6 Deck and 8 Deck Blackjack Strategy Chart

6 and 8 deck charts

Four, six and eight deck games share one chart, with a separate version for each soft 17 rule. Find the one that matches your table. New to charts? Start with how to read basic strategy.

Why one chart covers 6 and 8 decks

With this many cards, removing one barely changes the odds of what comes next. The best play for a hand does not change between a 6-deck and an 8-deck shoe. The house edge does: 8 decks is the baseline at 0.43% in our model, and 6 decks takes off 0.02.

What changes between the two charts

The difference between the dealer-hits and dealer-stands versions comes down to a few cells:

• Hard 11 against an ace. Double it if the dealer hits soft 17. Just hit it if the dealer stands.
• Surrender spots. Where surrender is allowed, the dealer-hits game adds 15 against an ace, 17 against an ace, and 8,8 against an ace.
• Soft 18 against 2. Double it (or stand) if the dealer hits; just stand if the dealer stands.
• Soft 19 against 6. Double it (or stand) if the dealer hits.

See dealer hits soft 17 for the reasoning.

The plays worth knowing cold

• Always split aces and eights. Never split fives or tens.
• Stand on hard 12 against a 4, 5 or 6. Hit it against 2 and 3.
• Hit hard 16 against a 10, or surrender if the table allows it.
• Double hard 10 against everything except a 10 or ace, and double hard 11 against everything else the chart allows.
• Soft 18 (A,7): stand against 7 and 8, hit against 9, 10 and ace, and double against 3 through 6, or 2 through 6 if the dealer hits soft 17 (stand if you cannot double).
• Split 9,9 against everything except 7, 10 and ace.

Hard 16 busts about 62% of the time when you hit it, and hard 15 about 54%. Hitting still beats standing against a dealer 10, because the dealer makes a hand most of the time. Math beats instinct here.

Rules that move the edge

Once you know the chart, the game's rules decide what it is worth. Dealer hitting soft 17 adds 0.22. Blackjack paying 6:5 adds 1.39. No double after split adds 0.14. Late surrender takes off 0.07. The classic 6-deck game with H17, double after split and 3:2 comes to about 0.63%. Our rules guide lists every rule.

Most big shoe games also use a continuous shuffler or deal only part of the shoe, which limits card counting. For strategy, none of that matters. Play the chart.

Practice

Open the trainer, set 6 or 8 decks and your soft 17 rule, and run Drill until the answers feel automatic.

Common questions

Is 8 decks worse than 6?

Slightly. Eight decks costs you about 0.02 more, and the strategy is identical.

Why do I hit 16 against a 10?

Standing loses more often than hitting does over the long run, even though hitting busts often.

Does the chart change if I can't surrender?

Yes. Cells that say surrender revert to a hit, stand or split, as shown in the chart.

Is this chart right for 4 decks?

Yes, the same chart applies to four decks.

Practice it in the free trainer →