A “Basic Strategy Card” is a reference card that helps twenty-one players make optimal decisions while playing using basic strategy. Cards are typically easy to read tables that tell a player if it is best to hit, stand, split, double down or surrender for every possible hand combination. Laminated strategy cards can be found and purchased in many casino gift shops, or our cards be printed for free from your computer. The vast majority of casinos allow players to reference a card while playing, but if you are unsure you should consult your dealer.

4+, dealer stands on soft 17 (.pdf)

Reading the Strategy Card:

A dealer’s upcard is listed along the top row. A players hand is listed in the left column showing hard hand totals, soft hand totals, and splittable hands.

To use the card:
1) find the intersection between your hand and the dealers card.
2) Decipher the entry using the key.
3) Follow the recommended action.

Key:
H- Hit
S - Stand
P - Split

D - Double if allowed, otherwise Hit
Ds - Double if allowed, otherwise Stand

H/P - Split if double after split is allowed, otherwise Hit
S/P - Split if double after split is allowed, otherwise Stand
D/P - Split if double after split is allowed, otherwise Double

H/R - Surrender if allowed, otherwise Hit
P/R - Surrender if allowed, otherwise Split
S/R - Surrender if allowed, otherwise Stand

Other Game Variations:

Blackjack is played in casinos all over the world and ther are hundred of possible game variations. These printable basic strategy cards should cover the vast majority of twenty-one games.

  4+, dealer stands on soft 17 (.pdf)
  2 decks, dealer stands on soft 17 (.pdf)
  2 decks, dealer stands on soft 17 (.pdf)
  1 deck, dealer stands on soft 17 (.pdf)
  1 deck, dealer stands on soft 17 (.pdf)

Not sure about a particular rule or game variation? Ask about it in ourSide Bets and Game Variations forum.

Great article! I think that will really help some of the newer players!

Wow! Thanks for all this information, that is a really thorough article. I’m going to save this info to my computer that way I can study it later on. I really appreciate you posting this for us folks who don’t know as much.

Great article for sure. Thanks for posting it. I already use a set of reference cards and would like to add that its really helpful at times.

Jacob, I haven’t seen you much on the forum. I suggest you spend more time with your members and share your knowledge with them. Just managing the community will not work. We have joined here as we found it to be interesting and helping us to sharpen our skills for BJ. Sharing knowledge will increase it, so keep posting.

wow! You’re a darling jacob. Thanks for taking pain for posting this lengthy post for us. Well I think you have scope of adding many more strategies to this thread so keep up the good work.

Good strategies… I don’t remember the site but I had seen a chart somewhere that suggest you to hit, stand, split etc on each card count. It was pretty simple.

Can I win a lot If I use the basic strategy?

slotpkr - 21 April 2010 12:04 AM

Can I win a lot If I use the basic strategy?

” Can I win a lot if I use basic stratrgy “

In a word - NO -

You will win more and lose less than a ” Hunch Player ” will -

One must bear in mind exactly what ” Basic Strategy ” is and is not -

Basic Strategy is the result / culmination of millions of computer simulated hands which depicted the optimal results of the best case scenario of how a player should play his two dealt cards against the dealers one showing up card .

Basic Strategy is nothing more or less than that!

After millions of dealt hands - the optimal strategy of a players two up cards vs the dealers one up card - can be reduced to what is determined the optimal play for each and every card combination imagined - no second guessing - no feeling lucky - no looking the dealer in the eye and reading his / her body language - nothing but the hard cold facts.

If one adheres to the ” Basic Strategy ” principle - does that mean one is going to win ?  If one deviates from the ” Basic Strategy ” principle does that mean one is going to lose ?

The answer to the above is No and No.

Basic Strategy is simply the most optimal way a player should play his two cards vs the dealers one up card - and depending upon the true count - or if one is counting cards -  to deviate from the Basic Strategy method depending upon the true count .

In the long run - a player who plays by the “Basic Strategy ”’ rules of hit/stand/split/doubledown/etc. will garner a higher advantage over the house edge than a person who ” fly’s by the seat of his pants ” or attempts to ” second guess ” the outcome of a hand.

The Basic Strategy charts are relevant to each casino offerred game - depending upon their rules of S17 / H S17/ splits and double downs -

The Basic Strategy chart that was portrayed in the opening of this forum, for example - would not be the optimal strategy for the multiple deck games played in AC at present.

Although 90 - 95 % of the Basic Strategy chart as presented is appliccable to ALL casino BJ games - there are subtle and minute variances that would apply to each house rule.

The bottom line is simply this - one needs to commit to memory ( as we did with our ABC’s and Multiplication Tables in grade school )
the Basic Strategy chart for the specific game that we are going to play.