Blackjack Hand Chart: Every Hard, Soft and Pair Decision Explained

A blackjack hand chart tells you the mathematically best move for every combination of your hand and the dealer’s face-up card. Find your total down the left side, find the dealer’s upcard along the top, and the cell where they meet tells you whether to hit, stand, double, split or surrender.

The chart below is built for the most common online and live-dealer format: four to eight decks, dealer stands on soft 17, doubling allowed on any two cards (including after a split), and late surrender available. With those rules, playing every hand by the chart brings the house edge down to roughly 0.4–0.5%. That is low, but it is still an edge in the casino’s favour – the chart reduces losses, it does not create profits.

This guide gives you the full hard, soft and pair tables, shows the order in which to check them, works through real examples, and explains which rule changes alter the chart. If you are new to the game, start with our guide on how to play blackjack first.

Every basic strategy chart is split into three tables, because the same total can need different plays depending on how it is made up:

• Hard totals – hands with no ace, or where the ace must count as 1 (for example 10-6, or 9-5-A).
• Soft totals – hands where an ace counts as 11 without busting (for example A-6, which is soft 17). Our guide to the ace in blackjack explains why soft hands play so differently.
• Pairs – your first two cards are the same rank, so splitting is an option.

The codes used in the tables below are:

The “otherwise” part matters. Most tables only let you double on your first two cards, so if you hold a three-card soft 18 against a dealer 5, you cannot double – you stand instead.

Columns show the dealer’s upcard. A means ace; 10 covers any ten-value card (10, J, Q, K).

The pattern is easy to remember once you see it. Against a weak dealer card (2–6) you stand on 13–16 and let the dealer risk busting. Against a strong card (7 to ace) you keep drawing to 17, because standing on 12–16 usually loses to a dealer who is likely to make a strong total.

The row most players get wrong is soft 18. It feels like a finished hand, but against a dealer 9, 10 or ace it loses more often than it wins if you stand, and you cannot bust by taking one card. Soft 17 is never a standing hand under this chart – you always either hit or double.

This table assumes you may double after splitting (DAS), which is standard at most online and live tables.

Two rules are absolute: always split aces and eights, and never split fives or tens. A pair of 9s against a dealer 7 is a stand because your 18 already beats the dealer’s most likely total of 17. For the reasoning behind each split and double, see when to double down and split pairs.

Charts give conflicting answers if you look at the wrong table first. Check them in this order:

1. Surrender? Only hard 16 against 9, 10 or A, and hard 15 against 10. If surrender is not offered, hit.
2. Split? If you hold a pair, use the pairs table. If it says don’t split, move on.
3. Double? Check the soft or hard table for a D or Ds.
4. Hit or stand. Use the soft table if your ace can still count as 11, otherwise the hard table. Repeat after every new card.

Worked examples (£10 stake)

• You hold 8-8, dealer shows 10. The pairs table says split. You now have two £10 hands, each starting on 8 – a poor position, but better than playing a single hard 16. Note that the split is checked before surrender.
• You hold 6-5, dealer shows 6. Hard 11 against 6 is a double. You add another £10, take exactly one card, and have £20 at risk. A win returns £40 including your stake.
• You hold 10-6, dealer shows 10, surrender offered. Surrender: you give up the hand and get £5 back, losing £5 instead of risking the full £10 on one of the weakest hand-versus-upcard spots in the game.
• You hold A-7, dealer shows 4. Soft 18 against 4 is Ds. Double to £20 on your first two cards; if you have already drawn a third card, stand.
• You hold A-4-2 (soft 17 after three cards), dealer shows 10. Hit. If you draw a 9, the ace drops to 1 and you have hard 16 – now switch to the hard table and hit again.

A hand chart is only correct for the rules it was built on. Check the table’s rule card before you rely on it. The main variations and their effect:

The 6:5 payout is the single most expensive rule you will meet. On a £10 blackjack, 3:2 pays £15 and 6:5 pays £12 – and no chart can win that money back. Our blackjack payout guide compares them in detail, and how many decks in blackjack covers the deck-count effect.

• Reading a soft hand as hard. A-5 is soft 16, not hard 16. It is a hit or a double, never a stand or surrender.
• Standing on 12 against a 2 or 3. The dealer’s bust chance with a 2 or 3 showing isn’t high enough to justify standing on 12 – the chart says hit.
• Not doubling 11 against a 10. It feels risky, but it is the correct play in this game.
• Taking insurance or “even money”. Basic strategy never takes insurance. The chart doesn’t include it because it is always the wrong bet for a non-counter.
• Using the wrong chart for the table. An H17 or no-DAS game needs the adjustments above.
• Deviating on a hunch. Changing plays after a losing run, or because “a ten is due”, only adds to the house edge. Adjusting plays based on the count is a separate skill covered in our Hi-Lo card counting guide, and it does not work against continuously shuffled online games.

At RNG blackjack online, nothing stops you keeping a chart open beside the game, and because the software waits for you there is no time pressure. Many games also show the rules – decks, soft 17, DAS, surrender and blackjack payout – in the help or info screen. That is where to confirm which version of the chart applies.

Live dealer tables give you a fixed decision timer, so learn the chart well enough to act within a few seconds. Practising in free-play mode is the easiest way to do that without risking money. Our live dealer guides explain how those tables work, and our guide to choosing an online blackjack table shows what to look for in the rules.

If you are clearing a bonus, check the terms first. Blackjack often contributes only a small percentage towards wagering, or is excluded entirely, so perfect strategy does not automatically make a bonus worth taking.

• Find your hand on the left, the dealer’s upcard along the top, and follow the cell – every time.
• Check in order: surrender, split, double, then hit or stand.
• Always split aces and eights; never split fives or tens; never take insurance.
• Match the chart to the table’s rules, and avoid 6:5 games.
• Even perfect play leaves the house with a small edge over the long run. Read more in blackjack odds explained.

A hand chart makes your money last longer; it does not turn blackjack into a source of income. Set a budget and time limit before you play, never chase losses, and use the deposit limits and time-out tools your casino provides. Gambling is for adults aged 18 and over only.