In brief: how do you win at blackjack?
You don't play against other players, but against the dealer. The goal is to have a hand closer to 21 than the dealer's without going over (bust). A natural blackjack (Ace + face card or 10) often pays 3 to 2the exact rules (6:5 blackjack, tables without doubling, etc.) significantly change your expected return: always read the table rules.
Even when applying the best strategy on every hand, the casino keeps a small mathematical edge (house advantage), except in very rare cases (card counting in person, promotions). Online, focus on basic strategy and tables with favourable rules to minimise this gap.
Card values and actions
- 2 to 9: face value.
- 10, Jack, Queen, King: 10 points.
- Ace: 1 or 11 (whichever suits your hand).
Depending on the table: hit, stand, double (often one extra card only), split on a pair, sometimes surrender if offered.
What is 'basic strategy'?
It is the set of decisions that, for a given game (number of decks, S17 or H17, DAS or not…), maximises your mathematical expectation on each hand without counting cards.
The idea: facing the dealer's upcard (2 to Ace), there is an optimal action for every hard total, every soft hand (Ace counted as 11), and every pair. Deviating 'on instinct' increases the house edge.
Strategy chart (colour-coded)
Same logic as classic grids: each cell = the best action against the dealer's upcard. Scroll horizontally on small screens.
Open the interactive calculator : enter your cards and the dealer's card to get the optimal play.
| Player | Dealer's card | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A | |
| Hard totals | ||||||||||
| 21 | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| 20 | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| 19 | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| 18 | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| 17 | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| 16 | R | R | R | R | R | T | T | Ab/T | Ab/T* | Ab/T |
| 15 | R | R | R | R | R | T | T | T | Ab/T | Ab/T |
| 14 | R | R | R | R | R | T | T | T | T | T |
| 13 | R | R | R | R | R | T | T | T | T | T |
| 12 | T | T | R | R | R | T | T | T | T | T |
| 11 | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| 10 | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | T | T |
| 9 | T | D | D | D | D | T | T | T | T | T |
| 8 | T | T | T | D | D | T | T | T | T | T |
| 7 | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T |
| 6 | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T |
| 5 | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T | T |
| Pairs | ||||||||||
| A A | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P |
| 10 10 | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| 9 9 | P | P | P | P | P | R | P | P | R | R |
| 8 8 | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P | P |
| 7 7 | P | P | P | P | P | P | T | T | T | T |
| 6 6 | P | P | P | P | P | T | T | T | T | T |
| 5 5 | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | T | T |
| 4 4 | T | T | T | P | P | T | T | T | T | T |
| 3 3 | P | P | P | P | P | P | T | T | T | T |
| 2 2 | P | P | P | P | P | P | T | T | T | T |
| Soft hands (Ace + card) | ||||||||||
| A 10 | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| A 9 | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| A 8 | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| A 7 | R | Ds | Ds | Ds | Ds | R | R | T | T | T |
| A 6 | T | D | D | D | D | T | T | T | T | T |
| A 5 | T | T | D | D | D | T | T | T | T | T |
| A 4 | T | T | D | D | D | T | T | T | T | T |
| A 3 | T | T | T | D | D | T | T | T | T | T |
| A 2 | T | T | T | D | D | T | T | T | T | T |
Never take insurance (even money).
* 16 against a 10: surrender if possible, otherwise hitexcept if your 16 is made of 3 or more cards (multi-card hand): in that case, hit (composition rule).
Assumptions: multi-deck shoe, dealer stands on soft 17 (S17), double after split (DAS), late surrender allowed for Ab/T cells. Without surrender, hit instead.
Principles that come up often
- Always split Aces and 8-8 (except very exotic rules). Never split 10-10.
- Double on 11 against almost every dealer upcard when allowedit's one of the most profitable plays.
- Don't take insurance (even with a visible blackjack): mathematically unfavourable except when card counting in a live venue.
- 16 against a 10: see the chart (surrender / hit) and the * note for hands with 3 or more cards.
Common mistakes
- Playing a 6:5 blackjack table instead of 3:2: the house edge rises sharply.
- 'Mimicking the dealer' (hitting until 17) without looking at their card: very suboptimal.
- Overvaluing card counting online: games are continuously shuffled (RNG / shoe), so there's no edge at that level.
Responsible gaming
Blackjack remains a game of chance: basic strategy reduces the gap, it doesn't guarantee wins. Set a budget, time limits, and never try to 'win it back'. In France, Joueurs Info Service (09 74 75 13 13, non-surcharged call).