Blackjack trainer
Blackjack pays 3 to 2 · Dealer hits soft 17
Deal a hand to see the exact value of every move: hit, stand, double, split and surrender.
Rules and side bets
Table rules match your casino
Working out the house edge for these rules...
Simplified blackjack model, not a casino-specific house edge. Our solver works from a full shoe of the size shown, removes only your first two cards and the dealer's up card, and allows one split. Real games with resplits, deeper shoes or other table rules can change the best play and the house edge.
Basic strategy in one chart
Blackjack has the lowest house edge in the casino when you play it right: about half a percent with good rules. Every decision below is the best move our solver finds for your two cards against the dealer's up card, for the rules you pick.
Rules of thumb
You won't have the chart at the table. These rules fit on an index card, and on a six-deck game where the dealer hits soft 17, they make the same first move as our full solver on 99.9% of hands.
- Hard 17 or more: standAlways, against any dealer card.
- Hard 13 to 16: stand against 2 to 6, hit against 7 or higher12 is the same, except hit it against a 2 or 3.
- Double 11 against anything, 10 against 2 to 9, 9 against 3 to 6Otherwise hit.
- Soft 19 or more: stand. Soft 18: double against 2 to 6, stand against 7 or 8, hit against 9, 10 or aceSoft 17 doubles against 3 to 6, soft 15 and 16 against 4 to 6, soft 13 and 14 against 5 and 6. Otherwise hit.
- Always split aces and 8s. Never split 10s or 5sA pair of 5s is a 10: double it.
- Split 2s, 3s and 7s against 2 to 7, 6s against 2 to 6, 9s against 2 to 9 except 7, 4s only against 5 and 6Otherwise play the pair as a total.
- Never take insuranceIt costs about 7% of what you put on it.
- Where surrender is allowed, give up 16 against 9, 10 or ace, and 15 against a 10The chart below shows the rest.
The strategy chart
For a six-deck shoe, dealer hits soft 17, double after split allowed. Find your hand on the left and the dealer's up card across the top. Your current hand is outlined while you play. The chart follows the rules you pick above.
Decision drill
Flash hands weighted toward the decisions players get wrong: soft doubles, 12 against a 2 or 3, and the splits. Get ten in a row and you are ready for the table.
How a hand plays
- Place your betSide bets are optional and settle on their own.
- Two cards eachYou see both of yours; the dealer shows one card, the up card. With an ace up you are offered insurance, then the dealer checks for blackjack.
- BlackjackAn ace and a ten-value card as your first two cards pays 3 to 2, unless the dealer also has blackjack.
- Your decisionsHit for another card, stand, double (double your bet, take exactly one card), split a pair into two hands, or surrender half your bet where allowed.
- The dealer playsThe dealer has no choices: draw to 17, and at most casinos hit a soft 17. Go over 21 and you lose, even if the dealer busts later.
| Bet | Pays | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Win | 1 to 1 | Closer to 21 than the dealer, or the dealer busts |
| Blackjack | 3 to 2 | Avoid 6 to 5 tables: they cost you about 1.4% more |
| Insurance | 2 to 1 | Half your bet, against dealer blackjack. Always decline: 7.4% house edge |
| Surrender | Half back | Only on your first two cards, where offered |
Shuffler, shoe or single deck
Pick how the cards are dealt under Table rules. The coach, the chart and the house edge all follow your choice.
| Table | How it deals | Dealer hits soft 17, 3 to 2 | Stands on soft 17, 3 to 2 | Hits soft 17, 6 to 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continuous shuffler | Six decks, cards go back in after every round | 0.63% | 0.41% | 1.99% |
| Six-deck shoe | Six decks dealt to a cut card | 0.63% | 0.41% | 1.99% |
| Single deck | One deck, hand-dealt to about halfway | 0.05% | -0.17% | 1.44% |
A shuffler has the same odds as a fresh shoe. Every round starts from a full six decks, so the house edge matches the six-deck game. What it takes away is the cut card: with no deep shoe, counting cards can't work.
