Blackjack Basic Strategy Calculator Guide
Blackjack is a casino game you will find yourself playing many times when doing casino offers.
Platinum members can find out more about Blackjack, and casino games in general, by looking through our detailed Casino Guide.
Blackjack can seem daunting at first because many decisions are in your own hands - do you split? hit? double? stand? Our Blackjack Strategy Calculator will help you always make the correct decision when playing Blackjack to make sure you're getting the best returns and lowering the house edge as much as possible.
Note that although the calculator will guide you towards the correct decision based upon the strategy set out, this does not mean that you will win every time. The strategy will give you the best return to player but the house will still have the edge (around 0.5% house edge).
You can also find the best strategy in chart form here. The Blackjack Strategy Calculator however will make the whole process even easier.
Firstly set the rules of your Blackjack game:
You can find whether Surrender's are allowed or whether Dealer stands or hits on Soft 17 in the help section of whatever Blackjack game you're on. If you can't find the rules then assume Surrenders are NOT allowed and the Dealer will STAND on Soft 17 (this will almost always be the case).
Now we can get started with our hand. Firstly set the card that the Dealer has, this will be the card at the top of the screen (in the example below the Dealer has a 3).
You then set the Dealer's card by clicking the + under 'Dealer' and then choosing the card they have.
We can now go ahead and input our hand. Similarly to above, click the + under 'Card 1' to choose your first card, and then the + under 'Card 2' to choose your second card. After you've selected all the cards, you will be given the action you should take next that is the best strategy (the one that will minimise the house edge in the long run).
Moves
Moves
Assuming you've looked at the casino guide linked at the top of this page and already know about the various actions you can take with your hand (hit, stand, split, double), here is how to proceed with them on the calculator:
Hit - If the move is listed as hit, then firstly make that decision on your Blackjack game. After you have your next card, input the card you've been dealt into the calculator.
Stand - Stand on your Blackjack game and you're done with the hand.
Split - Select split on the Blackjack game you're playing, then click Deal Again on our Strategy Calculator.
You can then start again with your two new hands you have after splitting.
Double - Select Double on your Blackjack game, you'll then be dealt one card and one card only. You're then done with the hand. Sometimes you're given multiple options for your next move, this is because various rules can be different on different blackjack games. Always select the first move (in this example below this is double) if you're allowed to, if not then choose the second option.
Bust - If you get over 21 the calculator will tell you that you're bust and the hand is over.
Insurance - Whenever the dealer has an Ace (A) you may be offered insurance. Always say NO to this.
Also read more information about how to matched bet