Blackjack Basic Strategy: Hit, Stand, Double and Split
Updated 2026-08-31
Basic strategy is the mathematically optimal decision for every combination of your hand and the dealer's upcard. Following it reduces the house edge to well under 1% in a standard six-deck game; deviating from it is what makes blackjack expensive.
The rules we deal
Six decks, dealer stands on all 17s, blackjack pays 3:2, doubling allowed on any two cards, and splitting up to four hands.
The dealer draws only after all of your hands are complete, so every hand you bust is lost even if the dealer busts afterwards.
Split aces receive one card each, which is the standard restriction in almost every casino.
Hard totals
Always stand on 17 or higher. Always hit 8 or lower.
On 12–16, stand if the dealer shows 2–6 (they are likely to bust) and hit if they show 7 through ace.
Double on 11 against any upcard, on 10 against 2–9, and on 9 against 3–6.
Soft totals and pairs
A soft hand contains an ace counted as 11. Stand on soft 19 and 20, hit soft 17 or less, and double soft 13–18 against a weak dealer card (4–6).
Always split aces and eights. Never split tens or fives.
Split twos, threes, sixes, sevens and nines against low dealer upcards; treat a pair of fives as a hard 10 and double it.
What basic strategy will not do
It does not make blackjack a winning game. It minimises the edge, it does not remove it.
Insurance is a losing side bet at standard odds and should be declined by basic strategy players.
Card counting has no effect on a game where the shoe is shuffled every hand, as it is in most online implementations.
Frequently asked questions
- When should I always split?
- Aces and eights, always. Tens and fives, never.
- Should I take insurance?
- No. At 2:1 it pays less than the true odds of the dealer holding blackjack, so it increases the house edge.
- Does basic strategy work with six decks?
- Yes. The chart above is built for a six-deck shoe with the dealer standing on soft 17, which is what we deal.