How to Play Blackjack

The aim of the game is to get 21 or as close to the value of 21 as possible. This number is reached by adding up the values of the cards. The hand with the highest total wins as long as it doesn't exceed 21; a hand with a higher total than 21 is said to ‘bust’ or ‘too many’.

In blackjack, the suits of the cards do not affect their value. All cards ranging from 2 until 10 are evaluated at face value. In addition, all face cards (Jack, Queen and King) have a general value of 10. An Ace can be counted as 1 or 11. In blackjack, it is usually assumed that the Ace will count as 11, unless a player goes bust (goes over 21) and then the Ace becomes a 1.

• A hard hand that does not contain an Ace or contains an Ace that counts as one.
• A soft hand that contains an Ace that counts as 11.

The game of blackjack is traditionally played with one deck of playing cards but in alternative games any number up to eight decks can be used. The game is played around a blackjack table that seats around six players. Blackjack is played against the dealer and the other players at the table are of no concern or consequence to the game. Because the dealer has no say in the game and has to play according to strict house rules, there is no problem with him or her, or any of the other players, seeing a player’s cards.

To Begin

Players need to find a blackjack table that is suitable for them. Important elements for the player to look for include minimum and maximum bets, enabling them to determine whether the specific table is right for their bankroll. Some of the online casinos will colour code their tables to make it a more straightforward process for gamblers to locate betting limits to suit them. New players to the game of blackjack are advised to start playing in games that use six or eight decks (shoe games), while the more skilled players will be more suited to games that use fewer decks. Tables will traditionally display the house rules, including information on maximum and minimum bets, which will vary between casinos and tables.

The game starts with players placing their bets and committing themselves to the table. An average buy-in amount could be anything between 15 and 20 times a player’s average bet.
After everyone has placed their initial bets, the dealer gives two cards to each player and the same to themselves. One of the dealer's two cards is face-up so all the players can see it, and the other is face down. (The face-down card is called the ‘hole card’.

At this point, players can consider making an ‘insurance’ bet, which simply means that players are betting that the dealer has been dealt a 21. It is advised that an insurance bet should be placed if the dealer’s upwards facing card is an Ace. Payouts are as follows: 2:1 if the dealer has 21 and all other bets cleared; insurance bet is lost if the dealer does not have 21.

Depending on what version of blackjack is being played, players’ cards are generally dealt face up and cards are not handled. If the single or double deck games are played, cards are dealt either face down or one up and one down. Cards can be handled in this case, although with one hand only.
After seeing their two cards, players now need to make a decision regarding their game strategy. They can choose to stay or take more cards to reach a total of 21 without going bust.
Players now choose from one of the following strategies: hit, stand, pair splitting, doubling down, even money or surrendering.

The player's options for playing his or her hand are:

• Hit: Player indicates that they want to be dealt another card.
• Stand / Stick / Stay: Player wishes to stay with their current cards.
• Doubling down: Allows players to double their original bet. They are then only allowed to take one more card.
• Split: If players are dealt a pair as their first two cards, they can split these pairs into two separate hands. The bet can be doubled but players can only split once per hand. In Classic Blackjack, this option is available only when both cards have the same rank or, occasionally, value.
• Surrender: Players forfeit half the bet and give up their hand. This option is not always available and can only be conducted after the dealer has checked their own hand for a blackjack.

In simplified terms - the player's turn is over after deciding to stand, doubling down to take a single card, or busting. If the player busts, they will lose their bet even if the dealer goes on to bust.
After all the players have finished making their decisions, the dealer then reveals their own hidden hole card and plays the hand. Generally, dealers need to draw when their card total is less than 17 and stand when the total is anything between 17 and 21. Some casinos determine that dealers need to stand on a soft 17 (a combination of cards adding up to either 7 or 17, such as an ace and a 6) while others state that they need to hit.

If the dealer busts then all remaining players win. Bets are normally paid out at the odds of 1:1. Players who push (tie) with the dealer receive their original bet back.
Even Money: If players have a blackjack and the dealer has an Ace on his or her upcard, they will be offered the option of ‘even money’, meaning that they will receive a 1:1 yield before the dealer checks the second card.

Variations

Each blackjack variation has its own set of rules, strategies and odds. It is advised to take a look at the rules of the specific variation before playing. Some common rules variations include:

• Only one card for split Aces: a single new card is added to each Ace and the turn ends. They are thus regarded as 11-point cards. No other denomination is subject to this process.
• Multiple splits: If a player splits 2 cards and receives a third card of identical value, the hand can be split again, resulting in 3 hands. However, some casinos only allow a single split of the first 2 cards.
• Early surrender: Player has the option to surrender before dealer checks for Blackjack.
• Late surrender: Player has the option to surrender after dealer checks for Blackjack.
• Double-down restrictions: Double-down may only be allowed on certain combinations of cards (usually totalling 9, 10 or 11).
• Double-down after split: Double-down may not be allowed after splitting cards. The split hands are played normally otherwise.
• Split any tens: Players may split any 2 cards which are both worth 10 points, such as a Jack and Queen. This rule is rarely used, since 20 is a very strong hand which is unlikely to be split.
• European No-Hole-Card Rule: the dealer receives only one card, dealt face-up, and does not receive a second card (and thus does not check for blackjack) until players have acted. This means players lose not only their original bet, but also any additional money invested from splitting and doubling down. A game that has no-hole-card doesn't necessarily mean you will lose additional bets as well as original bets. In Australia for example, a player beaten by a dealer blackjack may keep all split and double bets and lose only the original bet, thus the game plays the same as it would if there were a hole card.
  

Strategies

Because the game of blackjack does have an element of choice and strategy, players have the opportunity to reduce casino advantage by playing optimally. Playing according to the points available between the player and dealer’s hands is known as basic strategy. Depending on the particular blackjack rules in the chosen casino, basic strategy reduces the house advantage to near 0 with some single-deck games, and less than 1 % in a multi-deck game.

Basic strategy provides the player with the optimal play for any blackjack situation based on millions of hands played in the long run. However in the short run, as the cards are dealt from the deck, the remaining deck is no longer complete. A player can consider the composition of his or her hand and what is visible on the table, and from that information it is possible to estimate what cards are remaining in the deck. Strategies will inevitably vary according to the rules of the casino, the variation of blackjack being played and the number of decks used.

As a general rule players will automatically win if they were dealt a blackjack with their first two cards. A two-card hand of 21 (an ace plus a ten-value card) is called a ‘blackjack’ or a ‘natural’, and is an automatic winner (unless the dealer has blackjack as well, in which case the hand is a push and players get their bets back).

All players that have a higher card count than the dealer does win an equal amount to their bet. Players that have a lower count than the dealer will lose their bet.