Blackjack guide: rules and strategy

Learn the rules, basic strategy and common mistakes to avoid at blackjack.

Basic rules

Blackjack pits each player against the dealer. The aim is to get a hand as close to 21 as possible without going over. Number cards are worth their face value, face cards 10, and the Ace 1 or 11. A 'blackjack' (Ace + 10-value card) pays 3:2.

Player actions

Hit: ask for another card. Stand: keep your hand. Double Down: double your stake and receive one card only. Split: if you have a pair, create two separate hands. Surrender: give up and get half your stake back.

Basic strategy chart

The chart below shows the optimal action for your hand and the dealer's upcard:

Your hand	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	As
8	T	T	T	T	T	T	T	T	T	T
9	T	D	D	D	D	T	T	T	T	T
10	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	T	T
11	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
12	T	T	R	R	R	T	T	T	T	T
13	R	R	R	R	R	T	T	T	T	T
14	R	R	R	R	R	T	T	T	T	T
15	R	R	R	R	R	T	T	T	T/Ab	T
16	R	R	R	R	R	T	T	T/Ab	T/Ab	T/Ab
17+	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

Legend: T = Hit · R = Stand · D = Double · Ab = Surrender Paires :

Pair	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	As
A-A	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp
8-8	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp
10-10	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
5-5	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	T	T
4-4	T	T	T	Sp	Sp	T	T	T	T	T
9-9	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	R	Sp	Sp	R	R
7-7	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	T	T	T	T
6-6	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	T	T	T	T	T
3-3	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	T	T	T	T
2-2	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	Sp	T	T	T	T

Legend: Sp = Split Following this chart reduces the house edge to about 0.5%.

Common mistakes

The most common mistakes include taking insurance (statistically a bad bet), not doubling when strategy recommends it, playing by instinct instead of strategy, and not setting loss and win limits before playing.

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