Mit Blackjack Team Basic Strategy Chart
- Appendices
- Miscellaneous
- External Links
- To use the basic strategy, look up your hand along the left vertical edge and the dealer's up card along the top. In both cases an A stands for ace. From top to bottom are the hard totals, soft totals, and splittable hands. There are two charts depending on whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17.
- Blackjack Chart Examples. To go over some examples of how to use this basic strategy chart, check our strategy chart page on mastering the chart. Card Counting in Blackjack. This is one of the most advanced blackjack strategies, and if you learn to count cards in Blackjack you’ll dramatically increase your chances of winning. Pioneered by the.
On This Page
Introduction
The well-known fact is that MIT blackjack team used the strategy of card counting for playing and winning really big money: Hi-Lo system was their favorite one and it usually worked for them. Nevertheless, this system could not be called the only one used by these clever and outstanding people. The color-coded basic strategy chart linked to above can be intimidating at first glance, but most regulars boil things down to five easily memorized rules: If your total is 12 through 16 and the dealer’s up card is 2 through 6, stand If your total is 12 through 16 and the dealer’s up card is 7 through ace, hit Always split two aces and two 8s.
The MIT Blackjack Team was a group of students and ex-students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, and other leading colleges who used card counting techniques and more sophisticated strategies to beat casinos at blackjack worldwide. The team and its successors operated successfully from 1979 through the beginning of the 21st century.
The Hi-Lo Count is the most widely written about, and in my judgment, the most commonly used card counting strategy. The High-Low was first introduced in 1963 by Harvey Dubner1. It has since been discussed by just about all the major blackjack writers. In my opinion, the best introductory treatment is in Professional Blackjack by Stanford Wong, and the most detailed coverage is in Blackjack Attack by Don Schlesinger.
How it Works
Following is a brief explanation of how to use the Hi-Lo.
Step 1: Assign a point value to each rank, as follows.
High-Low Point Values
Step 2: Start with a 'Running Count' of zero at the start of the deck/shoe. As cards are revealed, keep adding or subtracting from the Running Count, according to the point system in step 1. For example, if the first ten cards to come out of the shoe were 3, 5, K, 7, Q, A, 8, 5, 4, 2, then the running count would be 1 +1 -1 +0 -1 -1 +0 +1 +1 +1 = +2.
Step 3: Divide the running count by the number of decks remaining, to get what is known as the 'True Count.' This is the part that beginning counters hate. You don?t need to be exact. A rough estimate will do, in my opinion. Let's look at example. The running count is +7 and there are about 4 decks left. The true count would be 7/4 = 1.75. Round that up to 2, to keep it simple. The more you play the more you will be comfortable eyeballing this adjustment, without doing any real division in your head. Usually the right play is obvious. In borderline cases only will you need to do this True Count conversion.
Step 4: The greater the true count, the more you should bet. This is where card counting becomes more art than science. Some blackjack books give rigid rules on how this should be done. However, the casino managers have read these books too, and the patterns recommended in earlier books now set off red flags. How you do this should depend on your own style, and how much heat you are getting. It helps avoid heat to keep the ratio of maximum bet to minimum bet to a limit, known as the ?Bet Spread.? Only increasing bets after a win, only decreasing after a loss, and staying the same after a push, makes play look more natural, but at a cost to profitability.
Step 5: For some hands, you will play according to the True Count and a table of 'Index Numbers,' rather than basic strategy. The greater the count, the more inclined you will be to stand, double, split, take insurance, and surrender. For example, the Index Number for a player 15 against a dealer 10 is +4. This means the player should stand if the True Count is +4 or higher, otherwise hit.
The following tables are known as the 'Illustrious 18' and 'Fab 4' respectively.2 They appear in Blackjack Attack by Don Schlesinger, and are republished here with permission. These are the most important index numbers to remember. Knowing only these will give the counter 80% to 85% of the value of knowing every index number, based on a six-deck game. The difference is more in single and double-deck games. The lists are given in order of value. If you can?t memorize all of them, start at the top, and work your way down.
