What Is Blackjack Basic Strategy

Card Values in Blackjack

• Ace — 1 or 11 points

• King, Queen, Jack, Ten — 10 points

• 9 and below — face value

Blackjack Rules Guide

Basic blackjack strategy determines how a player should act with every possible hand.

All blackjack hands are divided into Hard Hands (HH in basic strategy charts) and Soft Hands (SH). A soft hand is any combination with an Ace where it can count as either 1 or 11. If that isn’t possible (for example, a hand like 9-4-A, where the Ace can only count as 1), the hand is considered hard. The same applies to all hands without an Ace, since only this card can have two values.

^{Blackjack Multihand by Play n' GO}

According to basic strategy, every time you receive your first two cards in blackjack, there is one mathematically optimal move for you. By playing this way, you can achieve around 99% RTP in this game.

What to Do with Hard Hands

• 8 or less: Always Hit.

• 9: Double Down if the dealer shows 3 through 6. Otherwise — Hit.

• 10 or 11: Double Down if your total is higher than the dealer’s upcard (except when the dealer has an Ace).

• 12–16: Stand if the dealer shows a weak card (2 through 6). Hit if the dealer has 7 or higher.

• 17 and above: Always Stand.

What to Do with Soft Hands

• A-2 to A-5: Always Hit, or Double against weak dealer upcards.

• A-6: Considered a “bad” hand; usually Hit or Double against dealer 3–6.

• A-7: Stand if dealer shows 2–8. Hit against 9, 10 or Ace.

• A-8 and A-9: Always Stand.

Splitting Pairs

• Aces (A-A) and Eights (8-8): Always Split.

• Tens (10-10, J-J, Q-Q, K-K): Never Split — a total of 20 is too strong.

• Fives (5-5): Never Split (play it as a hard 10), better to Double Down.

You can use this text cheat sheet, or download a chart online with a simple search like “download blackjack basic strategy chart.”

In the Coins.Game live casino, you can choose from around 200 blackjack tables.