Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart for 6 Decks

Basic strategy is the one best move for every hand you can hold against every card the dealer can show. Follow the three charts below and the house edge at a 6-deck table where the dealer stands on all 17s drops to about 0.5%. Play by feel instead and it is typically several times higher.

The charts are built for the rules House21 uses. Rules change the right play in a few spots, so check yours before you trust any chart, including this one.

How to read the charts

Find your hand in the left column and the dealer's face-up card across the top. The letter in that cell is your move.

• H hit, S stand, D double down (if doubling is not allowed, hit), Ds double down (if not allowed, stand), P split.
• "A" is the dealer's ace. Tens, jacks, queens and kings are all "10".

Check the pairs chart first, then the soft chart if you hold an ace counted as 11, then the hard chart for everything else.

Hard totals (no ace, or an ace that has to count as 1)

Soft totals (an ace counted as 11)

Pairs

The five plays people get wrong most often

1. Hitting 12 against a 2 or 3. It feels risky, and it is: you bust about 31% of the time. Standing is worse, because the dealer only busts 35 to 37% of the time from a 2 or 3 and makes 17 or better the rest.
2. Standing on 16 against a 10. Both choices lose more often than they win. Hitting loses slightly less, so hit. See the bust odds for the numbers.
3. Not doubling soft hands. A,6 against a 5 looks like a weak 17. It is a strong double because no card can bust you and the dealer busts over 40% of the time from a 5.
4. Splitting 10s. A 20 wins most hands. Two hands starting from a 10 win less in total.
5. Taking insurance. It costs you about 7.6% of the insurance bet over time. The full math is in Should you take insurance.

Why the dealer's card matters more than yours

The dealer has no choices: hit to 16, stand on 17. So the face-up card tells you how likely the dealer is to bust. From a 4, 5 or 6 the dealer busts about 40% of the time, which is why the chart stands on stiff hands and doubles aggressively there. From a 7 through an ace, the dealer usually makes 17 or better, so you need to improve your hand.

How much does basic strategy save?

We ran 20 million hands with these exact charts and House21's rules. The player lost 0.51% of the amount bet on average (within ±0.05%), won 43.3% of hands, lost 47.9% and pushed 8.8%. The win rate looks low because doubles and 3:2 blackjacks pay more than losses cost.

That 0.51% is the best you can do without counting cards. Any deviation costs more. If you are curious whether counting changes it, read Does card counting work online?

Common questions

Is the chart the same for every casino? Mostly. The plays that change with the rules are soft 18 and 11 against an ace (when the dealer hits soft 17), and a few splits when doubling after a split is not allowed.

Do other players at the table change the right play? No. Their choices change which cards come out, but you can't know in advance how, so your best move stays the same.

What if I can't remember it all? Learn the hard totals first. They cover most hands you'll see. Then add the pairs, then soft hands.

Practice the chart at a free table in the House21 lobby. Chips are virtual, so mistakes cost nothing while you learn.