Basic Strategy Chart
Basic strategy is the mathematically optimal play for every combination of your hand and the dealer's upcard — the single biggest thing you can do to shrink the house edge. This chart matches the rule set on the Home page: 6 decks, dealer stands on soft 17, double any two cards, double after split allowed, late surrender available.
Hard Totals
No usable Ace (or an Ace already counted as 1). Read your total down the left, the dealer's upcard across the top.
Soft Totals
Your hand includes an Ace counted as 11 (e.g., soft 18 = A + 7). These hands can't bust on the next single card, which is why more of them hit or double.
Pairs
Your first two cards match in rank. This table takes priority over the hard-total table for a two-card pair — for example, 8,8 is a hard 16, but you split rather than play it as a stiff 16.
Why memorize this instead of guessing?
Basic strategy is derived from exhaustive computer simulation of every possible hand vs. every dealer upcard — it is not a rule of thumb, it's the provably best play for your current two cards, assuming you have no other information about the remaining shoe. Playing it consistently gets the house edge down to roughly 0.5% in this rule set, compared to 2% or more for "instinct" play.
Want to see the reasoning behind individual cells rather than just the letters? The Practice Trainer deals you real hands and explains the "why" for whichever cell you land on.