Blackjack Cheat Sheet: Basic Strategy Chart

This blackjack cheat sheet is a basic strategy chart. Find your hand on the left and the dealer’s upcard along the top, and the cell where they meet tells you whether to hit, stand, double, split or surrender.

The chart is built for one specific set of table rules, listed directly above the tables. Check that your game matches before you rely on it, whether you play blackjack online or at a casino table. Basic strategy reduces costly mistakes and keeps the house edge as low as the table rules allow, but it does not guarantee wins or eliminate the house edge.

Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart

The chart has three tables. If your first two cards are a pair, use the pairs table. If you hold an ace counted as 11, use the soft totals table. Use the hard totals table for every other hand.

Interpreting the Blackjack Cheat Sheet

Each table lists your hand down the left side and the dealer’s upcard, from 2 to ace, across the top. The cell where your row and the dealer’s column meet is the recommended play under the rules shown above the chart.

The aim is the same as in standard blackjack rules: finish closer to 21 than the dealer without going over. The codes refer to these actions:

• Hit (H): take another card.
• Stand (S): keep your total and end your turn.
• Double down (Dh or Ds): double your bet and receive exactly one more card.
• Split (P): separate a pair into two hands, placing a second bet equal to the first.
• Surrender (Rh): give up the hand and get back half your bet.

Six-deck games fall within this chart’s 4 to 8 deck range. For more on that format, see our guide to 6-deck blackjack strategy.

Player’s Hand and Dealer’s Up Card

Two things decide every move on the chart: the type of hand you hold and the dealer’s upcard.

Player’s Hand

Your hand decides which table you use. Pairs have their own table, and every other hand is either soft or hard. For a ranking of starting hands, see our guide to the best blackjack hands.

Soft Totals

A soft hand contains an ace counted as 11. It can have more than two cards: A,6 is soft 17, and so is A,2,4. Because the ace can drop to 1, one more card cannot bust a soft hand. If a new card would push the total over 21, the ace counts as 1 and the hand becomes hard.

Hard Totals

A hard hand has no ace counted as 11. It can have no ace at all, such as 10,6 (hard 16), or include an ace that must count as 1, such as 9,6,A (also hard 16). Hard hands can contain any number of cards. Hard totals from 12 to 16 can bust with one more card, which is why the dealer’s upcard matters most in that range.

Pairs

A pair is a starting hand of two cards with the same value, such as 8,8 or A,A. Most games let you split a pair into two hands by placing a second bet equal to the first, but splitting rules vary. Some tables limit how many times you can split, do not allow resplitting aces, or deal only one card to each split ace. If splitting is not recommended or not allowed, play the hand by its total: 10,10 is a hard 20 and 5,5 is a hard 10. Aces are an exception: this chart has no row for an unsplit A,A, and many games restrict split aces (for example one card to each ace with no further hits, doubles or resplits), so check that game’s rules.

Dealer’s Up Card

The top row of each table shows the dealer’s upcard. The dealer must keep drawing until reaching at least 17, so an upcard of 2 to 6 leaves the dealer more likely to bust. That is why the chart often stands on hard 12 to 16 or doubles against those cards. An upcard of 7 through ace gives the dealer a stronger starting position, so the chart hits more often against it.

How to Use the Blackjack Cheat Sheet

1. Compare your table’s rules with the rules box above the chart. If they differ, some decisions change.
2. Choose the table: pairs if your first two cards match, soft totals if you hold an ace counted as 11, and hard totals for everything else.
3. Find your hand in the left column and the dealer’s upcard in the top row. The cell where they meet is your play.
4. If that play is not available, use the fallback built into the code: Dh and Rh mean hit, and Ds means stand.
5. After you take a card, add up your new total and look it up again. Doubling is only allowed on a two-card hand (including after a split, under these rules), and surrender only on your original two cards.

This chart covers standard blackjack under the rules listed above. Variants such as Spanish 21, Blackjack Switch and Free Bet Blackjack change the rules and need their own strategy. Browse our blackjack game guides for those games.

Practice With the Chart

Basic strategy only helps when you apply it consistently. Play through practice hands with the chart open and check each decision before you act, until common spots such as hard 12 to 16 and soft 17 and 18 come naturally. Keep the chart nearby for rarer hands, and set a budget before you play for real money.

Prefer a printed copy? Download the blackjack cheat sheet PDF.

FAQs

What is a blackjack cheat sheet?

A cheat sheet is a simple chart that tells you the best move for every hand based on the dealer’s up card. It shows when to hit, stand, double, split, or surrender.

Can I use a blackjack cheat sheet at the table?

Often, but check first. Online, you can usually keep a strategy chart open while you play; check the operator’s terms if you are unsure. In land-based casinos, many venues allow a small printed strategy card as long as it does not slow the game, but policies vary, so ask the dealer or floor staff. Phones and electronic tools are a separate matter: casinos often restrict their use at the table, and some jurisdictions prohibit electronic devices that assist play.

Does the cheat sheet work for all blackjack games?

No. It is built for 4 to 8 decks, a dealer who stands on soft 17, doubling after splits, late surrender and a dealer who peeks for blackjack. If your table differs, for example the dealer hits soft 17, fewer decks are used or surrender is not offered, some decisions change. Single-deck games have their own single deck strategy, and variants such as Spanish 21 use different rules altogether. A 6:5 payout on its own does not change any decision on this chart, but it pays less for a natural blackjack and increases the house edge.

Do online blackjack games follow the same strategy chart?

Only when their rules match. Online RNG games, live dealer tables and land-based games all use the same basic strategy for the same rules, because the math depends on the rules, not on where you play. Before using this chart, check the game’s rules or help screen for the number of decks, the soft 17 rule, doubling, surrender and whether the dealer peeks.

What’s the difference between hard hands and soft hands?

A soft hand includes an Ace counted as 11. A hard hand has no Ace counted as 11. The strategy changes a lot between them.

When should you hit or stand in blackjack?

Under this chart’s rules, stand on hard 17 or higher. With hard 13 to 16, stand against a dealer’s 2 to 6 and otherwise hit, unless the chart recommends surrender. With hard 12, stand against 4 to 6 and hit against other upcards. Check for splitting, doubling or surrender before choosing to hit or stand. Soft hands follow different decisions: for example, A,7 is soft 18, but you should hit against a dealer’s 9, 10 or ace. Use the chart to check your exact hand.