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One of the traditional casino banking games that involve strategy and a dash of fortune, blackjack is the most popular and widely played card game in the world. Blackjack is played with the standard 52-card pack and is one of the descendants of the set of casino banking games called the "twenty-one" games, which include some of the other well-known card games like Pontoon. Whether you are playing for money in a casino or best online blackjack sites, or simply for recreation with some friends, you have to be aware of the basic rules of blackjack.
One reason blackjack is so popular is the fact that it's so basic—anyone can learn to play and have fun. And yet, because there is also a strategy aspect to it, even more proficient players can make their odds at winning better.
The Goal of the Game
As mentioned above, the concept of the game is simple. Every player would prefer to beat the dealer with a value of 21 or as close to 21 as possible—without going over.
When the value of your hand is over 21, that is called a "bust." When you bust, the dealer takes your cards and what you've wagered on that hand.
Card Values and Hand Combinations
The most important part of the rules is being aware of the worth of all the cards.
- Numbered cards from 2 to 10 have the face value.
- For instance, a 5 of diamonds would be worth 5 points.
- Face cards—Jack, Queen, King—are each worth 10 points.
The Ace is the most flexible of blackjack cards. It is either 1 or 11, whichever suits your hand. With the flexibility, an Ace dodges busts and is a good card to have.
One can achieve 1,326 two-card combinations in blackjack. The most famous hand, naturally, is the blackjack itself—a hand of an Ace and any card of value 10 (10, Jack, Queen, or King). This hand adds up to exactly 21 and typically is an automatic win, even if someone else gets 21 with a higher number of cards.
If a player draws 21 using four or more cards, the case is a bit different. While a good hand, this can be matched by the dealer to form a tie or "push."
Game Mechanics and Basic Rules
There is a bet placed by each player in a space on the table prior to a round. The minimums and maximums of the table are generally posted on the table in a casino. The minimum bets will be between £1 and £100, and the high-limit tables are over £10,000 per hand.
Next, the dealer shuffles the deck. Six 52-card decks, 312 cards, are used in most casino blackjack. As a discouragement to card counting, a plastic "cut card" is inserted half-way through the deck—a standard security measure.
How the Game Begins
Once all of the players have placed bets on all of their bets, they are each dealt a card face up. The dealer gets one, but the face down. They do this again: players get their second card face up, the dealer gets a second face-up card.
The players each have two cards showing. The dealer has one card showing and one card hidden.
- If the player got blackjack and not the dealer, then the player is paid out at once in a 3:2 (1.5 times their initial bet) odds.
- If the dealer gets blackjack as well, then the hand is pushed.
- If only the dealer gets blackjack, then all other players lose their bets—except those that get blackjack as well.
Player Options
Hit and Stand
They may "hit" (take another card) or "stand" (keep their existing hand). They need to get as near to 21 as possible without going over it. They can keep hitting until they are content or bust.
The player may "double down" if he has 9, 10, or 11 in his first hand. It is a doubling of the original bet for getting an extra card—face down—in which no cards can be drawn further. The result is revealed at the end of the round.
Split
If the player is dealt two cards of the same value (two Kings, for instance), they have the option to "split" them into separate hands. The double bet is made, and each of the new hands is played separately. Cards are drawn and the player plays each hand separately.
Surrender
Blackjack Surrender
There are certain blackjack tables that allow the players to "surrender" their hand before drawing more cards. If the player does so, the player loses half of their original bet and the hand is played through. Surrendering removes the player from playing in the round, even if the dealer eventually busts.
Early Surrender
This unusual rule permits a player to fold his hand prior to the dealer's check for blackjack. This is somewhat helpful in certain instances.
Late Surrender
Accessible more frequently in live and internet games, late surrender permits a player to fold subsequent to the dealer's check for blackjack.
House rules need to be confirmed, since not all tables permit surrenders.
Dealer Rules and Procedures
You are competing against the dealer in blackjack, so it's essential to know their rules. Once all the players have finished their turns, the dealer opens their face-down card.
- If the dealer's total is 17 or more, they must stand.
- If the total is 16 or less, they must hit.
- The dealer has no choice and their actions are mechanical.
Soft 17 is an exception, a hand that holds an Ace worth 11 (i.e., Ace + 6). In some casinos, the dealer must draw soft 17. Hard 17 is a 17-point hand that holds no Ace or an Ace worth 1.
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