Blackjack strategy is the first and very important step in learning how to beat the dealer. In blackjack winning is not all up to chance, and by playing with perfect basic strategy you can reduce the edge of the house to as little as 0.5%. These are the lowest odds for the house in any casino game.

Strategy Chart

In blackjack you always play against the dealer, so you should base your decisions on whether to hit or stand, double or split, on the dealer’s face-up card and the strength of your own hand. Below you will find a chart that shows you the optimal strategy for multi-deck blackjack. On this chart you can look up your own hand and the value of the dealer’s face-up card, and read what the optimal decision is for every combination.

Mastering the Chart

On this chart you can look up what is the best move for every hand and face up card you may encounter. The left column is your hand, the top row is the dealer’s face up card. As you can see, the chart also tells you what best to do when you’re holding an Ace or a pair. For example, you are dealt an Ace and an 8, the dealer’s face up card is a 6. In this case you should double if the casino permits it. Otherwise the best thing to do is to stand.

Gaining an Edge

Once you learn to play flawlessly with through the use of the strategy chart, you can move on to learn more advanced strategies such as card counting. At online casinos you can practice all you want with the strategy chart using free playmoney, which is a great way to memorize the chart and see how well it goes.