Sometimes the block of like plays comes in the middle of the line. If you start with a pair of 7s, the block of rectangles showing dealer up cards of 2 through 7 tell you to split the pair, while the block showing dealer's 8 or above tell you just to hit. Large blocks of hands have the same correct play. Mostly the plays fit into neat little groupings, as you can see if you check out blackjack charts such as those here at ReadyBetGo. Find the rectangle directly across from your hand, and directly down from the dealer's, and the basic strategy table tells you whether to hit, stand, split, double down or even surrender, if the house permits such a thing. His articles cover blackjack, slots and video poker strategy as well as casino etiquette and getting the most bang for your buck in Vegas. It's a tidy little grid, with possible player hands down the side, and possible dealer face-up cards John Grochowski is the author of six gaming books including the 'Answer Book' series - The Casino Answer Book, The Video Poker Answer Book, The Craps Answer Book and a revised edition of The Slot Machine Answer Book. The in-app purchase of the app will disable the ads.If you're a blackjack player, and have never looked at a basic strategy table, you should.

The free version will have ads popping up from time to time. If this app is popular, we will definitely include these variations in the next update. There are variations to this basic strategy, depending on the number of decks used, whether the dealer hits or stands on a soft 17, and whether double down is allowed after split or not, whether surrender is allowed or not, etc. This basic strategy is for the most common settings you will find in casinos - 4-6 decks of cards, dealer stands on soft 17, double allowed after split. We also have added a leaderboard and some achievements in the Play Center, so play hard and try to be the number one among your friends or in the world! Inside the app, there is a 'Show Strategy Table' button which shows the basic strategy table. You will not need to count or memorize cards (Counting cards or memorizing cards will be a more advanced strategy). The strategy is only based on the dealer's card and your cards in a round. Following the table will give you the best move (Hit, Stand, Double Down or Split) statistically, given you do not have any knowledge on the distribution of the rest of the cards in the decks.

This strategy is the most important thing that you should know about blackjack before playing. This is a game to train you to be proficient in the basic strategy table of blackjack.

Want to improve your blackjack skills? Make a big killing in your next casino trip?

Blackjack basic strategy table