What is the best blackjack move?
Enter the first two player cards and the dealer’s visible card. The calculator applies the same tested total-dependent strategy table used by the trainer.
Worked blackjack strategy examples
These examples show how the hand type, dealer card, and S17/H17 rule change the recommendation. Select one to load it into the calculator.
How the calculator chooses a move
The calculator first classifies the opening hand as a pair, soft total, or hard total. It then evaluates the dealer up-card, the S17/H17 setting, and whether double or split is currently legal. If a preferred double or split is unavailable, the explanation identifies the chart play and gives the correct fallback.
The share button stores only the selected cards and rule settings in the page URL. It does not create an account or send a saved hand to the server.
A recommendation is a long-run basic-strategy decision, not a prediction. Correct play can lose any individual hand.
Supported rules and limits
The lookup covers the Third Base 4-, 6-, and 8-deck table: 3:2 blackjack, dealer peek, double after split, up to four split hands, one card to split aces, and no surrender or insurance. Deck count does not alter this project’s current total-dependent table.
Not calculated: expected value, house edge, count-index deviations, 6:5 payouts, no-DAS, single-deck, European-no-hole-card, surrender, or composition-dependent exceptions. Do not apply the result to those games without a matching calculation.
Verify and practise
Compare multiple hands with the complete strategy chart, study the S17/H17 exceptions, and review the tested implementation in How the Trainer Works. When the decisions become familiar, use the interactive trainer for mixed recall practice.