Blackjack is a popular card game found in casinos, both online and in physical establishments. It’s a game of chance where the objective is to beat the dealer by having a hand value closer to 21 without exceeding it.
As a game refresher, here’s a detailed explanation of how a typical game of Blackjack works, so you know how to play the next time you enter the online Blackjack section on your chosen casino site.
Basic setup
- Deck: Blackjack is usually played with one or more standard 52-card decks. The number of decks used can vary, but six or eight decks are standard in casinos.
- Players: The game can be played by one or more players, with each player competing against the dealer, not against each other.
- Cards and values:
- Number cards (two-10) are worth their face value.
- Face cards (Jack, Queen, King) are each worth 10 points.
- Aces can be worth either one or 11 points, depending on which value benefits the hand more.
Objective
- The main goal in Blackjack is to have a hand value as close to 21 as possible without going over (which is known as ‘busting’). You must have a higher hand value than the dealer to win.
How the game is played
- Placing bets: Before any cards are dealt, you can place your bet in the betting circle on the table.
- Dealing the cards:
- The dealer deals two cards to each player and two cards to themselves.
- Players’ cards are usually dealt face up, while the dealer has one card face up (known as the upcard) and one card face down (the hole card).
- Player’s turn:
- Hit: You can ask for another card if you think their hand can improve without busting. You can keep hitting until you either decide to stand or go bust.
- Stand: If you are satisfied with your hand total, you can choose to stand, meaning you won’t take any more cards.
- Double down: After receiving your first two cards, you can choose to double your initial bet and receive only one more card. This option is typically chosen when you feel confident that one more card will give you a winning hand.
- Split: If your first two cards are of the same value (e.g., two eights), you can split them into two separate hands. You then play each hand individually, placing an additional bet equal to your original bet on the second hand.
- Surrender: Some versions of Blackjack allow you to surrender after the first two cards are dealt, forfeiting half your bet and ending your round.
- Dealer’s turn:
- Once all players have completed their turns, the dealer reveals their face-down card.
- The dealer must hit until their card total is 17 or higher. However, if the dealer’s hand totals 17 with an Ace counted as 11 (a soft 17), the dealer may either stand or hit, depending on the casino’s rules.
- If the dealer busts (goes over 21), all remaining players win.
Winning the game
- Blackjack: If your first two cards are an Ace and a 10-point card, you have a Blackjack. This is an automatic win unless the dealer also has a Blackjack, in which case it’s a tie (or ‘push’).
- Beating the dealer: If your hand is closer to 21 than the dealers without busting, you win and are paid even money (1:1) on your bet. If you win with a Blackjack, you are typically paid at 3:2.
- Push: If both you and the dealer have the same hand total, the round is a ‘push’, and your bet is returned.
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