance. Insurance is a side bet that the dealer has blackjack. It has a house edge of ~7%. Never take it — not even with Basic Strategy.

  2. Standing on 12 vs dealer 2 or 3. Beginners think 12 is too risky to hit, but the dealer is also in a weak position. The math says hit.

  3. Not doubling on 11 vs dealer 2-10. Doubling on 11 is one of the most profitable plays in blackjack. Don't miss it.

  4. Splitting 5s. Two 5s make 10 — a great starting hand for doubling. Don't split them.

Try It Now

Use our Blackjack Calculator to practice Basic Strategy. It shows the optimal play for every hand in real-time, so you can learn by doing.

You can also use the Is This Bet +EV? tool to understand the expected value behind every decision.

Related Tools & Resources