♠ BLACKJACK LENS

Live blackjack basic strategy chart (8 decks)

Most live dealer tables from Evolution, Pragmatic Play and Playtech deal from an 8-deck shoe. This chart shows the best play for every hand against every dealer card when the dealer stands on soft 17 and you may double after splitting, the most common live rules.

The hit, stand and double decisions below were calculated exactly from a fresh 8-deck shoe with the same odds engine Blackjack Lens uses at the table. The splits follow the standard 8-deck chart.

HHitSStandDDouble, otherwise hit DsDouble, otherwise standPSplit

Hard totals

You \ Dealer2345678910A
8 or lessHHHHHHHHHH
9HDDDDHHHHH
10DDDDDDDDHH
11DDDDDDDDDH
12HHSSSHHHHH
13SSSSSHHHHH
14SSSSSHHHHH
15SSSSSHHHHH
16SSSSSHHHHH
17+SSSSSSSSSS

Soft totals (hands with an ace counted as 11)

You \ Dealer2345678910A
A,2HHHDDHHHHH
A,3HHHDDHHHHH
A,4HHDDDHHHHH
A,5HHDDDHHHHH
A,6HDDDDHHHHH
A,7SDsDsDsDsSSHHH
A,8SSSSSSSSSS
A,9SSSSSSSSSS

Pairs

You \ Dealer2345678910A
A,APPPPPPPPPP
10,10SSSSSSSSSS
9,9PPPPPSPPSS
8,8PPPPPPPPPP
7,7PPPPPPHHHH
6,6PPPPPHHHHH
5,5DDDDDDDDHH
4,4HHHPPHHHHH
3,3PPPPPPHHHH
2,2PPPPPPHHHH

Never split 5s (play them as a hard 10) or 10s (stand). Always split aces and 8s.

What changes at "no hole card" tables

Some live tables deal the dealer's second card only after everyone has played (European no-hole-card rules). If the dealer then has blackjack, money you added by doubling or splitting is usually lost too. That makes a few aggressive plays against a dealer 10 or ace worse:

Rules differ between tables and casinos, so check the table's help screen.

Where the chart stops being enough

The chart assumes a fresh, full shoe. At a live table the cards already dealt change the odds of every hand. After a run of small cards, more tens are left, which helps you double and hurts the dealer. After a run of tens, the opposite. Card counters use this; see can you count cards in online live blackjack?

Blackjack Lens reads the cards from your live table and recalculates the best play for the cards actually left in this shoe, every hand, and shows what each option is worth. It's read-only: you decide and you click. See how it works →

Basic strategy won't make you win

Played perfectly, basic strategy keeps the casino's edge at roughly half a percent at good 8-deck tables, much lower than playing by feel. But the casino still has the edge on most hands, and short sessions swing a lot. Treat it as the cheapest way to play, not a way to get rich.

Can you count cards in online live blackjack? →Evolution live blackjack: rules and strategy →

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