Contents
Blackjack Basics
How to Play Blackjack
Blackjack Rules and Variations
Understanding the House Edge
Blackjack Strategy
Blackjack Strategy: Hitting and Standing
Blackjack Strategy: Doubling Down
Blackjack Strategy: Splitting Pairs
Blackjack Strategy: Surrender
Blackjack Strategy: Insurance
Blackjack Money Management
How to Count Cards in Blackjack
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How to Play Blackjack
The specific rules of blackjack can vary slightly from one place to another, but the general rules are standard. If you know the basic mechanics of play, you’ll be able to deal with any small variations you may encounter. Every hand of blackjack consists of the following actions:
- Betting
- Dealing cards
- Hitting, standing, and other player actions
- Determining the winner
Betting
Each hand of blackjack begins with betting. Before any cards are dealt, players may wager as much money as they wish within the limits set for their particular table. Table limits are usually posted on a sign at one end of the table. If you’re unsure about the wager limits, ask the dealer.
To make a bet, place the chips you want to bet inside the betting area. Once you’ve placed your full bet and the dealer starts dealing the cards, don’t touch the chips you’ve placed in the betting area.
Dealing Cards
After all players have made their bets, the dealer begins dealing the cards. The dealer deals one card to the rightmost player (from the player’s perspective) and continues clockwise around the table, finishing with him- or herself. Following this pattern, the dealer deals two cards to each player (including him- or herself).
In most games, all the players’ cards will be dealt face up (with their values showing). Regardless of how the players’ cards are dealt, one of the dealer’s cards will be face up. This card is called the upcard. The dealer’s other card will be face down. This card is called the hole card, or the
card in the hole.
Getting a Blackjack
If the first two cards that you or the dealer receive add up to 21 (possible only through a combination of an ace with a 10 or face card), the hand is called a blackjack.
- If you get a blackjack: You win immediately. Even better, you’re paid 3:2, meaning that for every $2 you bet, you win $3. For example, a bet of $20 pays $30.
- If the dealer gets a blackjack: You lose immediately. Fortunately, you lose only your original bet, not the 3:2 odds the dealer would have had to pay you if you had won with a blackjack.
- If you both get blackjacks: It’s a push, meaning you and the dealer tie. No money changes hands.
Hitting, Standing, and Other Player Actions
Based on the value of the first two cards dealt to both you and the dealer, you may want to take one of the following five actions:
- Hitting
- Standing
- Doubling down
- Splitting pairs
- Taking (or not taking) insurance
This section explains each action in detail; later, this chart goes on to discuss the strategies you should use in deciding your actions. While you’re free to choose your strategy, it’s important to understand that the dealer must act according to predefined rules (for more information, see Blackjack Rules and Variations).
Hitting
Asking for cards in beyond your original two is called hitting. For instance, if your first two cards are a 6 and a 7, you may want the dealer to give you another card since a 13 is not likely to beat the dealer’s hand. You may continue to hit and receive as many additional cards as you want. But if your hand ever exceeds 21, you bust and lose the hand immediately.
To indicate that you want to hit, tap or scrape the table with one or two fingers (for tips on when to hit and stand, see Blackjack Strategy: Hitting and Standing).
Standing
Sometimes you may be satisfied with your original two cards and not want any additional cards. To indicate that you don’t want any more cards, wave your hand, palm down, back and forth above your cards. This gesture, called standing (or staying), ends your play for that hand. Once you’ve decided to stand, you must wait to see how your hand compares to the dealer’s.
Other Player Actions
In addition to hitting and standing, there are a few other actions you can take when playing your hand in blackjack. Though you won’t exercise these options nearly as often as you’ll hit and stand, knowing them is nevertheless integral to playing blackjack successfully.
Doubling Down
If your original two cards give you a favorable hand, you may want to double down. Doubling down means you double your original wager and are entitled to one, and only one, additional card. Doubling down has the advantage of getting more money on the table when you have a favorable hand, but it has the disadvantage of restricting you to just one additional card.
To double down, place a second bet to the left side of your original bet and say, “Double.” The dealer will give you exactly one additional card, then move on to the next player (for tips on when to double down, see Blackjack Strategy: Doubling Down).
Splitting Pairs
If your original two cards have the same value (including two nonidentical 10s, such as a jack and king), you may split your pair to make two separate hands. Once you’ve split the pair, you can play each individual card as if it were a new hand. In other words, you can hit, stand, double down or resplit on each of your new hands until you’re satisfied. To indicate that you want to split a pair, place another bet next to your original one and say, “Split.” Don’t touch your cards yourself. The dealer will do it for you.
The one exception to the process of splitting pairs occurs when splitting aces. In most blackjack variations, when you split aces, you can receive one additional card on each ace but are then required to stand. Even so—as you’ll learn in
Blackjack Strategy: Splitting Pairs—splitting aces is still the best strategy.
Taking Insurance
If the dealer’s upcard is an ace, the dealer will ask,
“Insurance?” With this question, the dealer is offering you the option of making a side bet that will protect your original bet if the dealer turns out to have a blackjack.
If you take insurance, you can bet up to half your original wager. You’ll be paid 2:1 (two dollars for each dollar you bet) if the dealer has a blackjack. Otherwise, you lose your insurance bet and the remainder of the hand is played normally.
Determining the Winner
If you don’t get a blackjack or bust along the way, the
winner of the hand is determined after every player still in the hand is satisfied with his or her cards and has decided to stand. The dealer then reveals the hole card and either hits or stands depending on the dealer’s predetermined rules of play (see Blackjack Rules and Variations).
- You win if: Your hand is closer to 21 than the dealer’s hand, or the dealer busts.
- You lose if: The dealer’s hand is closer to 21, or you bust.
- It’s a push (and no money changes hands) if: The value of your hand is equal to that of the dealer’s hand.
Whether you win or lose a hand of blackjack is determined only by how your hand compares to the dealer’s hand. The values of other players’ hands have nothing to do with the outcome of your game.
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