Blackjack is the casino game where your decisions matter most. Play each hand the mathematically best way and the house edge falls to around half a percent under good rules. Guess, and it can be several times higher.
The aim
Beat the dealer's hand without going over 21. Number cards count at face value, face cards count as 10, and an ace counts as 1 or 11, whichever helps. A hand with an ace counted as 11 is called "soft" because it cannot bust on the next card.
An ace with a ten-value card on the first two cards is a blackjack. It beats any other 21.
Your options
- Hit: take another card.
- Stand: keep what you have.
- Double: double your bet and take exactly one more card.
- Split: turn a pair into two hands, each with its own bet.
- Surrender: give up the hand and get half your bet back, where the table offers it.
Check two rules before you sit
The blackjack payout. A proper table pays 3 to 2, so a 10 bet wins 15. Some tables pay 6 to 5, where the same bet wins only 12. That one change adds well over a percentage point to the house edge. Choose 3 to 2.
What the dealer does on soft 17. A dealer who stands on all 17s is better for you than one who hits soft 17. The difference is about a fifth of a percentage point.
Basic strategy: the core plays
Basic strategy is the best play for every combination of your hand and the dealer's face-up card. The full chart is worth learning, but these rules cover most hands:
- Always split aces and eights. Never split tens or fives.
- Double 11 against anything except an ace. Double 10 against a dealer 2 to 9.
- Stand on hard 17 or more.
- With hard 13 to 16, stand if the dealer shows 2 to 6. Hit if the dealer shows 7 or higher.
- With hard 12, stand against 4, 5 or 6. Otherwise hit.
- Never stand on soft 17 or less. Hit, or double against a weak dealer card where allowed.
- With soft 18, stand against 2, 7 or 8, and hit against 9, 10 or an ace.
The logic behind most of these: when the dealer shows 2 to 6, the dealer is more likely to bust, so you avoid risking a bust yourself. When the dealer shows 7 or more, assume a strong hand and improve yours.
Skip insurance
When the dealer shows an ace you will be offered insurance, a side bet that pays 2 to 1 if the dealer has blackjack. The odds do not justify the price. Over time it costs roughly seven percent of every insurance bet you make. Decline it, including "even money" on your own blackjack.
What about counting cards?
Software blackjack shuffles before every hand, so there is nothing to count. Live tables shuffle often enough that counting gives no practical edge. Basic strategy is the skill that pays.
Short version: find a 3 to 2 table, follow basic strategy, never take insurance, and set a budget before you sit down. See the bankroll guide for sizing your bets.