Tool · Casino · Blackjack

Blackjack strategy
assistant.

Enter your hand and the dealer's upcard to see the best play, based on the 6-deck rules most common at South African casinos. Playing this way cuts the house edge to roughly 0.5%, one of the lowest in the casino.

Strategy Tool

Optimal action

Calibrated for SA 6-deck shoes with dealer stands on soft 17.

Optimal Action

Hit

How the assistant works

Every blackjack basic strategy decision is determined by two factors: your hand total (and whether it's hard, soft or a pair) and the dealer's visible upcard. The mathematically optimal action against every combination has been computed through millions of simulated hands and is the same at every 6-deck dealer-stands-soft-17 table in South Africa.

The assistant shows the best play with a short explanation. For the full charts for hard hands, soft hands and pairs, see our blackjack strategy guide.

The five rules most players break

  1. Always split Aces and 8s. Aces give you two hands starting at 11, the best possible start. 8s turn a terrible 16 into two fresh starts.
  2. Never split 10s. 20 is too strong to break. Recreational players sometimes split 10s "because the dealer looks weak". They lose money on it consistently.
  3. Always stand on hard 17 or higher. The bust risk dwarfs any improvement upside.
  4. Never take insurance. The bet has a 7%+ house edge regardless of your hand.
  5. Hit soft 18 against a dealer 9, 10 or Ace. 18 feels strong, but against a strong dealer card it isn't.

Rules this assistant assumes

  • 6 decks (the most common shoe at SA casinos)
  • Dealer stands on soft 17 (S17)
  • Double after split allowed (DAS)
  • Blackjack pays 3:2 (avoid 6:5 tables)
  • Late surrender not available (most SA tables)
  • No re-splitting Aces (most SA tables)

If your table's rules are very different, the best play can change, usually on one or two marginal hands. Almost every decision stays the same.

Continue learning

Common Questions

You asked.

Yes, for the rules most common at SA casinos: a 6-deck shoe, the dealer standing on soft 17, doubling after a split allowed and blackjack paying 3:2. Rules vary by casino and table, so check the felt. Played this way, the house edge is roughly 0.5%. Tables that pay 6:5 on blackjack need slightly different play and are best avoided anyway.

Basic strategy isn't about winning every hand; it is about losing as little as possible over time. Some hands lose whatever you do (hard 16 against a dealer 10, for example). In those spots the chart gives the play that loses least over many hands. Sticking to it on losing hands matters as much as on winning ones.

No. Basic strategy is the best play for every hand against every dealer upcard. A "feeling" for the right play is your brain finding patterns in random cards. The dealer's upcard tells you what you need to know, and the strategy already allows for it. Players who go against basic strategy lose more over time.

The same basic strategy applies to any blackjack game with a 6-deck shoe where the dealer stands on soft 17. Online casino-style games are not licensed as such in South Africa, though, and their status at licensed bookmakers is disputed, so we write for land-based play. Wherever you play, check the rules first.