The Ins and Outs of Blackjack Rules – A Beginner’s Guide

Introducing You to the Game’s Concept and Basic Rules

You have a dealer in front of you, standing at a semicircular table with seven fields where he/she takes turns dealing cards to players and to him/herself from a dealing shoe filled with 1 to 8 decks of 52 cards. Each card has its own value and the goal is to gain a hand that is closer to 21 compared to the dealer’s. Other players do not affect you. Each player’s hand competes individually with the dealer’s. If the dealer or player goes over 21 he/she goes bust and automatically loses.

Before the game starts, each player must make a bet. After that is done, during the initial turn, starting from the left the dealer deals two cards per player and then two to him/herself.

All cards are face up except the second one the dealer gets which is called a hole-card.

If by chance the dealer or any of the players get a 21 with their initial two cards, they have a Blackjack and automatically win. If both the player and dealer get a Blackjack or another identical in value hand, it’s considered to be a Standoff which results in the player getting his money back.

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What Are the Card Values?

• The 2 to 9 cards are identical to their face value;
• The 10, Jack, Queen and King are worth 10;
• The Ace counts as 1 or 11 depending on whether the addition would mean a bust or not. For example if you have an 8 and an Ace, you can consider your hand equal to 19 or 10 . However if you get a five on your next hit, you have to add that to your 10 value because you would go bust in the other case.

When it comes to a hand's total worth, the dealer is supposed to play his/hers in a very particular way. After the players are done with their turn, he/she flips over his/her second card and if the sum is below 17, he/she has to keep drawing cards until it is. It should also be taken into account that some dealers can check if they have a Blackjack by taking a discreet look at their card.

What Actions Do You Take During the Game?

After you place your bets and begin playing you have to make quick decisions. Making the right ones and creating a strategy surrounding the actions you take is a major factor of winning and losing. The list bellow will provide you with the options you have in Blackjack:

1. Choosing to “Hit” - After you’ve been dealt your first two cards, if you want a higher collective amount, you can keep asking for another card as many times as you want. However this choice is often risky as you might pick a card with a value that would make you go bust.
2. Choosing to “Stand“ - You are satisfied with the hand you have and complete your turn.
3. Choosing “Double Down” - You can increase your bet up to twice the amount after which you only get one more card. The additional bet is placed in a betting box next to the main one.
4. Choosing to “Split” - If you receive a pair of matching in value cards such as a king and a ten then you can split them as separate hands with the second bet becoming the same amount as the initial one. You get an additional card for each split one. After that you may choose to stand, hit or double per hand. You can re-split until you get up to four hands. If you’re splitting aces, you only get one more card per ace. In case you get a ten and ace combination after splitting, this results in a non-blackjack total of 21. Sometimes doubling after splitting is prohibited.
5. Choosing to “Surrender” - You give up your hand and get half of what you bet back. Usually you’re allowed to do so if you consider your hand to be really bad and without hitting. An exception to the rule is if the dealer has a blackjack. Note that not all casinos have the Surrender option.
6. Taking the “Insurance” into Account - If a dealer’s up-card is an ace, you have the choice of making an insurance if you suspect that he/she has a Blackjack. In this case a wager of 2:1 payout is made with half your bet placed to the side. If a dealer has a Blackjack, you lose your original bet but get your insurance money. If you both have a Blackjack, you break even.

The Rules of Wagers and Payout

Here we will discuss how the wagers are handled per hand. After each play, the dealer has to decide which bets to pay and which to collect:

• Player’s Loss – In case the dealer has a Blackjack, a higher value than any of your hands or you bust you lose your wager.
• Higher Hand Wins – If you have a stronger hand without going bust or the dealer busts, you get your bet back plus the same amount on top.
• Blackjack 3:2 Win – If you have a Blackjack, you get paid 3 to 2. An example is getting a $15 win for a $10 bet. However, depending on the casino, payout might be 6 to 5.
• Split Wins – If for example you split your hands, each of them has a chance for a minimum of 1:1 payoff. Let’s say your original bet was $100. If you split your hands, you add another $100 to the second and if you win both you get four times the original wager.
• In Case of a Tie – When the dealer and you have the same card value this is what’s called a “push”. You do not win or lose your bet, you just get it back.

Thank you for reading!

We hope you’ve found this overview of Blackjack’s rules to be informative. We wish you the best of luck and much success. We also recommend you read up the rules of Blackjack Switch, Progressive Blackjack and Pontoon before you start playing. Have a pleasant game!