Blackjack Strategy Card

Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart

This chart shows the mathematically correct play for every hand against every dealer upcard. Use the toggles below to match your table rules. The chart updates instantly.

How to Read This Chart

Find your hand on the left. Find the dealer's upcard across the top. The cell where they meet is your play.

How Basic Strategy Works

Basic strategy reduces the house edge from roughly 2-5% (depending on how badly you play) down to about 0.5%, cutting expected losses by a factor of four to ten.

At $10 per hand, 100 hands per hour, the difference between guessing and using basic strategy is roughly $15 to $45 per hour in expected savings. Over a 4-hour session at $15/hand and 70 hands per hour:

That is a $105 difference between intuition and basic strategy, delivered by a laminated card that costs $2.

Basic strategy does not give you an edge over the house. It minimizes the house's edge to the theoretical minimum for a non-counter. You will still lose in the long run. You will just lose far less.

Rule Variations and House Edge Impact

Basic strategy is not one chart. It changes based on table rules. The differences are mostly in edge cases (doubling and splitting decisions), but they add up.

A proper strategy card should match the specific rules at the table you are playing. A card built for "dealer stands on soft 17" gives slightly wrong advice at a "dealer hits soft 17" table. The interactive chart above lets you toggle these rules to get the exact chart for your situation.

Can You Bring a Strategy Card to the Casino?

Yes. The vast majority of casinos in the United States and internationally allow you to use a basic strategy card at the blackjack table. Many casinos sell them in the gift shop for $2-5.

Two conditions apply at most properties:

1. The card cannot slow down the game. You need to look up your play in a few seconds. If you are holding up every hand for 30 seconds scanning rows, the dealer or pit boss will ask you to speed up or memorize the card.
2. The card cannot be an electronic device. Paper and laminated cards are fine. Phone apps are not. Most casinos ban phones at the table entirely.

Why do casinos allow it? Because even perfect basic strategy still gives the house an edge (0.5% under good rules). The casino is not threatened by basic strategy. They make their money from the structural house edge, not from player mistakes, though player mistakes certainly increase their revenue.

Common Mistakes Even with Basic Strategy

1. Taking insurance. Insurance is a side bet that the dealer has a 10 in the hole. The house edge on insurance is over 7%. Never take it unless you are counting cards.
2. Deviating based on gut feeling. "I just know the next card is a face card" is not a strategy. The chart is derived from billions of simulated hands. Your feeling is derived from the last three hands you remember.
3. Not adjusting for rule variations. Playing an S17 chart at an H17 table costs you money on specific hands. Use the interactive chart above to match your table rules exactly.
4. Playing at 6:5 tables. Covered above. The single biggest mistake is sitting down at the wrong table before you play a single hand.
5. Standing on soft 17 and soft 18. Soft hands are where most basic strategy deviations from intuition occur. A soft 18 (A-7) should be hit against a dealer 9, 10, or Ace. Standing on soft 17 is always wrong.

How Basic Strategy Works Mathematically

Basic strategy is the set of plays that minimizes the house edge given the player's hand and the dealer's upcard. It was first computed by Roger Baldwin and colleagues in 1956, then refined by Edward Thorp and later by computer simulations running billions of hands.

For every combination of player hand and dealer upcard, there is exactly one play (hit, stand, double, split, or surrender) that produces the highest expected value. Basic strategy is the complete table of those optimal plays.

Example: Hard 16 vs. Dealer 10

This is the most-played-wrong hand in blackjack. Most players stand, reasoning that hitting will likely bust them.

The math: with a hard 16, you bust about 62% of the time if you hit. But if you stand, you lose roughly 77% of the time (the dealer makes 17+ with a 10 showing about 77% of the time). Hitting loses less often than standing, so hitting is correct despite the high bust rate.

Hitting saves about 7 cents per dollar wagered on this hand. Multiply by how often this hand appears, and it adds up. Basic strategy is built from thousands of calculations like this one, covering every possible hand combination.

Printable PDF Strategy Cards

Five rule-specific charts, formatted to print. The wallet card is credit-card sized for the table.

• Standard — 4+ decks, S17, DAS, surrender
• H17 Variation — Dealer hits soft 17
• Single Deck — Adjusted for single-deck rules
• No Surrender — Tables without surrender option
• Wallet Card — Credit card size, standard rules

Card Counting: What Basic Strategy Is Not

Basic strategy and card counting are different things. Basic strategy is legal and openly permitted. Card counting is legal but casinos can (and do) ban you for it.

Basic strategy assumes you have no information about which cards remain in the shoe. Card counting adds that information, tracking the ratio of high cards to low cards, and adjusts your bet size and play accordingly.

Common misconceptions

• "Using a strategy card will get you kicked out." No. Casinos allow strategy cards. They may restrict you if they believe you are counting cards, but using a reference chart is not counting.
• "Card counting means memorizing every card." No. The most common system (Hi-Lo) assigns +1, 0, or -1 to each card and maintains a running count. No memorization of specific cards.
• "Card counting is illegal." No. It is not illegal anywhere in the United States. Casinos are private businesses and can refuse service, but counting cards is not a crime.
• "Card counting guarantees you win." No. It gives you a 0.5-1.5% edge, which means you still lose many sessions. The variance is brutal and requires a large bankroll and many hours.

Beyond Basic Strategy

Card Counting

Basic strategy is the prerequisite. Without it memorized, card counting adjustments have no foundation. The Hi-Lo system is the standard entry point: assign +1 to 2-6, 0 to 7-9, -1 to 10-A, and adjust bet size based on the running count divided by remaining decks.

Bankroll Management

The right play does not help if you overbat your bankroll. For basic strategy only (no counting), a session bankroll of 40-50 minimum bets handles normal variance. For counters, bankroll requirements are higher because bet spreading increases volatility.

Table Selection

Choosing rules matters as much as the play itself. A 3:2 table with H17 and no surrender has a lower house edge than a 6:5 table with every other rule in your favor. Walk the floor and read the felt before sitting down.

Practical Advice for Using a Card at the Table

1. Practice at home first. You should be able to look up any hand in under 3 seconds. The pit boss will not tolerate long pauses.
2. Hold the card beside the table, not on it. Some casinos do not want anything on the felt that is not chips or cards.
3. Memorize the common hands first. Hard totals 12-16 vs. dealer 2-6 account for a large portion of strategy decisions. If you know those, the card is just backup.
4. Do not announce that you are using a strategy card. It is allowed, but drawing attention to it is unnecessary. Other players may react negatively because they think you are "cheating."
5. Tip the dealer occasionally. Not related to strategy, but it ensures a pleasant table experience if you are consulting a card and slowing things down slightly.

Frequently Asked Questions