online casinos
US casinos UK casinos

Basic Blackjack Strategy

See also - Rules | Tips | Strategy | Variants | Odds | Card Counting | Free Game | Best Blackjack

Introduction

Blackjack has always been the favourite for seasoned casinos gamblers as the house advantage on Blackjack is very low (usually between 0.3-0.7%). However these odds assume you are playing according to optimal basic strategy. Needless to say, you can't expect to win very often if you hit on 20.

This means you need to play smart and to know when to hit, stand, split etc based on knowing only your hand and the dealer's face up card.

Golden rules:

  • Never take insurance (it increases the house advantage by 5.8-7.5%).
  • Card counting will not work as online casinos typically re-shuffle the deck after each hand.

Generic strategy table

Below is a generic basic blackjack strategy table which covers games played with 4+ decks, where the dealer stands on soft 17. (Referenced from Wizard of Odds )

Generic Basic Blackjack Strategy Table
Player's Hand Dealer's Up Card
Hard Totals 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
17 (+) S S S S S S S S S S
16 S S S S S H H SR SR SR
15 S S S S S H H H SR H
14 S S S S S H H H H H
13 S S S S S H H H H H
12 H H S S S H H H H H
11 D D D D D D D D D H
10 D D D D D D D D H H
9 H D D D D H H H H H
8 (-) H H H H H H H H H H
Soft Totals 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
Ace & 8 (+) S S S S S S S S S S
Ace & 7 S D D D D S S H H H
Ace & 6 H D D D D H H H H H
Ace & 5 H H D D D H H H H H
Ace & 4 H H D D D H H H H H
Ace & 3 (-) H H H D D H H H H H
Pairs 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
Ace & Ace SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP
10 & 10 S S S S S S S S S S
9 & 9 SP SP SP SP SP S SP SP S S
8 & 8 SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP
7 & 7 SP SP SP SP SP SP H H H H
6 & 6 Sp SP SP SP SP H H H H H
5 & 5 D D D D D D D D H H
4 & 4 H H H Sp Sp H H H H H
3 & 3 Sp Sp SP SP SP SP H H H H
2 & 2 Sp Sp SP SP SP SP H H H H

H
Hit
D
Double
Sp
Split if allowed to double after, otherwise hit
S
Stand
SP
Split
SR
Surrender if allowed, otherwise hit

Get printable PDF Generic basic blackjack strategy table PDF (to download, right click and choose to save target as) Download Adobe Reader to view PDF files

Best Blackjack


William Hill Casino Review
William Hill offers Blackjack Switch (0.05% house edge). Unlike most casinos, wagers on most Blackjack variants do contribute 20% towards your wagering requirements (5% in the case of Blackjack Switch).

awarded Best Roulette
Rated
8
William Hill Online Casino Bonus: £150 + Monthly: £100

4 Results for: best UK online blackjack casinos
2 Results for: best US online blackjack casinos

Also in this section

Copyright © 2005