Blackjack Basic Strategy Chart | Reduce the House Edge
♠ ♥ ♦ ♣
The blackjack basic strategy chart is the single most powerful tool available to casino players in 2026.
It tells you the mathematically optimal decision for every possible combination of your hand and the dealer's upcard.
Players who use basic strategy consistently reduce the blackjack house edge to approximately 0.5% | the best odds
of any game in a Malaysian online casino.
The charts below cover three hand types: Hard Hands, Soft Hands (hands containing an Ace counted as 11),
and Pairs. These charts are based on standard multi-deck rules (dealer stands on soft 17) common at 96M and
most Malaysian online blackjack tables. Not sure of the rules yet? Read our how to play guide first.
H | Hit
S | Stand
D | Double Down
Ds | Double if allowed, otherwise Stand
P | Split
R | Surrender (if allowed), otherwise Hit
♠ Hard Hands | Basic Strategy
Your Hand
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
A
Hard 8
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
H
Hard 9
H
D
D
D
D
H
H
H
H
H
Hard 10
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
H
H
Hard 11
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
H
Hard 12
H
H
S
S
S
H
H
H
H
H
Hard 13
S
S
S
S
S
H
H
H
H
H
Hard 14
S
S
S
S
S
H
H
H
H
H
Hard 15
S
S
S
S
S
H
H
H
R
R
Hard 16
S
S
S
S
S
H
H
R
R
R
Hard 17+
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
♥ Soft Hands | Basic Strategy (Ace counted as 11)
Your Hand
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
A
Soft 13 (A,2)
H
H
H
D
D
H
H
H
H
H
Soft 14 (A,3)
H
H
H
D
D
H
H
H
H
H
Soft 15 (A,4)
H
H
D
D
D
H
H
H
H
H
Soft 16 (A,5)
H
H
D
D
D
H
H
H
H
H
Soft 17 (A,6)
H
D
D
D
D
H
H
H
H
H
Soft 18 (A,7)
Ds
Ds
Ds
Ds
Ds
S
S
H
H
H
Soft 19 (A,8)
S
S
S
S
Ds
S
S
S
S
S
Soft 20 (A,9)
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
♦ Pairs | Basic Strategy (Split vs Keep)
Your Pair
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
A
2,2
P
P
P
P
P
P
H
H
H
H
3,3
P
P
P
P
P
P
H
H
H
H
4,4
H
H
H
P
P
H
H
H
H
H
5,5
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
H
H
6,6
P
P
P
P
P
H
H
H
H
H
7,7
P
P
P
P
P
P
H
H
H
H
8,8
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
9,9
P
P
P
P
P
S
P
P
S
S
10,10
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
S
A,A
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
Key Basic Strategy Rules to Memorise
♠ Hard Hands | Never Bust Rules
Always stand on hard 17 or above | no exceptions.
Always hit on hard 8 or below.
Stand on 12–16 when the dealer shows 4, 5, or 6 (dealer bust cards).
Hit on 12–16 when the dealer shows 7 or higher.
♥ Soft Hand Rules
Never stand on soft 17 or below | always hit or double.
Soft 18 is tricky: stand against 7–8, but hit against 9, 10, Ace. Double against 3–6.
Always stand on soft 19 and 20.
♦ Doubling Down Rules
Always double hard 11.
Double hard 10 against dealer 2–9.
Double hard 9 against dealer 3–6 only.
♣ Pairs to Always Split
Always split Aces | gives you two chances at 21.
Always split 8s | turns a losing hard 16 into two separate hands.
Never split 5s | treat as hard 10 and double instead.
Never split 10s | you already have a near-winning 20.
♠ Using This Chart at 96M
96M's live blackjack tables use multi-deck shoes and the dealer typically stands on all 17s.
This chart is optimised for those rules. If you play a variant with different rules, minor adjustments apply —
but this chart reduces the house edge to roughly 0.5% on standard tables.
For tactics beyond the chart, see our advanced blackjack strategy guide.