Blackjack is the casino game where your decisions matter most, and the best way to learn them is to play hands — lots of them. This table deals from a six-deck shoe with common Las Vegas–style rules, uses free play chips, and offers a Hint button that tells you the basic-strategy move for the exact hand in front of you.
How to play
- Click the chips to build a bet ($5 minimum), then press Deal (or N).
- You and the dealer get two cards; one dealer card is face down.
- Choose Hit (H) for another card, Stand (S) to keep your total, Double (D) to double the bet and take exactly one more card, or Split (P) to play a pair as two hands.
- When you stand, the dealer reveals the hole card and draws until reaching 17 or more.
- Closest to 21 without going over wins. Going over 21 is a bust and loses immediately, even if the dealer busts later.
Table rules
| Rule | This table |
|---|---|
| Decks | 6, reshuffled at about 75% penetration |
| Dealer soft 17 | Stands on soft 17 (S17) |
| Blackjack pays | 3 to 2 |
| Dealer peek | Checks for blackjack with an ace or ten showing |
| Doubling | Any first two cards, including after a split |
| Splitting | Up to 4 hands; split aces get one card each |
| Insurance / surrender | Not offered |
Card values: 2–10 count face value, jacks, queens and kings count 10, and an ace counts 11 unless that would bust the hand, in which case it counts 1. A hand with an ace counted as 11 is soft.
Basic strategy
Basic strategy is the mathematically best play for every combination of your hand and the dealer’s up card. For these rules:
| Your hand | Play |
|---|---|
| Hard 17+ | Stand |
| Hard 13–16 | Stand vs 2–6, hit vs 7–ace |
| Hard 12 | Stand vs 4–6, otherwise hit |
| Hard 11 | Double vs 2–10, hit vs ace |
| Hard 10 | Double vs 2–9, otherwise hit |
| Hard 9 | Double vs 3–6, otherwise hit |
| Soft 19–21 | Stand |
| Soft 18 | Double vs 3–6, stand vs 2, 7, 8, hit vs 9–ace |
| Soft 17 | Double vs 3–6, otherwise hit |
| Soft 15–16 | Double vs 4–6, otherwise hit |
| Soft 13–14 | Double vs 5–6, otherwise hit |
| Pairs | Always split aces and 8s; never split 10s or 5s; split 9s vs 2–6, 8, 9; split 2s, 3s and 7s vs 2–7; 6s vs 2–6; 4s vs 5–6 |
When a double is shown but not allowed (after a hit), hit instead — except soft 18, where you stand.
Why the dealer’s up card matters
The dealer must draw to 17 with no choices, so weak up cards bust often. Computed for an infinite deck with the dealer standing on soft 17 (and, for 10 and ace, after the dealer has checked for blackjack):
| Dealer shows | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dealer busts | 35% | 37% | 39% | 42% | 42% | 26% | 24% | 23% | 23% | 17% |
That is why basic strategy stands on stiff hands like 13–16 against a 2–6 and hits them against a 7 or higher.
Worked example: 11 against a 6
You bet $25 and hold 6–5 (hard 11); the dealer shows a 6. Basic strategy says double. You add $25 and receive one card — a 10, for 21. The dealer turns over a 10 for 16, must hit, and draws a 9 to bust. You win $50 on a $50 total bet. Doubling here pays off over time because roughly one card in three is worth 10 and the dealer busts about 42% of the time with a 6 showing.
A few numbers worth knowing
- Chance of a natural from a six-deck shoe: 2 × (24 ÷ 312) × (96 ÷ 311) ≈ 4.75%, about one hand in 21.
- Insurance pays 2 to 1 but wins only when the hole card is a ten-value card. With an ace showing and no other cards known, 96 of the 311 unseen cards are tens, so the bet loses (311 − 3 × 96) ÷ 311 ≈ 7.4% of its stake on average.
- House edge for these rules with perfect basic strategy is roughly 0.4% — every deviation raises it.
Want a different casino game? Try Three Card Poker, or learn hand values on the poker hand rankings page. To turn probabilities into betting odds, use the odds calculator.
This is a free game with play chips only; no money is wagered or won. Real casinos vary their rules — check payouts and the soft-17 rule before you sit down. If gambling stops being fun, seek help from the National Council on Problem Gambling.
Frequently asked questions
Does the dealer hit or stand on soft 17?
The dealer stands on soft 17 (S17). A soft 17 is a hand like ace-6 where the ace counts as 11. Standing on all 17s is slightly better for the player than hitting soft 17, by about 0.2% of each bet.
How much does a blackjack pay?
3 to 2. A $20 bet wins $30 on a natural blackjack (an ace plus a ten-value card as your first two cards). If the dealer also has blackjack, the hand pushes. 21 made after a split pays 1 to 1.
Why is there no insurance?
Insurance is a side bet that the dealer has blackjack. With six decks it costs the player roughly 7% of the insurance bet on average, far worse than the main game, so basic strategy never takes it. The table simply does not offer it.
What is the house edge with these rules?
About 0.4% for a player who follows basic strategy perfectly: six decks, dealer stands on soft 17, double after split, resplits to four hands, no surrender.
Is this real-money gambling?
No. The chips have no value and cannot be bought or cashed out. It is a free practice game; your chip count is saved only in your own browser.