If you want to win this world-famous casino game, you'll need a good blackjack strategy. That's one of the main reasons why some many people love playing it – because the player is (partly) in control of their destiny. Knowing how to win at blackjack online is crucial to your success.
The good news about live blackjack strategy is that it's virtually identical to the traditional game played in brick-and-mortar casinos. The bad news is that you still have to learn it, which can be tricky for a beginner. We don't want to worry you, of course. The basic blackjack strategy for beginners is a matter of following a simple chart. The key to true mastery, however, is understanding why some moves are better than others. You can then use other techniques such as card counting to press your advantage.
Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though. On this page, you'll find a basic blackjack strategy guide with charts and tips for new players. By the time you're done reading through you'll be able to cut the blackjack house advantage to its bare minimum. Also, note that this page does not cover the basic rules of blackjack.
Check out our live blackjack tutorial and best live blackjack sites.
What Is Basic Blackjack Strategy?
Basic Blackjack Strategy is the mathematically optimal way to play blackjack. There is a statistically best move to make in any given situation you can be in while playing blackjack. This move depends on your current hand, the dealer’s up card, and the table rules. The best way to play blackjack live is to know what these moves are and use them accordingly.
Check out our basic blackjack strategy chart below if you want to know the exact steps to win blackjack.
We have to note a few things beforehand, though. Although this chart is tried and true and has been for decades, it won’t make you win every round and every hand. Just like every other casino game, blackjack has a house edge. That’s the inherent advantage of the casino over the players. There’s no simple way to overcome this advantage, so the player will always lose in the long run. That’s the nature of gambling.
Basic strategy in blackjack does not overcome the house advantage. However, it does minimize it. If you play according to the chart below, the average blackjack table will have a house edge of under 0.5%. That’s by far the best you can get with any game on even the best live casinos. It’s also why good players love blackjack so much – it’s not purely based on luck like roulette or similar games. Luck is still good to have, though.
Blackjack Strategy Chart
Below you’ll find the best blackjack strategy chart for most live tables with real dealers.
We should also note that the exact moves on this table depend somewhat on the table rules. For example, a single-deck blackjack chart would look a bit different. The one we made works for shoes with 4, 6, or 8 decks. In other words – most blackjack tables at casinos, both online and land-based.
Moreover, our blackjack chart was made with the assumption that the dealer hits to 16 but stands on a soft 17. Again, these rules apply to the overwhelming majority of live casino blackjack tables. We highly advise that you become familiar with this chart before moving on to advanced blackjack strategies.
If you’re playing at a table with different rules – no worries. Use our blackjack strategy chart calculator to quickly find out the best moves to play in any variant of the game.
Which Blackjack Tables are the Best?
You may have noticed that not all live casino blackjack games have the same RTP. Most hover around 99.5%, but not always. First of all, Blackjack RTP is calculated under the assumption that players are using basic blackjack strategy. However, the differences come down to small, subtle rule variations that can impact the game.
Most tables use standard Vegas Strip blackjack rules. Explaining how the differences impact gameplay is not easy, though. Instead, we’ll give you a list of the best rules in blackjack you should look for when deciding which table to use.
- Dealer stands on soft 17
- Double on any total allowed
- Split and re-split allowed, including on Aces
- Surrender option. Ideally, you want Early Surrender, though that’s hard to find
- 3:2 payout on blackjack (2:1 would be even better, but extremely rare)
- Six-card charlie
- As few decks as possible if you’re trying to count
- High deck penetration (using more of the shoe before shuffling)
Also, note that many modern live casino blackjack games use common draw rules. This means that all players share the same hand. While this doesn’t change basic blackjack strategy, it may affect advanced tactics such as card counting. Read our Infinite Blackjack strategy guide for an in-depth guide on how all of that works.
Using Blackjack Bonuses
Card counting in blackjack is one of the few ways you can use to actually beat the casino house advantage. However, it’s hard to do in live casinos, and may get you banned. It’s also not necessarily consistent until you get good at it.
So is there a good strategy to beat blackjack without counting cards? Yes, in a way. Like we said, winning blackjack strategies are all about getting a net positive. One way to do so is through live casino bonuses. A nice bonus can award free funds to play blackjack. That way, you can end up “in the green” even if you’re losing more than you’re winning.
Other blackjack bonuses include cashbacks and refunds, which again swing things in your favor. A 5% loss cashback doesn’t sound like much, but it might just be enough to beat that 0.5% house advantage.