Illustrious 18
| Order | Play | Index |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Insurance | +3 |
| 2 | 16 Vs. 10 | +0 |
| 3 | 15 Vs. 10 | +4 |
| 4 | 10,10 Vs. 5 | +5 |
| 5 | 10,10 Vs. 6 | +4 |
| 6 | 10 Vs. 10 | +4 |
| 7 | 12 Vs. 3 | +2 |
| 8 | 12 Vs. 2 | +3 |
| 9 | 11 Vs. A | +1 |
| 10 | 9 Vs. 2 | +1 |
| 11 | 10 Vs. A | +4 |
| 12 | 9 Vs. 7 | +3 |
| 13 | 16 Vs. 9 | +5 |
| 14 | 13 Vs. 2 | -1 |
| 15 | 12 Vs. 4 | 0 |
| 16 | 12 Vs. 5 | -2 |
| 17 | 12 Vs. 6 | -1 |
| 18 | 13 Vs. 3 | -2 |
The player should stand/double/split if the True Count equals or exceeds the Index Number, otherwise hit. The player should take insurance if the True Count is +3 or greater.
Fab 4 Surrenders
| Order | Play | Index |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 Vs. 10 | +3 |
| 2 | 15 Vs. 10 | +0 |
| 3 | 15 Vs. 9 | +2 |
| 4 | 15 Vs. A | +1 |
The player should surrender if the True Count equals or exceeds the Index Number.
A full table of all index numbers can be found in Chapter 3, and Appendix A, of Professional Blackjack by Stanford Wong.
The next table shows some statistics using the High-Low. The blackjack rules this table is based are liberal Vegas shoe, as follows:
Six decks
Dealer stands on soft 17
Surrender allowed
Double after split allowed
Player may resplit to four hands, including aces
To avoid setting off red flags, the simulation increased the bet after a win only, decreased after a loss only, and always stayed the same after a push, except resetting to a minimum bet after a shuffle. The simulation rounded the remaining decks to the nearest half deck, otherwise playing perfectly.
High-Low Statistics
| Spread | Penetration | Index Numbers | Player Adv. | Std. Dev. | Avg.Bet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 5 | 4 | I18+F4 | 0.157% | 1.50 | 1.35 |
| 1 to 10 | 4 | I18+F4 | 0.368% | 2.04 | 1.57 |
| 1 to 15 | 4 | I18+F4 | 0.578% | 2.67 | 1.73 |
| 1 to 5 | 4.5 | I18+F4 | 0.300% | 1.60 | 1.41 |
| 1 to 10 | 4.5 | I18+F4 | 0.587% | 2.27 | 1.68 |
| 1 to 15 | 4.5 | I18+F4 | 0.834% | 3.06 | 1.90 |
| 1 to 5 | 5 | I18+F4 | 0.469% | 1.70 | 1.47 |
| 1 to 10 | 5 | I18+F4 | 0.837% | 2.52 | 1.80 |
| 1 to 15 | 5 | I18+F4 | 1.147% | 3.49 | 2.10 |
| 1 to 5 | 4.5 | All | 0.313% | 1.61 | 1.41 |
| 1 to 10 | 4.5 | All | 0.608% | 2.29 | 1.68 |
| 1 to 15 | 4.5 | All | 0.862% | 3.10 | 1.91 |
| 1 to 5 | 5 | All | 0.494% | 1.71 | 1.47 |
| 1 to 10 | 5 | All | 0.857% | 2.55 | 1.81 |
| 1 to 15 | 5 | All | 1.182% | 3.54 | 2.11 |
Explantion of columns
Spread: This is the ratio of the player?s minimum bet to maximum bet. The bigger the range, the greater the player?s advantage, and bankroll volatility. A wide bet spread also sets off a red flag. In a six-deck game, I think a 1 to 15 spread is about the most aggressive the player should get. The simulation played one betting spot only.
Penetration: How many decks played before reaching the cut card. In a six-deck shoe, 4.5 is the norm.
Index Numbers: I already explained index numbers above. Simulations were run using both the Illustrious 18 and Fab 4 (I18+F4) above, and with the full table. The difference is not much, which shows that knowing the top 22 gets you most of the benefit of knowing all of them.
Player Advantage: This is the ratio of net player win to total initial bets. For example, in the last row, the player could expect to win 1.182% of his total initial bets.
