Riding a Heater

What is Basic Strategy?

Basic strategy is the mathematically optimal decision for every possible hand combination in blackjack. It was developed using computer simulations of millions of hands and tells you exactly when to hit, stand, double, split, or surrender.

Why It Matters

Following basic strategy perfectly reduces the house edge to approximately 0.5% — making blackjack one of the best games in the casino. Without basic strategy, the average player faces a 2-5% house edge.

The Basic Strategy Chart

Hard Totals (No Ace counted as 11)

Your Hand	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
8 or less	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
9	H	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	R	R
16	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	R	R	R
17+	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S

H = Hit, S = Stand, D = Double (hit if can't), R = Surrender (hit if can't)

Soft Totals (Ace counted as 11)

Your Hand	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
A,2-A,3	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,4-A,5	H	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,6	H	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,7	D	D	D	D	D	S	S	H	H	H
A,8-A,9	S	S	S	S	D	S	S	S	S	S

Pair Splitting

Pair	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
2,2	P	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H
3,3	P	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H
4,4	H	H	H	P	P	H	H	H	H	H
5,5	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
6,6	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H	H
7,7	P	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H
8,8	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	R
9,9	P	P	P	P	P	S	P	P	S	S
10,10	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
A,A	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P

P = Split

Common Mistakes

Standing on 12 vs. 2 or 3 — You should hit
Not splitting 8s vs. 10 — Always split 8s
Not doubling soft 17 vs. 3-6 — This is a profitable double
Taking insurance — Never take insurance (house edge: 7.4%)
Playing "hunches" — The math doesn't care about your feelings