Blackjack Rules

Millions of people play blackjack every single day, both online and in casinos, making it one of the most popular games in the world. Blackjack is equal amounts luck and skill, where an understanding of strategy and careful observation and provide players with an advantage . In blackjack, you play against the dealer. The goal of the game is to accumulate cards with the highest combined score, without going higher than 21. If either the player or the dealer ever goes over 21, they will ‘bust’ and lose the hand.

The most important thing for a new player to understand when playing blackjack are the card values. Without understanding your hand value, you can never hope to succeed at blackjack. First, cards numbered 2 through 10 are all worth exactly their face value. Face cards (jacks, queens, and kings) are all worth 10, and aces are worth either 1 or 11. An ace that is currently being counted as an 11 is a “soft ace”, where as one which is counted as a 1 is a “hard ace.” If a player would go over 21 with an ace being counted as 11, it will automatically be revalued as a 1. The best hand I the game is a “two card blackjack”, where an ace is paired with either a 10 or a face card to form a 21 from the get-go.

A hand of blackjack starts with players placing their individual bets before play begins- all bets are placed before cards are dealt. Once the bets, all players and the dealer are dealt two cards. Player cards are dealt face up, while the dealer receives one card face up and one face down. After assessing their cards players can choose whether to ‘stay’, ‘hit’, ‘split, or ‘double down’.

Stay – The player stops playing and chooses to remain with their current hand. The cards are then checked against the dealers to determine the winner.

Hit- Players are dealt another card. If a player exceeds 21, they lose.

Split- Available only when a player is dealt two of the same value cards. When this happens, players may make an extra bet and split the hands into two and receive a second card for each. The two hands are both played separately.

Double Down- When a player feels that they are comfortably in the lead, they can double down their cards. What this means is that they will be dealt one, and only one, more card and make a double bet. This option is most commonly used when the player’s hand totals 9, 10, or 11.

When making your choices, it is important to remember that the dealer must adhere to certain rules. For instance, when they have a hand of 16 or higher they must always stand. Other rules depending on the table include things such as dealers being required to hit on soft 17s. Payouts are usually 1:1 (meaning exactly what you bet) but natural blackjacks will return 3:2 profit for players, slightly increasing their overall odds. A tie hand results in a push.

To get your bearings in the game, trying playing for free money online at a website such as Bodog Casino.