Hard 12 vs dealer 4: stand under these rules
Stand on hard 12 against a dealer 4 under the six-deck H17/DAS/no-surrender rules used here. For example, 10 and 2 is a hard 12. Check the pair chart separately if your cards are 6 and 6.
Decision comparison and review
Recommended action: STAND. The engine compares available actions for this exact player hand and dealer upcard under the baseline profile; HIT, DOUBLE, SPLIT, SURRENDER are not the selected baseline action.
Baseline rules: 6 decks · H17 · DAS · no surrender · 3:2 payout · U.S. dealer peek.
H17/S17, double-after-split, surrender, payout, and hole-card rules can change a chart. Check the table rules before applying this page to a live game.
Reviewed: 2026-11-03. Read Methodology and corrections, or report a possible error to Support.
Best Move by Ruleset
Best move: STAND. These examples use six decks, H17 (dealer hits soft 17), DAS (double after split allowed), doubling on any initial two cards, no surrender, 3:2 blackjack and U.S. dealer-peek rules. The example is an initial, unsplit hand of 10 and 2. Hitting, standing and doubling are available; splitting is unavailable because the cards are different ranks.
Why a low total can still stand
A total of 12 can feel unfinished. Under this profile, the basic-strategy chart calls for standing against a dealer 4. A 10-value card would bust a hard 12 if you hit. Standing keeps the hand at 12 while the dealer completes their hand under the dealer rules. The dealer can still finish without busting; the recommendation does not guarantee a result.
Hard 12 and a pair of 6s use different lookups
10 and 2 is a hard 12. A pair of 6s also totals 12, but the pair decision comes first: against a dealer 4, split the 6s when splitting is available under this DAS profile. Ace and ace is a pair of aces, not the same hard-12 question.
Compare dealer 3 with dealer 4
Keep your cards at 10 and 2, then change the dealer upcard. Against a dealer 3, hit. Against a dealer 4, stand. Practicing the two questions together helps you check where the hard-12 decision changes. Use the same rules for both answers.
Check the rule scope
Use a chart that matches the actual rule profile. The verified public scope covers common 4-to-8-deck U.S. dealer-peek, 3:2 games with documented H17/S17, DAS and surrender differences. European no-hole-card games, non-3:2 payouts and composition-dependent exceptions need separate analysis.
Quick Checklist / TL;DR
- 10 and 2 versus dealer 4: stand under the documented rules.
- 10 and 2 versus dealer 3: hit under the same rules.
- 6 and 6 versus dealer 4: use the pair decision; split when available in this DAS profile.
Common Mistakes
- Treating a pair of 6s as the same question as 10 and 2.
- Using a chart without checking its rules.
- Assuming the dealer must bust because the upcard is 4.
Practice this comparison
Use the basic strategy practice routine to test hard 12 against dealer 3 and dealer 4, then review your first-attempt answers.