Blackjack Strategy Chart Guide

Using strategy charts is nice and easy once you get used to it. You find your hand on the left hand side and then the dealers face up card along the top; you then find where the row and the column meet and it will show you what to do. Use the example below to get used to it.

So say we are dealt a King (10 points) and a 9, which totals 19 points, whilst the dealers face up card is a Jack (10 points). This is what we do:

As you can see, where the column and the row meet is a yellow square, so we check the key and see that we should stand. Sometimes it can be a bit more complicated. Say we are dealt an Ace and a 5, whilst the dealers face up card is 9.

The chart says Hit, so say we are dealt 2; we now have Ace 5, 2. This isn’t in the chart so in this case we just add up the two numbers and treat it as an Ace, 7.

So looking at the chart is says Hit. Say we are now dealt a King (10 points), we now have a total of hard 17, the ace has to become a 1 or we would go bust. So we now have 17.

We now stand and wait to see what the dealer gets.

Some useful tips

• Be careful not to treat pairs as hard totals, two 8s is a pair of 8s not hard 16.
• Always follow the table even though it may look like the wrong thing to do, statistically its making you play with the best possible odds in your favour. So don’t throw your money away needlessly.
• As you use the chart you will start to know it of by heart but if your unsure check the chart better be safe than sorry