Blackjack Rules

 

Basic Blackjack Rules:

The goal of blackjack is to beat the dealer's hand without going over 21.

Face cards are worth 10. Aces are worth 1 or 11, whichever makes a better hand.

Each player starts with two cards, one of the dealer's cards is hidden until the end.

To 'Hit' is to ask for another card. To 'Stand' is to hold your total and end your turn.

If you go over 21 you bust, and the dealer wins regardless of the dealer's hand.

If you are dealt 21 from the start (Ace & 10), you got a blackjack.

Blackjack usually means you win 1.5 the amount of your bet. Depends on the casino.

Dealer will hit until his/her cards total 17 or higher.

Doubling is like a hit, only the bet is doubled and you only get one more card.

Split can be done when you have two of the same card - the pair is split into two hands.

Splitting also doubles the bet, because each new hand is worth the original bet.

You can only double/split on the first move, or first move of a hand created by a split.

You cannot play on two aces after they are split.

You can double on a hand resulting from a split, tripling or quadrupling you bet.

Blackjack is usually played at a table of 2-7 players and uses one to eight 52-card decks. All number cards (2-10) score the value indicated on them. The face cards (Jack, Queen, King) score 10 points and Ace can either be treated as 1 or 11.

At the beginning of each round, all players place their bets in their betting positions - also known as ‘boxes’. After the bets have been placed, all players are dealt two cards face-up in front of their respective betting positions. The dealer receives two cards, one face-up and another face-down.

Starting to the left of the dealer, each player is given a chance to draw more cards. The players can either ‘hit’ or ‘stand’. If the player calls out ‘HIT’, they are given an extra card. They can then either call out ‘HIT’ again, or ‘STAND’ if they do not wish to draw any more cards. The player can ‘HIT’ as many times as they wish, but have to aim not to ‘bust’ (exceed a total of 21).

If the player busts, they immediately lose their bet.

After each player has played and either stood or busted, the dealer takes their turn. They can, again, either ‘HIT’ or ‘STAND’. If the dealer’s hand exceeds 21, all players who didn't bust win immediately - their bet is returned along with a matching amount from the dealer's bank.

If the dealer reaches a valid hand, the cards are totaled and each player’s hand is compared to the dealer’s. If the player scored higher than the dealer, they win. If the player ties with the dealer, the original bet is returned to the player. Otherwise, the player loses their bet.

A perfect hand combines an ace with a 10, Jack, Queen or King and is known as a ‘Blackjack’.

Other Options that may be available during the hand

In addition to the basic rules, most casinos offer a few other options which are available to players in certain situations. It is always wise to consult the house rules to see the details of any allowed options.

Split

If the first two cards are a pair, the players are allowed to split those, thus creating two hands rather than the normal one per seat. To fund the split, the player has to place a second bet, of equal value to the first.

Double Down

After receiving the first two cards, players can double their bet while hitting. When doubling down, player receives one extra card only and cannot hit again. Most casinos allow cards to be split again if the second card makes another pair - but some have limits on the number of times a player can split.

Insurance

Insurance is a side bet, which is offered to the players when the dealer’s up card is an ace. It insures the player against the dealer having a ‘blackjack’ and gives them a chance to break even on the hand, if the dealer’s cards total 21.

Insurance is offered before the dealer checks their face-down card.

Surrender

If a player believes they will be unable to beat dealer’s hand, they can choose to ‘surrender’. In this strategy, players fold the hand, and risk loosing only half of the bet, rather than the whole amount.

A player can only forfeit their hand before receiving extra cards.

Bet Behind

Busy, live casinos sometimes offer an option to take side bets, otherwise known as ‘bet behind’. This is where a limitless number of people take a bet behind the main seven seated players, wagering that they will win the hand.

Play Differences in Blackjack Rules

The rules on how to play blackjack vary from game-to-game, but there’s an array of online casino games on offer, so you’ll be spoiled for choice. Although each variant will have its own specific set of rules, these are usually easy to follow. There’s usually a help option available if you want to verify anything. The number of decks used in play differs. Online blackjack casinos normally use between six and eight decks, but you’ll also find single-deck games on offer.

Be aware that when the game is played online, the software automatically shuffles the cards, so the single-deck games don’t give you any win advantage. Cards are usually shuffled between hands, but some games have a random shuffle option, as well. Table limits vary, but with such a wide range of games online, you’ll easily find something that meets your requirements. As always when playing online, house rules will determine your maximum bet.

The Rules on Soft 17

Finally, it’s worth us having a look at the rules on Soft 17. In most blackjack games, the dealer’s hand stands at 17 or more. This means that at 16 or less, another card must be drawn. In some online casinos however, the Soft 17 rule is applied. This is when the dealer’s hand contains an ace, which is being counted as 11.

In this case, the dealer must hit on 17, which changes the house edge. It might seem that the rule increases the likelihood of bust, but the opposite is actually the case. On the occasions that the dealer doesn’t bust, the hand is high, and it tends to be a winning one. This is why it’s worth checking the rules on Soft 17 when you choosing your game.

Order of Play and Playing Options

Each player sitting at the table places their desired bet in the betting circle directly in front of them. In most casinos if there are untaken betting circles, the players sitting at the table can choose to play more than one hand at a time. The minimum and maximum bet size varies from casino to casino, generally with a ratio of 40 to 100 between them. For example with a $25 minimum bet the maximum will usually be somewhere from $1000 to $2500. Once the bets are placed the dealer will move their hand across the table from their left to their right signalling that no further bets can be placed. The dealer then deals cards one at a time clockwise around the table, from the dealer's left to the dealer's right: first a card face up to each betting circle that has a bet in it, then a card face up to the dealer, and then a second card face up to each betting circle with a bet and finally a second card face down to the dealer.

In many places the dealer's first card is initially dealt face down. The dealer's second card is used to flip the first card face up and then slid underneath the first card. The exact dealing protocol varies from place to place as determined by the casino management.

If the dealer has a 10 or an Ace face up players are offered the option to place an Insurance bet. Insurance is a side bet on whether or not the dealer has a Blackjack, unrelated to the final outcome of the round. If a player chooses to take insurance they place an additional bet equal to half of their original bet. This insurance bet wins if the dealer has Blackjack.블랙잭사이트

The dealer now checks their down card to see if they have Blackjack. If they have Blackjack they expose their down card. The round is concluded and all players lose their original bet unless they also have Blackjack. If a player and the dealer each have Blackjack the result is a push and the player's bet is returned. Any insurance bets are paid out at 2:1.