The Only Blackjack Cheat Sheet You’ll Ever Need

Welcome to our article on Blackjack Cheat Sheets. Today, we’re going to do a deep dive into what they are, why you need one, and how best to use them when playing blackjack online, or in a land-based casino.  

When you have finished reading this article, you will know what a Blackjack Cheat Sheet is, why you should be using one and how to get the most value out of them.

Let’s get started.

What is a Blackjack Cheat Sheet?

It used to be that when people referred to a blackjack cheat sheet, they meant a small card that essentially explained the rules of blackjack and gave some simple advice on how to play.

They were not sophisticated, and didn’t educate you about blackjack beyond the basics.

Not anymore!

When we talk about Blackjack Cheat sheets today, what we’re really talking about is Blackjack Basic Strategy charts.  Which is a completely different level of expertise.

We’re going to look at Blackjack Basic Strategy – because that’s what the updated definition of ‘Blackjack Cheat Sheet’ means.  It’s the proven, mathematically-correct way to play blackjack based on your first two cards and the dealer’s up card.

I’m going to provide you with four Basic Strategy charts – two for playing a 6-deck shoe where the dealer hits a soft 17 (H17) or stands on a soft 17 (S17), and two for playing a double deck where the dealer hits (H17) or stands (S17) on a soft 17.

Why would I include them for whether the dealer hits or stands on a soft 17?

Because the charts are different depending on whether the dealer hits or stands vs that soft 17.

And because you’re more likely to play a double deck once you know the difference between that and the 6-deck shoe, I want to be sure you have the best information for both.

What you’re going to see almost all the time is the dealer hitting a soft 17.

Why?

Because if the dealer hits a soft 17, it improves the casino’s house edge by 0.22%, and on a game that typically holds about 0.65%, that’s a huge chunk that the casino keeps.

And as you know, casinos are not philanthropic organizations, so they like to win – which means they like to keep more of your money (you did know that, right?). 

The shoe games are where they’re more likely to attract the recreational players, so that’s where you’re going to see the H17 rule almost exclusively. 

Or the casino may have put other rules in place that push the House Advantage higher.

The Double Deck Blackjack Cheat Sheets

Here’s the ‘Dealer hits a soft 17’ chart – which is the rule you’re going to see most often.

And the ‘Dealer stands on a soft 17’ chart:

Download the Blackjack Cheat Sheet

And the differences between the two charts:

6-deck shoe Blackjack Cheat Sheet charts

These two are the 6-deck shoe versions of the Blackjack Cheat Sheet.  The first one is for when the dealer hits a soft 17, and the second one is for when the dealer stands on a soft 17. 

6-Deck Dealer Hits a Soft 17 Chart

6-Deck Dealer Stands on a Soft 17 Chart

Download the Blackjack Cheat Sheet

The Differences Between the 6-Deck Hits a Soft 17 (H17) and Stands on a Soft 17 (S17)

These are the only differences between the two 6-Deck charts:

How to Use the Blackjack Cheat Sheet

All the charts are simple to understand.

The numbers along the top edge represent the dealer’s up card.

The numbers on the left-hand side of the chart represent the total of your initial two-card hand. 

• Top Third Numbers = Your hand with a hard total
• Middle Third Numbers = Your hand with a Soft total
• Bottom Third Numbers = Your hand if it’s a pair

The very bottom of the chart includes the keys to the course of action you should take.  These include whether you should Hit, Stand, Double Down, Split, or Surrender.

For the ‘Dealer Hits a Soft 17 Double Deck chart’, here are a couple of examples:

• If the dealer has a 7, and your hand is a soft 18 (An Ace and a 7), you should Stand.  But if the dealer has a 6 up card, you should Double Down if you’re allowed to, otherwise Stand.
• If your hand is a hard 17, and the dealer’s up card is an Ace, you should Surrender if you’re allowed to, otherwise Stand.

Can I Use the Cheat Sheet in a Casino?

Short answer?  Yes, you certainly can.  The casinos are so comfortable that even the strong basic strategy player cannot overcome the house edge, they often sell basic strategy cards in their gift shops and definitely allow the players to refer to their cards on the table.

So you will have no issues about using one at all.

Expert’s Advice

Using the Blackjack Cheat Sheet will give you a much better opportunity to win.

Basic Strategy is the first ‘must-have’ if you’re going to have a realistic chance of winning consistently playing blackjack, either online or in a bricks-and-mortar casino.

And you really need to spend the time learning it for the specific game you’re playing.  It really does make a difference to your expected win/loss.

You can have the charts available to you when playing online, but you can also have them on the table with you in a land-based casino.

It’s not as hard as you think.  No, really, it’s not.

Read my article on counting cards. It’s a breakdown of how to become a good card counter, and includes how to count, how to disguise your play, bankroll management, the best system to use, and I recommend a couple of good books to read and so on.

Because once you can count cards (and btw, counting cards is not illegal), you can swing the odds in your favor.

Does that mean you’re going to win every time you play? 

No – of course not.

But you will be able to win more often than you lose – and that’s a good thing.

Conclusion

So there you have it – Blackjack Cheat Sheets and why you need one.

No more indecision, no more ‘what am I supposed to do now’ on the table.

And good luck.