Blackjack Strategy for Every Hand: Exact Plays Against Every Dealer Card
Each page below takes one starting hand and solves it exactly against every dealer upcard. It shows the best play, what every other play is worth, how much a mistake costs, and which answers change when the dealer stands on soft 17.
S = stand, H = hit, D = double down, P = split, R = surrender. Six decks, dealer hits soft 17, double after split, late surrender.
Hard totals
- Hard 8: Hit against 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and Ace.
- Hard 9: Hit against 2; double down against 3 through 6; hit against 7, 8, 9, 10 and Ace.
- Hard 10: Double down against 2 through 9; hit against 10 and Ace.
- Hard 11: Double down against 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and Ace.
- Hard 12: Hit against 2 and 3; stand against 4 through 6; hit against 7, 8, 9, 10 and Ace.
- Hard 13: Stand against 2 through 6; hit against 7, 8, 9, 10 and Ace.
- Hard 14: Stand against 2 through 6; hit against 7, 8, 9, 10 and Ace.
- Hard 15: Stand against 2 through 6; hit against 7 through 9; surrender against 10 and Ace.
- Hard 16: Stand against 2 through 6; hit against 7 and 8; surrender against 9, 10 and Ace.
- Hard 17: Stand against 2 through 10; surrender against Ace.
Soft totals
- Soft 13 (Ace-2): Hit against 2 through 4; double down against 5 and 6; hit against 7, 8, 9, 10 and Ace.
- Soft 14 (Ace-3): Hit against 2 through 4; double down against 5 and 6; hit against 7, 8, 9, 10 and Ace.
- Soft 15 (Ace-4): Hit against 2 and 3; double down against 4 through 6; hit against 7, 8, 9, 10 and Ace.
- Soft 16 (Ace-5): Hit against 2 and 3; double down against 4 through 6; hit against 7, 8, 9, 10 and Ace.
- Soft 17 (Ace-6): Hit against 2; double down against 3 through 6; hit against 7, 8, 9, 10 and Ace.
- Soft 18 (Ace-7): Double down against 2 through 6; stand against 7 and 8; hit against 9, 10 and Ace.
- Soft 19 (Ace-8): Stand against 2 through 5; double down against 6; stand against 7, 8, 9, 10 and Ace.
- Soft 20 (Ace-9): Stand against 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and Ace.
Pairs
- Pair of 2s: Split against 2 through 7; hit against 8, 9, 10 and Ace.
- Pair of 3s: Split against 2 through 7; hit against 8, 9, 10 and Ace.
- Pair of 4s: Hit against 2 through 4; split against 5 and 6; hit against 7, 8, 9, 10 and Ace.
- Pair of 5s: Double down against 2 through 9; hit against 10 and Ace.
- Pair of 6s: Split against 2 through 6; hit against 7, 8, 9, 10 and Ace.
- Pair of 7s: Split against 2 through 7; hit against 8, 9, 10 and Ace.
- Pair of 8s: Split against 2 through 10; surrender against Ace.
- Pair of 9s: Split against 2 through 6; stand against 7; split against 8 and 9; stand against 10 and Ace.
- Pair of 10s: Stand against 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and Ace.
- Pair of Aces: Split against 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and Ace.
Why another chart?
A printed chart tells you what to do. It doesn't tell you which cells are worth a fortune and which are worth pennies, or which ones flip when the table rules change. These pages do both, because every cell is a live calculation rather than a copy.
Hard 4 through 7 always hit, and hard 18 and above always stand, so they aren't listed.
Want the correct play named for you, hand by hand? Get Casino Trainer — virtual credits only, never real money.