Blackjack basic strategy is a chart of the lowest-house-edge play for every player total versus every dealer upcard, for a stated rule set. It tells you when to hit, stand, split, double down, or surrender. It does not make you a favourite. With common multi-deck rules the edge after basic strategy is often around half a percent — still negative, just smaller than guessing.
This page clusters the searches “when to double down in blackjack,” “soft 17,” and “blackjack chart.” German table rules (Kartenwerte, Ablauf) are a separate article: Blackjack-Regeln.
~0.5%
typical edge after basic strategy
H17
dealer hits soft 17 (worse for you)
S17
dealer stands on soft 17
11
always a double vs 2–10
Objective and card values
Beat the dealer’s total without going over 21. Number cards are face value. Jack, queen, king are 10. Aces are 1 or 11. A hard total has no ace counted as 11 (or the ace must be 1 to stay at or under 21). A soft total counts an ace as 11 and can still be hit without instantly busting.
Blackjack (ace + ten-value in the first two cards) usually pays 3:2. Tables that pay 6:5 raise the house edge sharply — avoid them if you have a choice.
Dealer plays last. You act first. That is why 16 vs a dealer 7 is a hit in the chart even though 16 is a weak total: standing loses to every 17–21 the dealer already has or will make.
Hit, stand, split, double, surrender
- Hit — take another card.
- Stand — keep the total.
- Double down — double the stake, take exactly one more card, then stand. Allowed on two-card hands (some tables restrict to 9–11).
- Split — turn a pair into two hands, one extra stake. Aces usually get one card each.
- Surrender — forfeit half the bet and end the hand (not always offered). Late surrender is after the dealer checks blackjack.
Strategy reduces edge; it does not print money
Basic strategy is the play that loses the slowest against a given rule set. Short sessions still swing. Insurance is almost always a bad bet at 2:1. Card counting is a different skill, banned or useless online with continuous shuffle. This chart is not a profit guarantee.
What soft 17 means
Soft 17 is ace + 6 (or ace + 5 + ace, and so on) — a total of 17 that can still be hit into a higher non-bust total because the ace can drop from 11 to 1.
Dealer S17: dealer stands on all 17s, including soft 17. Better for the player.
Dealer H17: dealer hits soft 17. Worse for the player by roughly 0.2% depending on the rest of the rules. Many online tables are H17. Read the felt or the info panel.
Your own soft 17 (ace-6) is not a stand in basic strategy against a strong dealer card. You often hit, or double versus 3–6. That is the opposite of “17 is a made hand.”
When to double down
Doubling puts more money out when the remaining cards are more likely to help you than the dealer. The common multi-deck, dealer 2–10 doubles:
| Your two-card hand | Double vs dealer | Otherwise |
|---|---|---|
| Hard 11 | 2 through 10 | Hit vs ace (S17); some H17 charts double vs ace |
| Hard 10 | 2 through 9 | Hit vs 10 or ace |
| Hard 9 | 3 through 6 | Hit vs 2, 7–ace |
| Hard 8 or less | Never | Hit |
| Soft 13–14 (A,2–A,3) | 5–6 | Hit |
| Soft 15–16 (A,4–A,5) | 4–6 | Hit |
| Soft 17 (A,6) | 3–6 | Hit vs 2, 7–ace |
| Soft 18 (A,7) | 3–6 | Stand vs 2, 7, 8; hit vs 9–ace |
| Soft 19+ | Usually never (some charts A,8 vs 6) | Stand |
If the table does not allow double after split, skip doubling on the split hands the chart would otherwise raise. If doubling is only allowed on 9–11, you cannot double soft hands — hit instead according to the hit/stand column.
Readable basic-strategy tables
Rule set assumed below: 4–8 decks, dealer stands on soft 17 (S17), double on any two cards, double after split allowed, no surrender. If your table is H17, treat 11 vs ace as a double in many published H17 charts, and be slightly more aggressive doubling A,7. Always match the felt.
Hard totals (no ace as 11):
| Hard total | Vs dealer 2–6 | Vs dealer 7–ace |
|---|---|---|
| 5–8 | Hit | Hit |
| 9 | Double 3–6; hit 2 | Hit |
| 10 | Double | Double 7–9; hit 10–ace |
| 11 | Double | Double 7–10; hit ace |
| 12 | Hit 2–3; stand 4–6 | Hit |
| 13–16 | Stand | Hit |
| 17–21 | Stand | Stand |
Soft totals:
| Soft total | Vs 2–6 | Vs 7–ace |
|---|---|---|
| A,2–A,3 (13–14) | Double 5–6; else hit | Hit |
| A,4–A,5 (15–16) | Double 4–6; else hit | Hit |
| A,6 (17) | Double 3–6; else hit | Hit |
| A,7 (18) | Double 3–6; stand vs 2 | Stand 7–8; hit 9–ace |
| A,8–A,9 (19–20) | Stand | Stand |
Pairs (split or not):
| Pair | Split vs | Do not split |
|---|---|---|
| Aces / eights | Always (vs 2–ace) | — |
| Tens | Never | Stand |
| Fives | Never | Treat as hard 10 (double vs 2–9) |
| Nines | 2–6, 8–9 | Vs 7, 10, ace (stand) |
| Sevens | 2–7 | Vs 8–ace (hit) |
| Sixes | 2–6 | Vs 7–ace (hit) |
| Fours | 5–6 only | Otherwise hit |
| Twos / threes | 2–7 | Vs 8–ace (hit) |
Australian “blackjack chart” searches are the same maths. The felt still decides H17 vs S17, number of decks, and whether 6:5 blackjack is in play. Demo-style practice is for remembering the chart, not for predicting cash results — slot and game demos on this site are mostly slots; table-game rules belong on the operator’s help screen.
How rule variants move the edge
| Rule | Typical effect vs player |
|---|---|
| Blackjack pays 6:5 instead of 3:2 | Much worse — often ~1.4% extra edge |
| Dealer hits soft 17 (H17) | Worse, roughly 0.2% |
| Double after split allowed | Better for the player |
| Re-splitting aces | Slightly better |
| No doubling on soft hands | Worse |
| Late surrender offered | Slightly better if you use it |
Shuffle through the info panel before you sit. A pretty 3:2 felt with H17 and no DAS is still a different product from S17 with DAS.
German readers: Ablauf, Kartenwerte and the same chart idea in German are on Blackjack-Regeln. Roulette has no strategy chart that cuts edge the same way — how to play roulette. Compare casinos on compare; keep sessions inside a cap with the bankroll tracker.
18+ / 21+ and a hard stop
Basic strategy is a damage-control chart. If a session is for rent or mood control, stop — responsible gambling. Online blackjack from the US is legal only where a state licences it; see the US hub.
Short questions
Q: When should you double down in blackjack?
A: On hard 11 versus dealer 2–10, hard 10 versus 2–9, hard 9 versus 3–6, and on the soft doubles in the table (A2–A7 versus weak dealer upcards). Never double a stiff hard 12–16. If the table forbids the double, hit or stand as the rest of the chart says.
Q: What is a soft 17?
A: A total of 17 that includes an ace counted as 11, for example ace-6. Dealer H17 means the dealer hits that hand; S17 means the dealer stands. For you, soft 17 is usually a hit or a double, not an automatic stand.
Q: Does basic strategy guarantee a win?
A: No. It minimises the house edge for the rules on the felt. The edge stays with the house on standard tables. Variance still decides a short shoe.
Q: Is a blackjack chart different in Australia?
A: The ranking of plays is the same mathematics. Check decks, H17/S17, and 3:2 vs 6:5 on the actual table. Do not download a random image that ignores those rules.