Basic strategy is the mathematically best play for every hand against every dealer card under a given set of rules. It does not beat the casino but keeps the cost low, commonly around 0.5% to 1%. The chart depends on the rules, so use one that matches your table.
Basic strategy is a table that tells you whether to hit, stand, double, split or surrender for each combination of your hand and the dealer's upcard. It comes from calculating the expected result of each option over a very large number of simulated hands.
How the chart is built
For every hand against every dealer card, the options are compared by their average outcome, and the best one goes into the chart. No luck is involved in the choice: the chart simply picks the play with the lowest average loss. Because each hand is still random, following the chart does not determine the outcome of any single hand.
A few examples
These are common choices for multi-deck games with typical rules. Charts differ when the rules differ, so always check against the right one.
| Your hand | Dealer shows | Common play | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hard 17 or more | any | Stand | Hitting risks a bust for little gain |
| Hard 12 to 16 | 2 to 6 | Stand (12 vs 2 and 3: hit) | The dealer is more likely to bust |
| Hard 11 | Dealer 2 to 10 | Double | Many ten-value cards help you |
| Pair of aces or eights | any | Split | It turns one weak hand into two stronger ones |
| Pair of tens | any | Stand | 20 is already a strong hand |
| Soft 18 (ace and 7) | Dealer 9, 10 or ace | Hit | The hand is weak against a strong dealer card |
What it does and does not do
Basic strategy keeps the house edge as low as the rules allow. Many 3:2 blackjack games have a house edge between about 0.5% and 1% for a player who follows it. It does not turn the game into a profit. Over 100 hands of 25 (2,500 wagered), a 0.5% edge is an average cost of 12.50, while a typical session can finish well above or below that.
Strategy depends on the rules
Decks, soft 17, doubling after a split and surrender all move the best play for borderline hands. A chart for one rule set can mislead at a table that uses another. See which rules raise the house edge.
Insurance
Basic strategy never takes insurance. In a simplified model, the insurance bet loses about 7.7% of the stake on average, far more than the main game costs.
Learning it
- Learning the chart is a memory exercise: the few rules in the table above cover many hands.
- A chart only applies to the rule set it was built for, so charts differ by rules.
- Correct play still loses hands: the strategy aims at the average, not the next card.
See also: Blackjack strategy trainer; House edge cost calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Is basic strategy the same as card counting?
No. Basic strategy needs no card tracking and keeps the edge low. Counting adds bet and play changes on top of it and is much harder to do.
Will basic strategy make me win?
No. It minimizes the average cost of the game, but the house keeps an edge and results vary a lot in a session.
