Casino Blackjack Basic Strategy Abbreviated

Your Hand vs Dealer's Card Showing (Up Card)

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HARD HANDS:

5 thru 8 H [Always Hit.]

9 D(3-6) e H [Double down on dealer showing 3,4,5, or 6. Otherwise Hit.]

10 D(2-9) e H [Double down on dealer's showing 2 thru 9. Hit on 10, Ace.]

11 H(A) e D [Hit when dealer shows Ace. Otherwise, double down.]

12 S(4-6) e H [Stand on dealer 4 thru 6. Otherwise Hit.]

13-16 S(2-6) e H [Stand on dealer 2 thru 6. Otherwise Hit.]

17-20 S [Always stand.]

SOFT HANDS:

A,2 & A,3 D(5-6) e H [Double when dealer shows 5 or 6. Else Hit.]

A,4 & A,5 D(4-6) e H [Double on dealer showing 4 thru 6. Else Hit.]

A,6 D(3-6) e H [Double on 3 thru 6. Otherwise Hit.]

A,7 D(3-6) S(2,7,8) e H [Double on 3 thru 6. Stand on 2,7, or 8. Else H(9,X,A)

A,8 & A,9 S [Always stand.]

PAIRS:

A,A & 8,8 P [Always pair split.]

2,2 & 3,3 P(2-7) e H [Pair split on dealer show 2 thru 7. Otherwise Hit.]

4,4 P(5-6) e H [Pair split on dealer's 5,6. Otherwise Hit.]

5,5 D(2-9) e H [Never pair split a pair of 5's. Treat as 10 above.]

6,6 P(2-6) e H [Pair split on 2 thru 6. Otherwise Hit.]

7,7 P(2-7) e H [Pair split on dealer show 2 thru 7. Otherwise Hit.]

9,9 S(7,A,X) e P [Stand on 7,10, or A. Otherwise Pair split your 9's]]

10,10 S [Always Stand.]

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Note: This is per Boston University CS320 course. It differs slightly from what I have summarized (and memorized) from traditional sources. Perfect BJ basic strategy does in fact vary according to house rules variations and local game practices-- for example, optimal basic strategy is slightly different when the dealer is playing with a single deck of cards, as opposed to dealing from a 4 to 8-deck shoe of cards. The above strategy is designed to be "generic"-- fitting most common casino practices, closely enough to win money in the long run, if you also keep track of favorable vs unfavorable cards (i.e. count).