Blackjack Basic Strategy: What It Is and What It Isn’t

For adults 18+.

Blackjack is unusual among casino games because your decisions affect the result. “Basic strategy” is the name for the set of decisions — hit, stand, double, split — that gives the best average result for every combination of your hand and the dealer’s visible card. It is worth understanding what it does and, just as importantly, what it doesn’t do.

Where it comes from

Basic strategy was worked out by calculating, for every possible situation, which action loses least or wins most on average over a very large number of hands. It is usually printed as a chart, with your hand down the side and the dealer’s up-card across the top.

The general principles

• When the dealer shows a weak card (2 to 6), they are more likely to bust, so standing on lower totals is often the better choice.
• When the dealer shows a strong card (7 to ace), drawing to improve weaker totals is often better.
• Doubling is usually best on totals like 10 or 11 against weaker dealer cards.
• Splitting aces and eights is a classic rule; splitting tens and fives usually isn’t.

If the basic rules of the game are new, start with how blackjack works.

Table rules change the chart

The best decision depends on the rules: how many decks are used, whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17, whether doubling after a split is allowed, and what a blackjack pays. A 6:5 payout on blackjack, for example, costs players noticeably more than the traditional 3:2.

What it isn’t

• It is not a way to win reliably. With good rules and perfect play the edge is small — often cited at around half a percent — but it still belongs to the casino.
• It doesn’t protect you from losing streaks.
• It isn’t card counting, and it doesn’t predict the next card.

Play within limits

Using basic strategy means your money lasts longer on average, not that it grows. Decide your budget first, and know the signs it’s time to take a break.