Hard hands have no ace counted as 11. With a low total, you usually need another card. With a made hand, you usually stop. The difficult decisions sit between those two groups.
The hard-total pattern
- Hard 8 or less: hit.
- Hard 17 or more: stand.
- Hard 13 through 16: stand against dealer 2 through 6; hit against 7 through ace.
- Hard 12: stand against 4 through 6; hit against 2, 3, or 7 through ace.
The dealer must keep drawing to at least 17. A dealer 2 through 6 is more likely to break while drawing, so several medium hard totals stand and let the dealer take that risk.
Use the dealer’s upcard to decide whether your medium total should draw or wait.
Doubling and splitting can replace hit or stand when those actions are legal. Use the full chart before applying this pattern to every hand.