Blackjack basic strategy: hard, soft and pairs

Three zones, one chart

Every basic-strategy chart is built from the same three families of hands. Learn which zone you are in, then look up the dealer’s up-card.

• Hard totals — no ace counted as 11 (10-6 is hard 16). Against a weak dealer (2–6) you often stand on 12–16; against 7 or higher you hit until 17.
• Soft totals — an ace counted as 11 (A-6 is soft 17). You can hit more aggressively because the ace can flip to 1 instead of busting, and many soft hands double against weak dealer cards.
• Pairs — always split aces and eights; never split fives or tens. Everything else depends on the dealer. When you can split, the pair line comes first.

Interactive charts (all four modes)

Tap a mode at the top, then a cell. Charts match Blackjack Coach!: Classic and Free Bet share hard/soft/pair lines (six decks, H17, DAS, no late surrender); Spanish 21 and Double Down Madness use their own coaches — same grids as in the app.

Practice: what does the chart say?

Switch modes at the top, then a dealer up-card and a player hand appear. Choose Hit, Stand, Double, Split, or Surrender (Spanish 21). Streaks are saved per mode in this browser only.

When the rules change

Basic strategy is not one universal grid. Free doubles, a shoe without 10s, or a one-card start change the maths — so Blackjack Coach! ships a separate coach for each mode:

• Classic — Vegas-common rules; Perfect Pairs & 21+3 side bets.
• Free Bet — free doubles and splits; dealer 22 pushes — same hard/soft/pair skeleton as Classic in the app.
• Spanish 21 — tens removed; late surrender and rescue change many cells.
• Double Down Madness — one-card start and multi-double; no splits.

Compare the rule differences on the strategies page, or work through the mode lessons in Coach Academy.

Common mistakes

• Standing on soft 18 vs 9–A — soft 18 looks strong, but the chart Hits (or Doubles vs weaker cards). Soft hands can improve without busting on one card.
• Splitting tens or fives — never. Tens are a made 20; fives are a strong double-down hand played as hard 10.
• Skipping doubles on 11 — hard 11 doubles against every dealer up-card on this chart when doubling is allowed.
• Ignoring the dealer’s weakness — hard 12–16 against 2–6 is usually a stand; the same totals against 7–A are usually a hit.
• Chasing side bets — they are not graded by the coach and carry a steep house edge.

FAQ