Blackjack strategy
Blackjack rewards knowing the rules cold more than any craps bet does — every decision is a hit/stand/double/split call made against a fixed dealer procedure. Here's exactly how this table is dealt.
Play blackjack
Free 6-deck shoe, no ads, no account.
Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart
The exact hit, stand, double, and split chart for this table's 6-deck, dealer-stands-on-soft-17 rules.
When Should You Split in Blackjack?
A pair-by-pair split chart for 6 decks, S17, and double after split, with worked examples.
Can You Make Money Playing Blackjack?
Why short-term wins happen, how the house edge works, and when skilled players can gain an advantage.
Basic Strategy Trainer
Drill hard hands, soft hands, and pairs until the correct play is automatic.
Should You Hit on 16 Against a Dealer 10?
The hardest hand in blackjack, the basic-strategy answer, and where surrender and pairs change it.
How Many Blackjack Hands Can You Lose in a Row?
How to think about losing streaks, with a clearly labeled illustrative probability table.
The rules
- Blackjack pays 3:2. A natural 21 on your first two cards, unless the dealer also has one, in which case it pushes.
- Dealer stands on all 17s, including soft 17. The dealer peeks for blackjack immediately when showing an Ace or a 10-value card, before you have to act — so you're never risking extra money into a hand the dealer's already won.
- Double down on any first two cards, including after a split: double your bet, take exactly one more card, done.
- Split a matching-rank pair into two hands of equal size. One split per hand, no resplitting. Split aces get exactly one card each and can't be hit again.
- Insurance, offered only when the dealer shows an Ace, costs half your bet and pays 2:1 if the dealer has blackjack. It's a side bet on the dealer's hole card, not a hedge on yours — mathematically one of the worse bets you can make, same as it is at a real table.
- Push returns your bet with no win or loss.
Every one of these numbers comes from the same rules used to run the table itself — see them in the game's own rules & payouts reference while you play.