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Blackjack 101: Single Deck Basic Strategy Charts
Basic Strategy
Basic strategy charts make you wish that life was like blackjack! How would you like it if you could carry a card with you that will tell you exactly what to do in any given situation? Well, that's what basic strategy charts do.
Basic strategy charts are a complete system of decisions calculated to give you the best odds while playing blackjack. They do not guarantee a win in every hand - that's impossible - but they do ensure you get the most wins possible in the long run. Don't worry, it's not a scam. Basic strategy charts work because researchers verified it with computers long before you ever thought of playing blackjack.
In short, basic strategy charts give you the best decision for every possible blackjack situation. That situation is your hand versus the dealer's up card.
There are a variety of basic strategy charts out there with slight differences. Blackjack rules may differ from one game to another so the perfect strategy for each is somewhat different. Before you use a basic strategy system, make sure it is the right one for the game you are playing.
The system here is typical for single deck use. The leftmost column is the player's hand total. The numbers on the top row are the dealer's up card.
Single Basic Strategy
Hard Hand Totals
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 T A 8 H H H D D H H H H H 9 D D D D D H H H H H 10 D D D D D D D D H H 11 D D D D D D D D D D 12 H H S S S H H H H H 13 S S S S S H H H H H 14 S S S S S H H H H H 15 S S S S S H H H H H 16 S S S S S H H H H H 17 S S S S S S S S S S 18 S S S S S S S S S S 19 S S S S S S S S S S 20 S S S S S S S S S S
Soft Hand Totals
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 T A A2 H H D D D H H H H H A3 H H D D D H H H H H A4 H H D D D H H H H H A5 H H D D D H H H H H A6 D D D D D H H H H H A7 S D D D D S S H H H A8 S S S S D S S S S S A9 S S S S S S S S S S
Pair Splitting
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 T A 22 H P P P P P H H H H 33 H P P P P P H H H H 44 H H H D D H H H H H 55 D D D D D D D D H H 66 P P P P P H H H H H 77 P P P P P P H H H H 88 P P P P P P P P S P 99 P P P P P S P P S S 10 S S S S S S S S S S AA P P P P P P P P P P