Blackjack basic strategy trainer
BJ Lessons is a free browser trainer for blackjack basic strategy. You play a hand against a dealer upcard, choose hit, stand, double, split, or surrender, and the coach names the chart play for your rule set. No account is required. The default table is eight decks, dealer hits soft 17, and double on any two cards.
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Updated 25 August 2026. Educational use only. Casino rules vary; this is not a way to beat the house.
What is blackjack basic strategy?
Blackjack basic strategy is the chart of plays that lose the least, in the long run, for a given table: number of decks, whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17, when you may double, and whether late surrender is offered. For each player total and dealer upcard it names one action: hit, stand, double, split, or surrender. It does not guess the next card and it does not count the remaining shoe. It answers one question: if you only know your cards and the upcard, which legal play has the highest expected value on that ruleset.
Players usually meet the chart as a color grid. The grid is easy to forget at the table, especially on soft 18, pair of nines, and stiff twelves. BJ Lessons deals a random hand from a shuffled shoe and asks you to act first. After you act, Play shows the chart move and a short reason. Exam hides that coach for ten hands and scores your first action.
Hard totals, soft totals, and pairs
A hard total has no Ace counted as 11. Hard 12 through 16 are stiffs: one high card can bust you. Against a dealer 2 through 6, basic strategy often stands and lets the dealer draw to a bust. Against 7 through Ace, it usually hits those same stiffs. Hard 17 and above stand. Hard 9, 10, and 11 are the common double windows when the upcard is weak.
A soft total still has an Ace counted as 11, so a draw cannot bust on that card. Soft 13 through 17 often hit, and they double against small upcards when the table allows it. Soft 18 is the spot people mix up: double or stand against 2 through 8, hit against 9, 10, or Ace on the multi-deck charts this trainer uses. Soft 19 and 20 stand.
Pairs are a third chart. Always split Aces and eights. Never split tens. Fives play like a hard 10. Nines split against 2 through 6 and 8 or 9, and stand against 7, 10, or Ace. This app splits a pair into two hands, in order, once. Double after split follows your Settings. Re-splits are not in this version.
How to train on BJ Lessons
Blackjack trainer FAQ
Is BJ Lessons free?
Yes. The trainer runs in the browser as a Progressive Web App. You do not create an account. Play, Exam, the strategy grid, and Settings are included. Ads are reserved in the layout and stay off during Exam and during a decision.
Does the coach change when I switch H17 or S17?
The legality of doubles follows your Settings. The chart itself is a common multi-deck heuristic: hard and soft totals, plus pair splits. H17 versus S17 matters most on a few soft doubles and on late surrender versus an Ace. Set the same options your home casino posts, then train those spots on Play.
Can I split pairs?
Yes, once per round. The pair becomes two hands. You play the first hand to a finish, then the second. Aces take one card each and stop. Double after split uses your double rule. You cannot re-split or surrender after a split in this version.
Why did a blackjack resolve by itself?
A two-card Ace plus ten is a natural. If you have one and the dealer does not, you win without drawing. If the dealer has one and you do not, you lose. Both naturals push. Exam skips those deals so a hand with no decision does not count toward the ten.