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Blackjack Basic Strategy

6 Decks, Dealer Hits on Soft 17, Double after Split, Late surrender

Although you must realize that statistically the house will always come out ahead in the game of Blackjack, there is a method which you can use to help maximize your earnings. This method is often termed "Basic Strategy". In a nutshell, for every combination of cards that you have and the card that the dealer is showing, there is a correct action to follow. This action, when consistently followed, will add a few percentage points to your long-term odds of winning. You can come close, but not over, to winning 50% of the hands...in the long term. (Of course, in the short term, anything can happen. You can win or lose quite big.) Will following basic strategy let you win every hand? Of course not. It will maximize your long term chances of winning, though, and that's all it can do.

There are a multitude of basic strategy charts floating around out there (you didn't think it would be simple, did you?). Below is one such chart, and the one implemented for the "hints" mode of Blackjack on the 'Fringe. It assumes the following: there are six decks (common in Las Vegas), the dealer must hit on a soft 17 (that is, the dealers hand is composed of a six and a ace; despite the sound of it, this is an advantage to the house), you may double down after splitting cards (this is an advantage to you), and late surrender is offered (this means you can see you hand, then decide to surrender. Many, not all, casinos offer this, although most of the time you have to ask if it is available. Always, always ask...). These assumptions were chosen to model a"typical" casino in Las Vegas.

How the read the chart

There are three main sections: splitting pairs (use when both of your cards are the same), soft totals (use when one of your cards in an ace), and hard totals (use when neither of the above two conditions apply to you). First, find the correct section to use. Next, look in the left-hand column for the cards that match yours (in the first two charts, you have to find your exact combination of cards; in the hard totals chart, just add up your cards and find the total). Next, read across the columns until you find the one that matches the dealer's card that is showing. Finally, the code in the row and column will tell you what to do. It's just that simple.

Splitting Pairs

  Dealer Shows...
You have... 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Ten Ace
Aces Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Face Cards or Tens N N N N N N N N N N
Nines Y Y Y Y Y N Y Y N N
Eights Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y R
Sevens Y Y Y Y Y Y N N N N
Sixes Y Y Y Y Y N N N N N
Fives N N N N N N N N N N
Fours N N N Y Y N N N N N
Threes Y Y Y Y Y Y N N N N
Twos Y Y Y Y Y Y N N N N


Key:

Soft Totals

  Dealer Shows...
You have an Ace and... 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Ten Ace
9 S S S S S S S S S S
8 S S S S DS S S S S S
7 DS DS DS DS DS S S H H H
6 H D D D D H H H H H
5 H H D D D H H H H H
4 H H D D D H H H H H
3 H H H D D H H H H H
2 H H H D D H H H H H


Key:

Hard Totals

  Dealer shows...
Your total is... 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Ten A
17 S S S S S S S S S RS
16 S S S S S H H R R R
15 S S S S S H H H R R
14 S S S S S H H H H H
13 S S S S S H H H H H
12 H H S S S H H H H H
11 D D D D D D D D D D
10 D D D D D D D D H H
9 H D D D D H H H H H
8 and below H H H H H H H H H H


Key:

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