Guide · Virtual chips · 18+
Blackjack: rules and basic strategy
In blackjack the goal is to finish closer to 21 than the dealer without going over; with basic strategy — hitting, standing or doubling depending on your hand and the dealer’s up card — IS Casino live blackjack returns about 99% of the chips played, the highest RTP in the catalogue.
By IS Casino · Published · Updated
The rules of this table
| Rule | Value |
|---|---|
| Decks | 6, shuffled every round with the round seed |
| Dealer | Stands on all 17s (S17) and checks for blackjack before decisions |
| Blackjack | Pays 3:2 (×2.5 the stake) |
| Double down | On any first two cards; you get exactly one more card |
| Splitting pairs | Not available in this format |
| Insurance | Not available |
| Push | Returns the stake |
| Format | Shared first cards; every player decides alone and gets their own extra cards |
Card values: 2 to 10 count their number, J, Q and K count 10, the ace counts 11 or 1. A “soft” hand has an ace counted as 11 (for example A-6 = soft 17).
Basic strategy chart
This is the simplified strategy used in the IS Casino RTP verification (H = hit, S = stand, D = double, or hit if you cannot double). Rows: your hand; columns: the dealer’s up card.
| Your hand | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5–8 | 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 |
| 13–16 | S | S | S | S | S | H | H | H | H | H |
| 17–21 | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
| Soft 13–17 | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H | H |
| Soft 18–21 | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S | S |
The logic behind the chart
- Dealer shows 2 to 6: they must draw to 17 and are more likely to go over 21. So you stand on 13–16 and avoid the risk.
- Dealer shows 7 to ace: their final hand tends to be 17 or more. With 12–16 you hit.
- 10 and 11: the best hands to double, because many cards are worth 10.
- Never “mimic the dealer”: always hitting to 17 returns much less than basic strategy.
What the verification measured
With this strategy, 10 million hands returned 99.02% of everything played (doubles included) and 98.92% on the initial stake — confirming the published RTP of about 99%. Decisions that differ from the chart lower the return. Details on the RTP page.
Frequently asked questions
How much does blackjack pay?
3 to 2: with 10 chips, a blackjack wins 15 chips, so you get 25 back.
When should I double down?
Per the chart: on 11 against any card, on 10 against 2 to 9 and on 9 against 3 to 6.
Why can I not split pairs?
In the IS Casino live format everyone shares the first cards and each player decides alone; splits do not exist in this format, and the RTP of about 99% already accounts for that.
