Frequently Asked Questions
Basic Strategy
For how long will my progress be saved?
If you are not logged in, then your statistics will only be saved locally in your browser for as long as you keep the page open. If you are logged in, then they are periodically uploaded to the cloud so that they will persist across sessions. In fact, you can log in from multiple devices and work on the same statistics.
Accounts are free. You should make one!
Why do I sometimes see 3 cards? Do they always add up to 20 or 21?
It is impossible to have a two-card hard 20: two tens is a pair, and a nine and ace is a soft 20. Thus three cards are required in order to train those cells in the basic strategy table. The same logic applies for hard 21.
This is not ideal, of course. A game mode that prompts you with other three-card hands is planned.
How do I know if I won the hand?
The purpose of the basic strategy training program is to learn perfect basic strategy. The game tells you if you picked the mathematically correct response, which you should consider a "win." The fun is in being able to pick the correct response faster and building up progressively higher streaks.
How are hands generated?
Logged in user
This is more complicated and better for your ability to memorize rare cells in the basic strategy table.
Hands are generated by picking a random cell in the basic strategy table where the cells are weighted based on your past performance. Initially each cell has equal probability (as indicated in the tables below), but as you play, the weights change such that cells that you seem to have memorized well are shown to you less often. Thus pairs and soft hands will be much more commonly shown to you than they would in real life, making these rare hands easier to memorize.
After a cell is chosen, there may only be one possible two-card hand. E.g. the pair of fours cell must have exactly two fours, and the soft 16 cell must have be A/7. If a suitable two-card hand can be generated in more than one way, one of the possibilities is chosen randomly. E.g. the hard 7 cell can be either a 2/5 or 3/4.
* Hard 20 and 21 hands start out with the same probability as every other cell in the table, but they are generated as 3 card hands.
Hard (Logged in)
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 6 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 7 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 8 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 9 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 10 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 11 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 12 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 13 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 14 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 15 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 16 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 17 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 18 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 19 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 20* | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 21* | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
Soft (Logged in)
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 14 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 15 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 16 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 17 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 18 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 19 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 20 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 21 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
Pair (Logged in)
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 3 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 4 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 5 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 6 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 7 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 8 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 9 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| 10 | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
| A | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% | 0.28% |
Anonymous user
Hands are generated randomly by drawing three cards (2 for you, 1 for the dealer) out of a virtual deck of infinite size. Thus you will see hands in essentially the exact same distribution as if you were at a casino: you will see relatively many hands involving one or more ten-valued cards and relatively few pairs and soft hands.
This is "real," but it's less effective at training yourself to memorize basic strategy. Thus you should create a free account and play logged in!
* Hard 20 and 21 hands are never generated: there is no such thing as a 2-card hard 20 or 21.
Hard (Anonymous)
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.36% | 0.09% |
| 6 | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.36% | 0.09% |
| 7 | 0.18% | 0.18% | 0.18% | 0.18% | 0.18% | 0.18% | 0.18% | 0.18% | 0.73% | 0.18% |
| 8 | 0.18% | 0.18% | 0.18% | 0.18% | 0.18% | 0.18% | 0.18% | 0.18% | 0.73% | 0.18% |
| 9 | 0.27% | 0.27% | 0.27% | 0.27% | 0.27% | 0.27% | 0.27% | 0.27% | 1.09% | 0.27% |
| 10 | 0.27% | 0.27% | 0.27% | 0.27% | 0.27% | 0.27% | 0.27% | 0.27% | 1.09% | 0.27% |
| 11 | 0.36% | 0.36% | 0.36% | 0.36% | 0.36% | 0.36% | 0.36% | 0.36% | 1.46% | 0.36% |
| 12 | 0.64% | 0.64% | 0.64% | 0.64% | 0.64% | 0.64% | 0.64% | 0.64% | 2.55% | 0.64% |
| 13 | 0.64% | 0.64% | 0.64% | 0.64% | 0.64% | 0.64% | 0.64% | 0.64% | 2.55% | 0.64% |
| 14 | 0.55% | 0.55% | 0.55% | 0.55% | 0.55% | 0.55% | 0.55% | 0.55% | 2.18% | 0.55% |
| 15 | 0.55% | 0.55% | 0.55% | 0.55% | 0.55% | 0.55% | 0.55% | 0.55% | 2.18% | 0.55% |
| 16 | 0.46% | 0.46% | 0.46% | 0.46% | 0.46% | 0.46% | 0.46% | 0.46% | 1.82% | 0.46% |
| 17 | 0.46% | 0.46% | 0.46% | 0.46% | 0.46% | 0.46% | 0.46% | 0.46% | 1.82% | 0.46% |
| 18 | 0.36% | 0.36% | 0.36% | 0.36% | 0.36% | 0.36% | 0.36% | 0.36% | 1.46% | 0.36% |
| 19 | 0.36% | 0.36% | 0.36% | 0.36% | 0.36% | 0.36% | 0.36% | 0.36% | 1.46% | 0.36% |
| 20* | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 21* | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Soft (Anonymous)
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.36% | 0.09% |
| 14 | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.36% | 0.09% |
| 15 | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.36% | 0.09% |
| 16 | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.36% | 0.09% |
| 17 | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.36% | 0.09% |
| 18 | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.36% | 0.09% |
| 19 | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.36% | 0.09% |
| 20 | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.09% | 0.36% | 0.09% |
| 21 | 0.36% | 0.36% | 0.36% | 0.36% | 0.36% | 0.36% | 0.36% | 0.36% | 1.46% | 0.36% |
Pair (Anonymous)
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.18% | 0.05% |
| 3 | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.18% | 0.05% |
| 4 | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.18% | 0.05% |
| 5 | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.18% | 0.05% |
| 6 | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.18% | 0.05% |
| 7 | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.18% | 0.05% |
| 8 | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.18% | 0.05% |
| 9 | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.18% | 0.05% |
| 10 | 0.73% | 0.73% | 0.73% | 0.73% | 0.73% | 0.73% | 0.73% | 0.73% | 2.91% | 0.73% |
| A | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.18% | 0.05% |