Printable Blackjack Reference
This is a one-page cheat sheet for basic strategy on the most common blackjack rules: a shoe of several decks where the dealer stands on soft 17 and you may double after a split. Print it, keep it beside you, and follow it hand by hand. Basic strategy will not win every time, but over the long run it squeezes the house edge down to roughly half a percent.
The four moves: Hit takes a card. Stand keeps your hand. Double doubles your bet for exactly one more card. Split turns a pair into two hands. If a double or split is not allowed, just hit instead.
Quick rules of thumb
- Always look at the dealer's up-card first. A dealer showing 2 through 6 is weak; 7 through ace is strong.
- Never take insurance or even money. Over time it loses.
- Always split aces and eights. Never split tens or fives.
- Stand on any hard 17 or higher. Hit any hard 11 or lower that you cannot double.
- Double a hard 11 against almost anything, and a hard 10 unless the dealer shows a 10 or ace.
Hard totals (no ace, or ace counts as 1)
| Your hand | Dealer 2 - 6 | Dealer 7 - Ace |
|---|---|---|
| 8 or less | Hit | Hit |
| 9 | Double vs 3 - 6, else Hit | Hit |
| 10 | Double | Double vs 7 - 9, else Hit |
| 11 | Double | Double vs 7 - 10, Hit vs Ace |
| 12 | Stand vs 4 - 6, else Hit | Hit |
| 13 - 16 | Stand | Hit (surrender 16 vs 9-10-Ace and 15 vs 10 if allowed) |
| 17 or more | Stand | Stand |
Soft totals (an ace counts as 11)
| Your hand | Best play |
|---|---|
| Soft 13 - 14 (A,2 or A,3) | Double vs 5 - 6, otherwise Hit |
| Soft 15 - 16 (A,4 or A,5) | Double vs 4 - 6, otherwise Hit |
| Soft 17 (A,6) | Double vs 3 - 6, otherwise Hit |
| Soft 18 (A,7) | Double vs 3 - 6; Stand vs 2, 7 and 8; Hit vs 9, 10 and Ace |
| Soft 19 - 20 (A,8 or A,9) | Stand |
Pairs (double after split allowed)
| Your pair | Best play |
|---|---|
| Aces | Always split |
| 2s and 3s | Split vs 2 - 7, otherwise Hit |
| 4s | Split vs 5 - 6, otherwise Hit |
| 5s | Never split. Treat as a 10: Double vs 2 - 9, else Hit |
| 6s | Split vs 2 - 6, otherwise Hit |
| 7s | Split vs 2 - 7, otherwise Hit |
| 8s | Always split |
| 9s | Split vs 2 - 6 and 8 - 9; Stand vs 7, 10 and Ace |
| 10s | Never split. Stand |
This chart is for tables where the dealer stands on soft 17. If your table has the dealer hit soft 17, or uses different rules, a few plays change. See the full basic-strategy guide for the details, and the glossary if a term is new to you. Ready to practice? Deal a free hand.