How To Play Blackjack

How to Play Blackjack
Basic Blackjack Strategy
Advanced Blackjack Strategy
Blackjack Words

Best Blackjack

Object of the Game
The object of the game is to get a hand of cards that total closer to 21 than the hand that the dealer makes without going over 21. Blackjack is played one on one against the dealer, other players don't affect your game, only one thing matters the play between you and the dealer.

There are three groups of cards in Blackjack:

A card 2 through 9 is valued at its face value.
The cards 10, Jack, Queen and King have a value of 10.
The Ace is a special card and can have a value of either 1 or 11 depending on player preference.

Playing the Game
Play starts with the dealer dealing two cards to everyone at the table him/herself included. The first card is dealt face up to all, but the second card is dealt face up to the players and face down to the dealer.

The players go first. If the player's first two cards are an Ace and one with a value of 10 you have a Blackjack, this is an automatic win unless the dealer ties your hand by also getting a Blackjack. If you don't have a Blackjack then you have two options:

"stand" (do nothing, hoping you have a winning hand).
"hit" (draw another card hoping to better your hand without going over 21). If you go over 21("bust") you automatically lose, even if the dealer busts when it's his/her turn.

The dealer plays after all the players have finished with their hands. After he/she finishes wagers are settled and the table is ready for the next game.

Blackjack Betting
All wagers are made before play starts. When a player busts he/she loses immediately the bet is collected and his/her turn is over. After all the players have finished the dealer takes his/her turn. In the event the dealer busts all the remaining players win, if the dealer doesn't bust then the remaining player hands are compared to the dealer's hand. A player with a Blackjack wins 3 to 2 (a $2 bet wins $3) other winning players (with a hand totalling closer to 21 than the dealer's hand) win even money. A player who has a losing hand forfeits their bets.

The Insurance Bet is a betting option available in Blackjack. Insurance betting is available when the dealer's face up card is an Ace (the dealer will ask the table if anyone wishes to place an insurance bet) and you want to bet the dealer will get Blackjack. This is a side bet that doesn't change the original bet. Winning insurance bets pay 2 to 1, but with the dealer having a Blackjack a player's original bet will lose unless they have a Blackjack of their own.

Blackjack Options

Surrendering is permitted at some casinos. When a player decides they can't make a winning hand using the original two cards dealt to them they announce that they "surrender". Play stops with this player. The dealer removes half of the players bet, collects the player's cards and starts a new game with the next player at the table. Some casinos make you announce your surrender decision before the dealer starts dealing. Splitting Pairs is an option available if the initial two cards dealt have the same point value. A player can double his/her bet, split the cards and play each one individually. When the pair to be split is Aces some different rules come into play:

Usually you can only play one additional card on each of the Aces.
When the second card is valued at 10 the resulting hand has a value of 21 (it is not a Blackjack). This two card hand will win when the dealer's hand totals 21 but will not win if the dealer gets a Blackjack.
The players winning hand only pays even money.

Doubling Down is done if a player thinks he/she can beat the dealers hand by drawing one more card to the original pair. Players then double the initial bet and draw one more card. Many casinos allow the player to double down with any hand, but some restrict doubling down to hands with an initial pair value of 9, 10 or 11.