[ QUOTE ]
PS - I wasnt looking at a chart, but I know the strategy... surrender a 16 to a face or an ace, double anything 8 or higher when it beats what the dealer shows... split 8's when dealer shows 8 or lower... hit on 12 with a 2, stand on 13, blah blah... most of the basic points I have memorized, I may have made a slight mistake by not splitting 9's against a dealer 8 or something, but nothing came up where I wasnt sure what to do (like splitting 6's or 7's to a dealer 7) ...Nothing major that would significantly effect winrate
[/ QUOTE ]
OK, you don't know basic strategy. Either you have forgotten it, or you have learned it wrong from one of many sources of wrong basic strategy. This is very common. Some of what you stated are serious errors which will cost you a lot of money. Are you really doubling 9 vs. a dealer 8, or did you mean split??? Get the correct strategy for the game you are playing (8-deck, double on any 2 cards) from a reputable source, such as
www.bjmath.com,
www.bj21.com or
www.rge21.com.
For example, only double 9 against dealer 3-6. Never double hard 8 in a multi-deck game unless you are counting cards, but you can soft double A7 against dealer 3-6. Always split As and 8s, not just against dealer 8 or lower. If you are making these basic mistakes, you no doubt make many more when it comes to pair splitting and soft doubling.