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H17 basic strategy chart

Six decks, dealer hits soft 17, double after split allowed, blackjack pays 3:2. Generated from the trainer's own strategy matrix. Last updated 15 October 2026.

This is the complete basic strategy chart for H17 blackjack - the rule set where the dealer hits soft 17. It covers hard totals, soft totals and pairs, and it is the exact matrix the trainer grades your play against.

How to read it

Find your hand down the left column and the dealer's up card across the top. The cell where they meet is the correct play. H means hit, S means stand, D means double if allowed (otherwise hit), and P means split.

Hard totals

A hard hand has no ace, or an ace already counted as 1. Hard 17 and above always stands; the interesting decisions are 9 through 16.

Hard totals against the dealer up card
Your total 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
5 H H H H H H H H H H
6 H H H H H H H H H H
7 H H H H H H H H H H
8 H H H H H H H H H H
9 H D D D D H H H H H
10 D D D D D D D D H H
11 D D D D D D D D D D
12 H H S S S H H H H H
13 S S S S S H H H H H
14 S S S S S H H H H H
15 S S S S S H H H H H
16 S S S S S H H H H H
17 S S S S S S S S S S
18 S S S S S S S S S S
19 S S S S S S S S S S
20 S S S S S S S S S S

Soft totals

A soft hand contains an ace counted as 11. The row label shows the non-ace card and the resulting soft total, so A,7 is soft 18.

Soft totals against the dealer up card
Your hand 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
A,2 (13) H H H D D H H H H H
A,3 (14) H H H D D H H H H H
A,4 (15) H H D D D H H H H H
A,5 (16) H H D D D H H H H H
A,6 (17) H D D D D H H H H H
A,7 (18) D D D D D S S H H H
A,8 (19) S S S S D S S S S S
A,9 (20) S S S S S S S S S S

Pairs

Split decisions assume double after split is allowed. Never split 10s or 5s: 20 is the second-best hand in the game, and 5,5 is just a hard 10 that you should double.

Pair splitting against the dealer up card
Your pair 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
A,A P P P P P P P P P P
2,2 P P P P P P H H H H
3,3 P P P P P P H H H H
4,4 H H H P P H H H H H
5,5 D D D D D D D D H H
6,6 P P P P P H H H H H
7,7 P P P P P P H H H H
8,8 P P P P P P P P P P
9,9 P P P P P S P P S S
10,10 S S S S S S S S S S

H17 versus S17

H17 costs the player roughly 0.2% of edge compared with S17, because a dealer who hits soft 17 improves more often than one who stands. It moves only a few cells, but they are the ones people get wrong after learning an S17 chart first. Soft 18 is the clearest example:

If your local casino stands on soft 17, do not use this chart. The differences are small but they are real, and they are exactly the spots a trainer should be correcting.

Illustrious 18: when the count changes the play

Basic strategy is fixed. Once you are counting, the true count occasionally makes a different play the better one. These are the 18 deviations from the Illustrious 18, with the basic play alongside so you can see what is changing. Count mode in the trainer grades these the same way it grades basic strategy.

Situation Basic strategy Deviation When
Insurance (dealer shows an ace) Decline insurance Take insurance True count 3 or higher
Hard 16 vs 10 Hit Stand True count 0 or higher
Hard 15 vs 10 Hit Stand True count 4 or higher
Pair of 10s vs 5 Stand Split True count 5 or higher
Pair of 10s vs 6 Stand Split True count 4 or higher
Hard 10 vs 10 Hit Double True count 4 or higher
Hard 12 vs 3 Hit Stand True count 2 or higher
Hard 12 vs 2 Hit Stand True count 3 or higher
Hard 11 vs A Double Double True count 1 or higher
Hard 9 vs 2 Hit Double True count 1 or higher
Hard 10 vs A Hit Double True count 4 or higher
Hard 9 vs 7 Hit Double True count 3 or higher
Hard 16 vs 9 Hit Stand True count 5 or higher
Hard 13 vs 2 Stand Hit True count below -1
Hard 12 vs 4 Stand Hit True count below 0
Hard 12 vs 5 Stand Hit True count below -2
Hard 12 vs 6 Stand Hit True count below -1
Hard 13 vs 3 Stand Hit True count below -2

Questions

What is an H17 basic strategy chart?

It is the set of mathematically optimal plays for every hand against every dealer up card, under H17 rules, where the dealer hits soft 17. Each cell tells you whether to hit, stand, double or split.

How is this chart different from a generic basic strategy chart?

Most published charts assume S17, where the dealer stands on soft 17. Under H17 the dealer hits it, which changes a few cells - most visibly soft 18 (A,7) against a 2, which is a double under H17 and a stand under S17. This chart is generated from the same H17 matrix the trainer grades with.

Does the number of decks change basic strategy?

Slightly, for a few cells. This chart assumes a six-deck shoe with double after split allowed, which is the rule set the trainer deals.

Should I memorise the chart or learn the patterns?

Learn the patterns - totals against low cards, when to double, and which pairs to split - then drill them in the trainer. Immediate feedback on real hands builds recall much faster than reading a grid.

Practise the chart, don't just read it

Reading a grid is easy. Recalling it in two seconds with money on the felt is not. The trainer deals real hands and grades every decision against this exact chart.

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