How to play Blackjack

Blackjack is one of the best loved card games in the world. There are many variations and several different names including Pontoon, Twenty One and the French name Vingt-et-Un. These games are all based on one simple goal - beat the dealer!

This page explains the rules of the game.

For advice on playing, plus the odds and chances involved see:

HIT - STAND - DOUBLE DOWN or SPLIT?

The Game

Please note: this is just a general guide. Always check the house rules before you play!

• You place a bet to indicate you're ready to play.
• The dealer deals each player two cards face up. He also deals two cards for himself - the first card is face-up and the second is face-down. (The dealer's face-down card is often called the "hole" card.)
• You add the total points on your two cards.
  Cards 2-10 are worth their own number.
  All picture cards are worth 10.
  ACE is worth either 1 or 11 (you choose).
  
• At this point you decide whether to take another card. The object is to make your cards total 21 or get as close as you can. If you go over 21, then you're bust and you lose immediately. You can take up to three extra cards.
  
• After you have played, the dealer turns over the hole card. The dealer then tries to get to 21 without going bust. Usually if the dealer has less than 17 points he MUST take another card, if he has 17 or higher he MUST stand.
  

KEY WORDS:

• BLACKJACK : an ace plus a picture or 10 card making 21.
• HIT : you ask for another card.
• STAND : you don't want another card.
• BUST : your point total is over 21.
• PUSH : your hand is equal to the dealer. You don't win or lose and your stake is returned.
• SOFT : any hand with an ACE except Blackjack. An ACE is worth 1 or 11, so if you have ACE and 4, the total is called a soft 15. This means that you can get another card knowing you won't go over 21, because the ACE value will just become 1 if necessary.

WINNING AND LOSING

• WIN if your first two cards give you Blackjack... unless the dealer also gets Blackjack, in which case it's a PUSH. You can't lose!
  Blackjack pays 3/2 (So $10 wins you $15)
• WIN if you are still in the game, and the dealer goes bust.
  Straight win pays evens (So $10 wins you $10)
• WIN if you end up with a higher score than the dealer.
  Straight win pays evens (So $10 wins you $10)
• LOSE if you get a card that takes your total over 21, you go bust immediately. (It doesn't matter what happens to the dealer.)
• LOSE if the dealer gets a higher score than you.
• PUSH if your score matches the dealer or you both get Blackjack.
  Push means your stake is returned, but no winnings.

OTHER THINGS YOU CAN DO

Remember: always check the house rules before you play.

• DOUBLE DOWN After the deal, if you want a third card and you're feeling optimistic, you can double your bet at the same time. You are not allowed any further cards.
• SPLIT If your first two cards have the same value, most places let you separate them and ask for a second card to go on each one, and so you can play two hands at the same time. You will need to add a second bet.
• INSURANCE If the dealer's face-up card is an ACE, you might be worred he'll get a Blackjack and beat you, so you can take out insurance. This is an extra bet which is usually half your original stake. If the dealer's second card is worth 10 (giving him a Blackjack), you win.
  An insurance win is paid at 2/1, so if you bet $5, you'd win $10.

RULE VARIATIONS

• Multiple decks Home players usually play with a single deck of 52 cards. This means that if you're holding an ACE, the chance of the dealer's hole card being an ACE is about 1/17. Online and casino games usually play with eight decks all mixed up together, so if you're holding an ACE the chance of the hole card also being an ACE is closer to 1/13, so it's a bit more likely.
• Soft 17 If the dealer has an ACE and a 6, this gives him a soft 17. Some casinos say he must stick, some say he must hit. If the rules say he must hit on soft 17, that gives players a slightly better chance!
• Spanish decks* Some places remove the 10 spot cards from each deck, leaving just 48 cards which slightly increases the dealer's chances of winning.
  (* Card games have been played in Spain for over 600 years. In the early days a standard deck had numbers 1-9 plus Jack, Queen, King. There was also a 40 card deck which left out the 8's and 9's.)
• There are varied rules on splitting and doubling down, so do check first!

HOUSE PROFIT

Like any casino game, Blackjack should return a profit to the dealer, but this profit is very low compared to most casino games. With a reasonably skilled player this profit is less than 1%!