Blackjack table

A pair of 5s is a hard 10; basic strategy says never split 5s and double against a dealer 5, which is a strong spot with 10 vs 5.

Hard 18 against a dealer 9 is a clear stand per basic strategy; hitting risks busting with little gain, and doubling 18 is far too risky.

Hard 16 against a dealer 10 is a losing standing position; basic strategy says hit since only a 10-value dealer hole card busts standing, and surrender isn't available.

Hard 13 against a dealer 10 is a clear basic-strategy hit; standing loses to any dealer draw of 8+ while hitting risks only busting on 9 or 10.

Hard 17 is a standing hand against any dealer upcard; hitting risks busting with no meaningful gain.

A pat 20 is the second-strongest hand; standing wins the vast majority of the time against a dealer 9, and doubling or splitting tens only sacrifices expected value.

Hard 9 vs dealer 2 is a basic-strategy hit; doubling is only correct against dealer 3-6.

Soft 20 is a near-made hand; only a draw to 21 improves it, and hitting risks turning a winner into a losing total. Standing is clearly optimal against any dealer upcard.

Basic strategy: always split 8s against a dealer 10 to avoid playing a 16, which loses to the dealer's likely 20. Splitting turns one bad hand into two chances at 18.

Hard 18 against a dealer 10 is a stand; hitting risks busting a made hand with only marginal improvement potential.

Hard 18 is made; basic strategy says stand against a dealer 10 upcard, and doubling 18 risks a strong made hand for little gain.

Hard 20 against a dealer 4 is a near-certain winner; hitting or doubling only risks busting or turning a strong hand into a losing one.

Hard 12 against a dealer 10 is a clear basic-strategy hit; standing loses to any dealer draw of 10 or more, while hitting risks only busting on a 10-value card.

Hard 13 against a dealer 10 is a basic-strategy hit; standing loses against the strong upcard unless the dealer busts, and only small cards improve without high bust risk.

Hard 9 against a dealer King is a clear basic-strategy hit; standing loses nearly always and doubling is too weak here.

Hard 19 is a very strong hand; standing wins against a dealer 10 unless the dealer draws to 20 or 21, and hitting risks busting for negligible gain.

Hard 13 against a dealer 3 is a standing play in basic strategy; the dealer's bust risk with a small upcard outweighs the chance of improving without busting.

Hard 18 against a dealer King is a stand per basic strategy; hitting risks busting a strong total, and doubling is far too risky against a likely dealer 20.

Basic strategy for hard 16 against a dealer 2 upcard is to stand, since hitting risks busting while the dealer's weak 2 gives decent odds of busting or making a small total.

Basic strategy: never split 6s against a dealer ace; with dealer peek and no surrender, hitting 12 vs A is correct since standing loses to most dealer outcomes and splitting into an ace is unfavorable.

Hard 16 vs dealer Ace is a losing spot either way, but dealer peeks for blackjack and hits soft 17, so standing avoids busting and lets the dealer's weak upcard play out.

Hard 8 against a dealer King is far too weak to stand; basic strategy says hit (or surrender if allowed, but it isn't). Doubling on 8 vs 10 is also unprofitable.

Hard 14 against a dealer King is a clear basic-strategy hit; standing loses to any dealer 17+ and hitting improves expected value despite bust risk.

Hard 15 against a dealer 10 is a losing hand that stands to lose more often than it busts; with surrender unavailable, basic strategy says hit.

Hard 10 against a dealer 10 is a hit per basic strategy; standing loses to any dealer 20 and doubling is inferior to hitting here.

Hard 15 against a dealer 10 is a losing standing position; basic strategy calls for a hit since the dealer's expected result is strong enough that standing loses more than hitting.

With 11 against a dealer 10, basic strategy for 6 decks S17 calls for doubling: the expected value of doubling slightly exceeds hitting since many draws give a strong made hand and dealer 10 is not as strong as an ace.