The perfect blackjack strategy: 18 charts to reach 21

There's no surer way to play blackjack than consulting an online blackjack strategy chart. Knowing every possible action for all situations in the card game gives you an edge over the house and helps you reach the most likely result.

Improve your online blackjack strategy odds when you play with the different blackjack charts in the most common variations. At Bitcasino, we explain how to use them with the guide below.

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What is blackjack and how is it played?

The goal of playing blackjack is to beat the dealer by getting a hand value of 21 or as close as possible. If you don't manage to get a hand value of 21, the next goal is to have a higher hand value than the dealer. 

To know how to play blackjack, check the quick step-by-step process below:

• Place your bet on the table.
• Wait for the dealer to hand you and the other players two cards each and another two cards, one up and one down to themselves.
• Once you have your 2-card hand, you can do any of the following actions:
  • Stand - Standing means you're satisfied with your card's hand value.
  • Hit - You hit when you want an additional hand to improve your hand value.
  • Double down - You increase your bet by 100% in exchange for another card.
  • Split - Receiving a pair of cards with the same value allows you to split your cards into two separate hands. You can then place another bet and decide which action you want to do with your new hand.
  • Surrender - You give up your cards if there's an unlikely chance of improving your hand value.
• Other players decide what to do with their cards. Afterwards, the dealer reveals its down card. Depending on the casino rules, the dealer can hit or stand when they have a soft 17 or a hand with an ace that totals 17.
• If your hand is higher than the dealer's, you win. Otherwise, you lose your bet.

Types of hands

In blackjack, there are two types of hands: soft and hard. Know the difference between first before we proceed with talking about perfect blackjack strategy 101. Here's a short guide to blackjack hands:

• Soft hand - In blackjack, the ace holds dual value at 1 or 11, depending on the player's preference. Receiving an ace when cards are initially dealt means you have a soft hand since you can dictate the ace's value and your total value.
• Hard hand - When you're not dealt an ace, you have a hard hand since your hand value is fixed and cannot be altered.

What are perfect blackjack strategy charts?

Blackjack strategy charts outline the options you can take based on your hand value and the dealer's up card. These charts are typically easy to understand with just a bit of memorization to increase your chances of winning.

A chart is separated into three parts showing the dealer's up card, the player's hand total and the respective action you should take based on these two factors. See a more detailed explanation of these below:

• Dealer's card - The top row of the chart indicates the dealer's up card.
• Player's hand total - The leftmost column shows your hand total. It will differ depending on whether you have a soft or a hard hand. 
• Actions - The centre of the chart shows the abbreviated actions you can take depending on your hand value and the dealer's card. These are as follows:
  • H - Hit
  • S - Stand
  • D - Double
  • Sp - Split
  • Su - Surrender
  • Dh - Double down when allowed; otherwise, hit. 
  • Ds - Double down when allowed; otherwise, stand.
  • Su/H - Surrender when allowed; otherwise, hit. 
  • Su/S - Surrender when allowed; otherwise, stand. 
  • Su/Sp - Surrender when allowed; otherwise, split.
  • SpD/H - Split if allowed to double down after a split; otherwise, hit.
• SpD/D - Split if allowed to double down after a split; otherwise, double down.

How to read blackjack charts

Reading blackjack charts may seem confusing to unfamiliar players, but it's as easy as these three steps:

1. After the cards have been dealt, inspect the chart for guidance. 
2. To do this, locate your card's total value in the first column and then find the dealer's card on the top row. 
3. Find the point of intersection between your hand and the dealer's card to determine the action you should take.

Basic blackjack strategy charts

Blackjack games differ based on the number of card decks the dealer uses. It can be single, double or multiple. It then changes the number of possible hands the dealer can have, affecting the possible actions you should take based on your hand.

Thus, each of these variations has its own blackjack perfect strategy chart. Check them out below and know the best course of action in winning blackjack

1. Single deck blackjack chart

The single deck blackjack chart is used when you play a blackjack game with a single deck of cards. 

Below are charts for when the dealer hits or stands on soft 17 and whether you split or have a hard or soft total.

Dealer hits on soft 17

If the dealer is required to hit on soft 17, use the charts below as reference:

Dealer stands on soft 17

Use the charts below as reference if the dealer is required to stand on soft 17:

2. Double deck strategy chart

As the name indicates, the double deck strategy chart should be used when you’re playing a game of blackjack with two decks of cards on the horseshoe. 

Dealer hits on soft 17

Use the charts below as reference if the dealer is required to hit on soft 17:

Dealer stands on soft 17

If the dealer is required to stand on soft 17, use the charts below as reference:

3. Multi-deck blackjack chart

The multi-deck blackjack chart is versatile because you can use it for all blackjack variations with 4 or more decks. And since casinos usually use 6 to 8-decks to keep gaming rounds longer, you can use these strategy charts more often.

These are also called the 4 to 8 charts because they can be used as:

• 4-deck blackjack strategy chart
• 6-deck blackjack strategy chart
• 8-deck blackjack strategy chart

Dealer hits on soft 17

Refer to the charts below if the dealer is required to hit on soft 17: