Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart
Blackjack basic strategy is the mathematically optimal move — hit, stand, double, split or surrender — for every combination of your hand and the dealer's upcard. Playing it perfectly reduces the casino's house edge to about 0.5% on the most common shoe game (6 decks, dealer stands on soft 17, double after split allowed). This chart lists the correct move for all 340 combinations — but a chart you only read is a chart you'll forget at the table.
Rules: 6 decks · dealer stands on soft 17 · double after split allowed · no surrender.
Every cell is generated by Soft17's tested strategy engine — last verified July 2026.
Adjust to your table
Number of decks
Dealer hits Soft 17 (H17)
Double after Split (DAS)
Surrender
European No Hole Card (ENHC)
House edge with perfect basic strategy: ~0.46%
Hard totals
| Hand | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H |
| 6 | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H |
| 7 | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H |
| 8 | 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 | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
| 18 | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
| 19 | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
| 20 | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
| 21 | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
Soft totals (hand with an ace)
| 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 | Ds | Ds | Ds | Ds | Ds | 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
| Hand | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,2 | P | P | P | P | P | P | H | H | H | H |
| 3,3 | P | P | P | P | P | P | H | H | H | H |
| 4,4 | H | H | H | P | P | H | H | H | H | H |
| 5,5 | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | H | H |
| 6,6 | P | P | P | P | P | H | H | H | H | H |
| 7,7 | P | P | P | P | P | P | H | H | H | H |
| 8,8 | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P |
| 9,9 | P | P | P | P | P | S | P | P | S | S |
| 10,10 | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
| A,A | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P |
Legend
How to read the basic strategy chart
Find your hand in the left column and the dealer's upcard along the top row. The cell where they meet shows the optimal move. Hard totals have no ace (or count it as 1); soft totals count an ace as 11; pairs are two cards of the same rank.
Don't memorize the PDF — train it
Reading a strategy table is easy. Recalling the right move in a split second, under pressure at the table, is the hard part. Soft17 turns this exact chart into a spaced-repetition drill (the SM-2 algorithm) so the moves become automatic. The Drill is free and needs no account.
Train this chart free →Frequently asked questions
Is this basic strategy chart free?
Yes. You can read it, print it, and download it as an image at no cost — no account required.
Which rules is this chart for?
6 decks, dealer stands on soft 17 (S17), double after split allowed (DAS), no surrender — the most common shoe game in casinos.
What do H, S, D, P and R mean?
H = Hit, S = Stand, D = Double, P = Split, R = Surrender. 'Ds' means double if allowed, otherwise stand.
How do I actually memorize basic strategy?
Don't just stare at the table. Train it with spaced repetition until each move is automatic — that is exactly what the free Soft17 Drill does.