Below you'll find our blackjack strategy charts for multi-deck blackjack where the dealer stands on soft 17 and one where the dealer hits on soft 17.

• Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart 2 Decks Dealer Hits Soft 17
• Hit On Soft 17

Aug 13, 2019  To use the basic strategy, look up your hand along the left vertical edge and the dealer's up card along the top. In both cases an A stands for ace. From top to bottom are the hard totals, soft totals, and splittable hands. There are two charts depending on whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17. Most blackjack players are oblivious to whether the dealer stands or hits on soft 17. Dealer stands on soft 17 was the standard rule in years past, but a growing number of casinos now require the dealer to hit on soft 17 (hands like Ace, 6). Not only do most players fail to recognize the difference, some believe that the hit on soft 17 rule works in their favor since the dealer will bust more often.

The casino always has the edge in the game of blackjack. There are, however strategy tips that you can use to reduce this house edge and therefore maximize your chances of winning. If you follow optimal strategy, you can reduce the house edge to less than 1% and in some case to even less than 0.5%. These strategy rules became popular in the 1960s and 1970s when computer programs were used to analyze thousands of hands in order to formulate principals based on mathematical calculations.

There are basic blackjack tables and charts that have been formulated based on basic blackjack strategy. These charts may vary slightly depending on the specific house rules of the casino, as well as on how many decks are being used for that particular game. It is highly recommended for players to study these charts and memorize them before they play for real money. The charts are equally effective when playing online blackjack as they are when playing blackjack in a land-based casino. In instances when you can take a physical chart with you to play, you should do so. You may not be allowed to use these at land based casinos (although many do allow them), but there is no reason why you should not sit at your computer at home playing blackjack with the blackjack strategy chart next to you. If you have the chart next to you, make sure that you refer to it regularly. You will only succeed in reducing the house edge to below 1% if you follow the strategy studiously. Following it for one hand and then not the next, will not reduce the house edge. These figures are only accurate over the long term.

The blackjack strategy charts will provide you with information on when to hit, stand, double down, split or surrender. It will also inform you what move to make if either doubling or surrender is not allowed in the house rules of the casino that you are playing at. Make sure that you understand how to read the chart correctly. Typically they are color coded to make it simpler to use and they have a key at the bottom. Remember that these moves are the statistically best decision that you can make in that specific instance. Following the chart does not necessarily mean that you will win every hand, but you must follow the chart to win in the long term.

The most common house rules use 4 decks or more and state that the dealer must stand on soft 17. In this case, if you look at a blackjack strategy card, you will see that if you hold a hand total of 14 and the dealer's up-card is a 6, you should stand. If however, the dealer's up-card is a 10, you should hit. If you are holding a pair of 3s and the dealer's up-card is a 4, you should split. If on the other hand, the dealer's up-card is a 9, you should hit. These rules are difficult to memorize so look at the chart and practice with the chart and you will become familiar with it.

Multiple Deck Blackjack Strategy Chart where the Dealer Stands on Soft 17

Blackjack Strategy Chart Key:

H = Hit
S = Stand
D = Double if permitted, or else hit
Ds = Double if permitted, or else stand
P = Split
H/P = Split if double after split, or else hit
H/R = Surrender if permitted, or else hit
S/R = Surrender if permitted, or else hit
P/R = Surrender if permitted, or else hit

Multiple Deck Blackjack Strategy Chart where the Dealer Hits on Soft 17

Blackjack Strategy Chart Key:

H = Hit
S = Stand
D = Double if permitted, or else hit
Ds = Double if permitted, or else stand
P = Split
H/P = Split if double after split, or else hit
H/R = Surrender if permitted, or else hit
S/R = Surrender if permitted, or else hit
P/R = Surrender if permitted, or else hit

Additional Blackjack Strategy Resources:

• Blackjack Strategy here on CasinoAdvisor.com
• Blackjack Strategy and Odds - Resource by Wizard of Odds a renowned gaming mathematician.
• Basic Blackjack Strategy Engine - Allows you to configure options and build your own charts.

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Introduction

To use the basic strategy, look up your hand along the left vertical edge and the dealer's up card along the top. In both cases an A stands for ace. From top to bottom are the hard totals, soft totals, and splittable hands. There are two charts depending on whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17.

Other basic strategy rules.

• Never take insurance or 'even money.'
• If there is no row for splitting (fives and tens), then look up your hand as a hard total (10 or 20).
• If you can't split because of a limit on re-splitting, then look up your hand as a hard total.

If you play a mixture of six-deck games, some where the dealer hits a soft 17, and some where he stands, and you only wish to memorize one strategy, I would recommend you memorize the one where the dealer stands on soft 17. The cost in errors due to playing the wrong strategy is 2.3 times higher playing a stand on soft 17 game, with the hit on 17 strategy, than vise versa.

Basic Strategy in Text

For the benefit of my blind readers, here is the above strategy in text form, when the dealer stands on soft 17 and surrender is allowed. To use the strategy, start at the top, and follow the first rule that applies.

Surrender

• Surrender hard 16 (but not a pair of 8s) vs. dealer 9, 10, or A, and hard 15 vs. dealer 10.

Split

• Always split aces and 8s.
• Never split 5s and 10s.
• Split 2s and 3s against a dealer 4-7, and against a 2 or 3 if DAS is allowed.
• Split 4s only if DAS is allowed and the dealer shows a 5 or 6.
• Split 6s against a dealer 3-6, and against a 2 if DAS is allowed.
• Split 7s against a dealer 2-7.
• Split 9s against a dealer 2-6 or 8-9.

Double

• Double hard 9 vs. dealer 3-6.
• Double hard 10 except against a dealer 10 or A.
• Double hard 11 except against a dealer A.
• Double soft 13 or 14 vs. dealer 5-6.
• Double soft 15 or 16 vs. dealer 4-6.
• Double soft 17 or 18 vs. dealer 3-6.

Hit or Stand

Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart 2 Decks Dealer Hits Soft 17

• Always hit hard 11 or less.
• Stand on hard 12 against a dealer 4-6, otherwise hit.
• Stand on hard 13-16 against a dealer 2-6, otherwise hit.
• Always stand on hard 17 or more.
• Always hit soft 17 or less.
• Stand on soft 18 except hit against a dealer 9, 10, or A.
• Always stand on soft 19 or more.

As I've said many times, the above strategy will be fine under any set of rules. However, for you perfectionists out there, here are the modifications to make if the dealer hits a soft 17.

On the American wheel, there are many examples where this rule is violated.It is for this reason that the American wheel is considered not as balanced as the European wheel.Both wheels also try to distribute odd and even numbers as evenly as possible. But again there are a number of violations of this rule on both wheels.On the European wheel there are two other interesting symmetries. How to win the most money at roulette. On an American wheel you can expect to lose 5.26% (if you are interested in the mathematics of roulette, the video at the end will show you how these odds are calculated). 4 The Martingale system is guaranteed to win money as long as you have enough cash Credit: Getty ImagesOn a European wheel, this is only violated where the 5 sits next to the 10 (both low numbers).

• Surrender 15, a pair of 8s, and 17 vs. dealer A.
• Double 11 vs. dealer A.
• Double soft 18 vs. dealer 2.
• Double soft 19 vs. dealer 6.

Hit On Soft 17

My thanks to Kelly for putting together the above text strategy.