As with the essential strategy explain here, this strategy is effective where several decks are used which is common at the online casinos we recommend.
The differences between this strategy and the one where the dealer hits on soft 17 are subtle, only affecting a handful of decisions (which we’ve flagged with asterisks for your convenience), but they’re worth knowing if you are committed to playing online Blackjack to your ultimate advantage.
PAIRS
| Dealer’s Face Up Card | ||||||||||
| Player’s Hand |
2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
| A-A | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP |
| 10-10 | ST | ST | ST | ST | ST | ST | ST | ST | ST | ST |
| 9-9 | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | ST | SP | SP | ST | ST |
| 8-8 | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP |
| 7-7 | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | SP | HT | HT | HT | HT |
| 6-6 | SP /H | SP | SP | SP | SP | HT | HT | HT | HT | HT |
| 5-5 | DB / H | DB / H | DB / H | DB / H | DB / H | DB / H | DB / H | DB / H | HT | HT |
| 4-4 | HT | HT | HT | SP/H | SP/H | HT | HT | HT | HT | HT |
| 3-3 | SP/H | SP/H | SP | SP | SP | SP | HT | HT | HT | HT |
| 2-2 | SP/H | SP/H | SP | SP | SP | SP | HT | HT | HT | HT |
SOFT TOTALS
| Dealer’s Face Up Card | ||||||||||
| Player’s Hand | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
| A-9 | ST | ST | ST | ST | ST | ST | ST | ST | ST | ST |
| A-8 | ST | ST | ST | ST | ST* | ST | ST | ST | ST | ST |
| A-7 | ST* | DB / S | DB / S | DB / S | DB / S | ST | ST | HT | HT | HT |
| A-6 | HT | DB / H | DB / H | DB / H | DB / H | HT | HT | HT | HT | HT |
| A-5 | HT | HT | DB / H | DB / H | DB / H | HT | HT | HT | HT | HT |
| A-4 | HT | HT | DB / H | DB / H | DB / H | HT | HT | HT | HT | HT |
| A-3 | HT | HT | HT | DB / H | DB / H | HT | HT | HT | HT | HT |
| A-2 | HT | HT | HT | DB / H | DB / H | HT | HT | HT | HT | HT |
HARD TOTALS
| Dealer’s Face Up Card | ||||||||||
| Player’s Hand | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
| 17-20 | ST | ST | ST | ST | ST | ST | ST | ST | ST | ST |
| 16 | ST | ST | ST | ST | ST | HT | HT | HT | HT | HT |
| 15 | ST | ST | ST | ST | ST | HT | HT | HT | HT | HT |
| 14 | ST | ST | ST | ST | ST | HT | HT | HT | HT | HT |
| 13 | ST | ST | ST | ST | ST | HT | HT | HT | HT | HT |
| 12 | HT | HT | ST | ST | ST | HT | HT | HT | HT | HT |
| 11 | DB / H | DB / H | DB / H | DB / H | DB / H | DB / H | DB / H | DB / H | DB / H | HT* |
| 10 | DB / H | DB / H | DB / H | DB / H | DB / H | DB / H | DB / H | DB / H | HT | HT |
| 9 | HT | DB / H | DB / H | DB / H | DB / H | HT | HT | HT | HT | HT |
| 8 | HT | HT | HT | HT | HT | HT | HT | HT | HT | HT |
KEY
| HT | = Hit |
| ST | = Stand |
| DB / H | = Double if game allows, otherwise Hit |
| DB / S | = Double if game allows, otherwise Stand |
| SP | = Split |
| SP / H | = Split if game allows doubling after, otherwise Hit. |
To implement a strategy like this in a land-based casino requires some effort by the player to learn it, but the beauty of playing Blackjack in an online casino is that you can have it to hand (or onscreen) while you play. Better still, if you play online regularly, you’ll probably find the strategy will become second nature to you after a while, making it easy to remember it if you choose to then try your hand at a real-world table.