Basic Blackjack Strategy Chart

The best way to play at practically all situations possible, not knowing about the distribution of the rest of the cards in the shoe/deck, is to play according to a Basic Blackjack Strategy chart.

Basic blackjack strategy charts are a must for all professional players. It is a basis of each blackjack strategy. The blackjack strategy chart can help you make best decisions according to the statistics on when to: Stand, Hit, Double Down, Surrender or Split while playing blackjack. However, each new variation of the game (including number of decks and whether the dealer stands or hits at soft 17) leads to a change in the Basic Strategy and thus changes the blackjack strategy chart.

The table below is a basic blackjack strategy chart for 4 of more decks, with the condition that the dealer stands on soft 17. This is one of the most common variants of blackjack. So if you want to choose only one Blackjack Strategy Chart and to memorize it, try the chart below. It can be of great advantage under any of the blackjack rules variations.

To use the Blackjack Strategy Charts, you should learn how to read and understand them properly. In the left vertical column of the blackjack strategy chart are the values of your hand, and in the horizontal column on the top are the ones of the dealer's hand. Find the correct play by lining up the columns, the abbreviations you see usually stand for:

•  H  - Hit
•  S  - Stand
•  DD  - Double Down
•  P  - Split
•  H/P  - Split if you can double after split, otherwise hit
•  H/R  - Surrender if allowed, otherwise hit
• A always stands for A♥

It would be a wise decision to print this Blackjack Strategy Chart and to stick it by your PC, just to see how soon your loosing streaks will become shorter and winning streaks become much longer. However, one should not forget that the Blackjack Strategy Chart does not eliminate the house's edge, it just decreases it to minimum, thus maximising your chances to win.

If you can not, or experience troubles in trying to memorize the blackjack strategy chart above, the optimal solution would be to buy a Blackjack strategy card. They are usually small, size of a credit card, laminated cards, with a chart printed on them. Blackjack strategy chart cards are allowed at most casinos, so you can keep them with you at the Blackjack table for reference. The blackjack strategy charts can be very useful, especially when you are just learning how to use the basic playing strategy.

Use this information well, and you will spend long hours enjoying the most interesting and popular casino game ever.