Blackjack basic strategy for beginners

Basic strategy is the set of choices that gives you the best long-run result against each dealer upcard. It does not let you beat the house, and it cannot promise a winning session. This guide assumes the game on our Blackjack rules page: six decks, dealer stands on every 17, doubling after a split, one split only and late surrender. If your table differs, some choices change.

Think in terms of the dealer’s upcard

The dealer must hit 16 or less and stand on 17 or more. So an upcard of 2 to 6 is weak: the dealer busts often. An upcard of 7 to ace is strong: the dealer will usually finish with a made hand.

Hard totals

A hard total has no ace counted as 11.

• 17 or more: stand.
• 13 to 16: stand against a dealer 2 to 6, hit against 7 to ace.
• 12: stand against 4 to 6, hit against everything else.
• 11 or less: you cannot bust with one more card, so hit unless doubling is better.

Doubling

Double when one extra card is likely to give you the best hand and the dealer is weak.

• 11: double against 2 to 10.
• 10: double against 2 to 9.
• 9: double against 3 to 6.

If a double is not offered or you do not have the chips, hit instead. Remember that a double gets exactly one card.

Soft totals

A soft hand cannot bust on the next card, so you can be bolder.

• Soft 18 or less (ace-7 or lower): hit against a strong dealer card. Against a weak one, a double is often better if the table allows it.
• Soft 19 or more: stand.

Pairs

• Always split aces and eights. Two aces start two strong hands. A pair of eights is a poor 16, and two 8s each starting a new hand is better.
• Never split tens or fives. Twenty is already strong. Two fives make 10, a good doubling hand.
• Other pairs depend on the dealer card. Use a full basic-strategy chart for your exact rules rather than guessing.

Surrender

Late surrender returns half your bet. In this ruleset the usual surrenders are hard 16 against a dealer 9, 10 or ace, and hard 15 against a dealer 10. Surrender is not offered at every table.

Skip insurance

Insurance is a separate bet that the dealer has a natural. Over time it costs more than it returns, so basic strategy takes no insurance, even with a blackjack of your own.

What strategy cannot do

A correct choice can still lose. Basic strategy lowers the house edge but does not remove it. Set a limit before you sit down, and treat any money you bet as the price of entertainment.