A blackjack chart is a decision aid, not a way to predict or guarantee a win. It shows the action with the best expected result for a particular hand under a particular set of table rules. To use one, identify whether your hand is hard, soft, or a pair, then match it to the dealer’s upcard—and first make sure the chart fits the game you are playing.
How to read a blackjack chart
Most basic-strategy charts use the player’s hand for one axis and the dealer’s upcard for the other. Find your hand, find the dealer’s card, and follow the action in the cell where the row and column meet. The chart is designed to reduce decision errors over repeated hands; it cannot tell you what will happen in the current hand.
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Hard totals
A hard hand has no ace counted as 11. For example, an ace counted as 1 with a 6 is a hard 17. Use the chart’s hard-total section for hands like this.
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Soft totals
A soft hand contains an ace currently counted as 11 without making the hand bust. An ace and a 6 is soft 17. If you draw a card that would otherwise take the total over 21, the ace can count as 1, which is why soft-hand decisions have their own chart section.
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Pairs
Use the pair section when your initial two cards have the same rank, such as two 8s. Pair decisions may differ from decisions for a hand with the same total formed by different cards.
Common chart abbreviations
- H: hit.
- S: stand.
- D: double, if the table allows it; otherwise follow the chart’s stated fallback action.
- P: split the pair.
- R: surrender, where available. Some charts use different letters, so check their legend.
Check the table rules before choosing a chart
There is no verified single chart that covers every blackjack variant. The correct basic-strategy choices can depend on more than deck count. Check the posted rules or table placard for the conditions the chart specifies, then use a chart built for those conditions.
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| Rule to check | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Deck count | Single-deck, double-deck, or multi-deck game. William Hill publishes separate charts for single-deck and 4–8-deck games. |
| Dealer on soft 17 | S17 means the dealer stands on soft 17; H17 means the dealer hits. William Hill distinguishes charts by these rules. |
| Blackjack payout | Check whether a natural blackjack pays 3:2 or 6:5. The payout can affect the game’s economics and may be included in a chart’s assumptions. |
| Surrender | Confirm whether surrender is offered and whether the chart assumes it. |
| Doubling and splitting | Check doubling restrictions, whether doubling after a split is allowed (DAS), and rules for splitting or resplitting pairs. |
| Hole-card procedure | Some games use a hole card; European no-hole-card games can handle dealer blackjack differently. Use a chart that accounts for the procedure when specified. |
For instance, Casino.com’s example chart assumes a standard multi-deck game in which the dealer stands on soft 17, and it notes that variant rules can shift decisions. Blackjack.global lists charts by table rules and says it selects the legal action with the highest expected value. These are reasons to match the chart to the table, not evidence that one site’s chart applies everywhere.
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A worked lookup: hard 11 against a dealer 6
- Confirm that your hand is a hard 11, not a soft total or a pair.
- Find hard 11 in the chart’s player-hand rows and dealer 6 in its upcard columns.
- Read the intersecting cell. Casino.com’s example chart recommends doubling for this matchup under its stated assumptions; another ruleset’s chart may differ.
Doubling means increasing the wager as the rules allow and taking the permitted additional card or cards. The action is not a guarantee of a favorable result: it is the chart’s expected-value choice for the assumptions it uses.
Use familiar plays as memory aids, not substitutes
William Hill’s guidance identifies splitting aces and eights, not splitting fives or tens, hitting soft 17, and standing on hard 17 as useful reference points. Treat these as memory anchors rather than a complete strategy. The right decision for a particular hand still depends on the chart’s rule assumptions and the dealer’s upcard.
Michael Shackleford, a mathematician and gaming consultant, told Casino.com: “Doubling is best with a 10 or 11, and especially against a weaker dealer card. There are also some situations where you’d double with a 9 or a soft total against a weak dealer card, but the main time you double is with 10 or 11.” This is a broad explanation, not a replacement for the full chart.
Insurance and even money are separate decisions
Insurance is an optional side bet offered when the dealer shows an ace. Even money is an offer sometimes made when you have blackjack and the dealer shows an ace; it is economically equivalent to taking insurance on that hand. Under its basic-strategy guidance, Wizard of Odds advises against both and reports a 5.9% house edge for insurance in a one-deck game. That figure applies to the stated one-deck context, not every game.
Casino.com quotes Shackleford as saying: “Never. Absolutely never, unless you’re a card counter. And that includes even money on a blackjack. Say no to that because it’s the same thing as taking insurance, which is a lousy bet and has a house advantage of 7.7%”. The 7.7% is the advantage stated in that quotation’s context; it should not be combined with or treated as the same estimate as Wizard of Odds’ one-deck figure.
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What published house-edge examples do—and do not—show
Blackjack.global’s 2026 rule-set catalog lists the following house-edge figures using its stated convention of basic strategy with a reshuffle after every hand. They are that site’s estimates for those specific rulesets, not universal outcomes or promises.
| Blackjack.global ruleset | Listed house edge |
|---|---|
| Double-deck, S17, DAS | 0.19% |
| Vegas Strip, six-deck, S17 | 0.41% |
| Six-deck, H17, 6:5 payout | 1.98% |
The comparison illustrates why rules matter, but it does not mean every casino game with a similar label has the same edge. A chart can help you make mathematically informed decisions; it does not remove the house advantage or ensure you will win.
Practice and keep a rule-matched reference
Practice by choosing a specific ruleset, working through hands against each dealer upcard, and checking your answers against its chart. If you prefer a table-side reference, choose a blackjack basic strategy card that matches the rules you play. A printed card or downloadable chart is useful only when its assumptions fit the table; it does not improve the odds by itself or guarantee a result.
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