How to Play Blackjack: Basic Strategy

Blackjack offers the lowest house edge of any major casino game when you play correctly. With basic strategy, the house edge is around 0.5% in most blackjack variants, dramatically lower than slots or roulette. Learning basic strategy takes a couple of hours and pays off every time you play.

Object of the game

Get a hand value as close to 21 as possible without exceeding it. Beat the dealer”s hand. Aces count as 1 or 11. Face cards (J, Q, K) count as 10. Number cards count as their face value.

How a hand plays out

You and the dealer each receive two cards. Your cards are face-up; the dealer has one card up and one card down (the “hole card”). You decide what to do with your hand based on your two cards and the dealer”s up card. The dealer plays their hand last, following fixed rules.

Player options

Hit: take another card. Hand ends if you bust (exceed 21).

Stand: take no more cards. Hand value is final.

Double down: double your bet, take exactly one more card. Hand ends after that card.

Split: with two cards of the same value, separate them into two hands, double your bet, play each hand independently.

Surrender (when offered): forfeit half your bet to end the hand immediately.

Dealer rules

The dealer must hit on hands of 16 or less. The dealer must stand on hard 17 or more. Some casinos require the dealer to hit soft 17 (a hand containing an ace counted as 11 with a total of 17). The “hits soft 17” rule slightly increases house edge.

Basic strategy: the cheat sheet

Basic strategy tells you the mathematically optimal play for every combination of your hand and the dealer”s up card. Memorizing it (or carrying a basic strategy chart at the table; most casinos allow this) reduces the house edge to its theoretical minimum.

Key basic strategy rules

Always split aces and 8s. Never split 5s or 10s. Always double down on hard 11 against dealer 2-10.

Stand on hard 17 or higher. Stand on hard 12-16 against dealer 2-6. Hit hard 12-16 against dealer 7-A. Hit hard 8 or less always.

For soft hands (containing an ace counted as 11): stand on soft 19-21. Stand on soft 18 against dealer 2, 7, 8. Hit soft 18 against dealer 9, 10, A. Hit soft 17 or less against dealer 7-A.

Insurance

When the dealer shows an ace, you can buy “insurance” against the dealer having a 21 (a face card or 10 in the hole). Insurance pays 2 to 1 if the dealer has blackjack.

The math: insurance has a built-in negative expected value of around 7%. Skip insurance unless you are counting cards and know the deck is heavy with 10-value cards. For basic strategy players, never take insurance.

Variants and rule differences

Blackjack variants vary in house edge based on rule details. Look for tables that pay 3:2 on blackjack (not 6:5), allow doubling after splitting, allow late surrender, and use 6 decks or fewer. The combination of favorable rules can get house edge under 0.5%.

Avoid 6:5 blackjack tables. The reduced payout for blackjack increases house edge by about 1.4 percentage points, which is enormous in blackjack terms.

Card counting

Card counting tracks the ratio of high cards (10s, face cards, aces) to low cards (2-6) remaining in the deck. When the deck is high-card heavy, the player has a small edge; betting bigger in those situations can shift the long-term math from house favor to player favor.

Card counting is legal but casinos can refuse service to players they suspect of counting. Modern shoe games and continuous shuffling machines make counting difficult. Live dealer online blackjack can sometimes be counted in single-deck variants.

Practical tips

Start with a basic strategy chart at the table. Most casinos allow it. Bet the table minimum until you are comfortable with the rules. Double down and split when basic strategy says, even when nervous about the bigger bet. Never play “hunch plays” against basic strategy; the math is the math.