One deck is better for you, on paper. Fewer decks mean more blackjacks and better doubles, which is why casinos often pair single deck with a 6 to 5 payout. A 6 to 5 single deck game costs you more than a 3 to 2 shoe.
House edges are from our solver with double after split, no surrender and one split. A negative number means a small player edge under these exact rules.
Free Bet Blackjack
A popular version on the Las Vegas Strip. The casino pays for your doubles and splits, but a dealer 22 pushes. Switch the table to Free Bet above to practice it.
Take every free double and free split. That one rule gets you most of the way. A free bet that pushes is as bad as one that loses, so the free-bet strategy is more aggressive: the chart above switches to it when you pick Free Bet.
House edge about 1.07% in our model with six decks, dealer hitting soft 17 and 3 to 2 blackjack, compared with about 0.63% for the classic game. The free bets don't make up for the 22 push.
Free Bet variation: complimentary doubles and splits and the dealer-22 push follow the version described here; other casinos may use different eligibility or split limits.
Rules that cost you
The table rules change the house edge more than anything else. Six decks, playing the coach's strategy, computed by our solver:
| Rule | Effect on the house edge |
|---|---|
| Blackjack pays 6 to 5 instead of 3 to 2 | +1.36% |
| Dealer hits soft 17 | +0.22% |
| Late surrender allowed | -0.09% |
| Free Bet Blackjack instead of classic | about +0.4% |
Side bets
Side bets are optional and settle on their own. All of them cost more than the main game.
| Side bet | Wins when | Top payout | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21+3 | Your two cards and the dealer's up card make a flush, straight, three of a kind or straight flush | 9 to 1 | 3.24% |
| Perfect Pairs | Your first two cards are a pair | 25 to 1 | 6.11% |
| Buster Blackjack | The dealer busts; more dealer cards pay more | 250 to 1 | 6.21% |
| Lucky Ladies | Your first two cards total 20 | 1000 to 1 | 17.64% |
| Push 22 (Free Bet) | The dealer finishes on exactly 22 | 11 to 1 | 11.76% |
| Pot of Gold (Free Bet) | Pays by the free bets you collect in a round | 1000 to 1 | 8.3%* |
* Pot of Gold is 8.3% when the dealer checks for blackjack under a 10 or an ace, as on this table: a dealer blackjack ends the hand before you can collect a free bet. Where the dealer checks under an ace only, the edge is lower. Payouts vary by table. Each house edge applies only to that side bet and the paytable shown, not to the main game. 21+3 also comes in five-way versions that pay up to 100 to 1 on suited three of a kind, with house edges from about 4.6% to 13%. Read the felt before you bet.
At the table
- Use hand signalsTap the felt to hit, wave your hand flat over your cards to stand. Dealers watch signals, not words, because of the cameras.
- Doubles and splits go beside your betPlace the extra chips next to your original bet, never on top. For a double, the dealer gives you exactly one card.
- Don't touch cards in a shoe gameCards dealt face up from a shoe stay on the table. Only hand-held single and double deck games let you pick them up.
- Look for 3 to 2The payout is printed on the felt. A 6 to 5 table costs you more than any strategy mistake.
- Know the soft 17 ruleThe felt also says whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17. Standing is better for you.
- Bring 40 to 50 betsDoubles and splits mean you sometimes need two or three times your bet on one hand.
Mistakes that cost real money
- Taking insuranceEven with blackjack ("even money"). It is a 7.4% bet.
- Standing on 12 to 16 against a 7 or higherA dealer 7 to ace makes 17 or better most of the time. Hit.
- Not doubling 11Double 11 against every dealer card when the dealer hits soft 17.
- Splitting 10s or 5sTwenty is a great hand, and 5,5 is a hard 10 you should double.
- Not splitting aces and 8sAlways split them, even against a 10.
- Playing soft 18 like hard 18Ace-seven doubles against 2 to 6 (when the dealer hits soft 17), stands against 7 and 8, and hits against 9, 10 and ace.