Standard Deviation: This is a term for the volatility per initial bet.
Average Bet: The average final bet per hand, compared to the lowest bet For example, in the last row, if the player?s minimum bet were $100, his average bet would be $211. This includes additional money bet due to doubles and splits.
This table was created using CVCX Blackjack Analyzer by Casino Vérité. This software produces hundreds of different statistics for just about any set of rules, betting strategies, and playing strategies. For the player who wants to run these tests, this software is the best there is, in my opinion.
Footnotes
- Professional Blackjack by Stanford Wong, page 31, 1994 ed.
- Blackjack Attack by Don Schlesinger, page 62, 2004 ed.
Acknowledgments
Don Schlesinger: For his permission to reprint the Illustrious 18 and Fab 4 tables from his book, Blackjack Attack.
Norman Wattenberger: For his complimentary use of CVCX Blackjack Analyzer by Casino Vérité.
Practice
Practice your card counting skills with our trainer.
Further Reading
- Card Counting Introduction.
- Wizard Ace-Five Count: Very easy and simple card counting strategy.
- '21' Movie Review: Truth and fiction about the movie about the MIT card counting team.
- Blackjack book reviews.
- Main blackjack page.
Written by:Michael Shackleford
On This Page
Introduction
To use the basic strategy, look up your hand along the left vertical edge and the dealer's up card along the top. In both cases an A stands for ace. From top to bottom are the hard totals, soft totals, and splittable hands. There are two charts depending on whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17.
Other basic strategy rules.
- Never take insurance or 'even money.'
- If there is no row for splitting (fives and tens), then look up your hand as a hard total (10 or 20).
- If you can't split because of a limit on re-splitting, then look up your hand as a hard total, except aces. In the extremely unlikely event you have a pair of aces you can't re-split and drawing to split aces is allowed, then double against a 6, otherwise hit.
If you play a mixture of six-deck games, some where the dealer hits a soft 17, and some where he stands, and you only wish to memorize one strategy, I would recommend you memorize the one where the dealer stands on soft 17. The cost in errors due to playing the wrong strategy is 2.3 times higher playing a stand on soft 17 game, with the hit on 17 strategy, than vise versa.
Basic Strategy in Text
For the benefit of my blind readers, here is the above strategy in text form, when the dealer stands on soft 17 and surrender is allowed. To use the strategy, start at the top, and follow the first rule that applies.
Surrender
- Surrender hard 16 (but not a pair of 8s) vs. dealer 9, 10, or A, and hard 15 vs. dealer 10.
Split
- Always split aces and 8s.
- Never split 5s and 10s.
- Split 2s and 3s against a dealer 4-7, and against a 2 or 3 if DAS is allowed.
- Split 4s only if DAS is allowed and the dealer shows a 5 or 6.
- Split 6s against a dealer 3-6, and against a 2 if DAS is allowed.
- Split 7s against a dealer 2-7.
- Split 9s against a dealer 2-6 or 8-9.
Real Mit Blackjack Team
Double
- Double hard 9 vs. dealer 3-6.
- Double hard 10 except against a dealer 10 or A.
- Double hard 11 except against a dealer A.
- Double soft 13 or 14 vs. dealer 5-6.
- Double soft 15 or 16 vs. dealer 4-6.
- Double soft 17 or 18 vs. dealer 3-6.
Hit or Stand
- Always hit hard 11 or less.
- Stand on hard 12 against a dealer 4-6, otherwise hit.
- Stand on hard 13-16 against a dealer 2-6, otherwise hit.
- Always stand on hard 17 or more.
- Always hit soft 17 or less.
- Stand on soft 18 except hit against a dealer 9, 10, or A.
- Always stand on soft 19 or more.
As I've said many times, the above strategy will be fine under any set of rules. However, for you perfectionists out there, here are the modifications to make if the dealer hits a soft 17.
- Surrender 15, a pair of 8s, and 17 vs. dealer A.
- Double 11 vs. dealer A.
- Double soft 18 vs. dealer 2.
- Double soft 19 vs. dealer 6.
My thanks to Kelly for putting together the above text strategy.