How to Play Blackjack

Objective

Every player plays against the dealer, never against each other. You want a hand total closer to 21 than the dealer’s, without going over. Go over 21 and you bust: your bet is lost right away, even if the dealer busts later in the same round.

Number cards count their face value. Jacks, queens and kings count 10. An ace counts 1 or 11, whichever helps you more. A hand with an ace counted as 11 is called soft (ace-6 is a soft 17), because one more card cannot bust it.

Setup

In a casino the house always deals. At home, pick a dealer and agree how long they keep the job, then give every player the same stack of chips. Each player places a bet in front of them before any cards come out.

The dealer gives one card to each player and one to themself, then a second card to each player and a second to themself. In most casinos the players’ cards are dealt face up. The dealer’s play is fixed, so there is nothing to hide. The dealer ends up with one card face up (the upcard) and one face down (the hole card).

How to play

If the dealer’s upcard is an ace, the dealer offers insurance before anything else. In most casinos the dealer then checks the hole card when showing an ace or a ten-value card. If it makes a blackjack, the hand is over: everyone loses their bet except a player who also has a blackjack, who gets the bet back.

Otherwise, starting on the dealer’s left, each player finishes their hand. Hit to take another card, as many times as you like. Stand to keep what you have. Double down to double your bet and take exactly one more card. Split a pair to turn it into two hands, putting up a second bet equal to the first, and play each hand separately. Split aces get only one card each, and an ace with a ten after a split counts as 21, not blackjack.

Once every player is done, the dealer turns over the hole card and plays by fixed rules: hit on 16 or less, stand on 17 or more. The dealer never doubles, splits or makes a choice. If the dealer busts, every player still in the hand wins.

1. 1Place your bet before the deal
2. 2Compare your two cards with the dealer’s upcard
3. 3Hit, stand, double down or split
4. 4Stop when you stand or bust over 21
5. 5The dealer plays out the house hand by fixed rules

Scoring

Each bet is settled as soon as the dealer finishes. A player’s blackjack beats any other 21, including a 21 made with three or more cards. If you and the dealer finish on the same total, it is a push and your bet comes back to you.

Watch for tables that pay 6 to 5 on a blackjack instead of 3 to 2. That one change costs players more than almost any other rule on the felt.

Variations

Home-game deal: in the traditional home version, a player dealt a blackjack when the dealer does not have one takes over as dealer for the next round, so the house moves around the table.

Surrender: some tables let you give up half your bet after seeing your first two cards, before you take any other action. It is worth using on a hard 16 against a dealer ten.

Pontoon: the British cousin. Both dealer cards stay face down, you “twist” to hit and “stick” to stand, and a five-card hand that stays under 21 beats everything except a pontoon (an ace and a ten-value card).

Tips from the table

Learn a little basic strategy and you will play close to even with the house. Stand on hard 13 through 16 when the dealer shows 2 to 6, and hit them when the dealer shows 7 or higher.

Always split aces and eights. Never split tens or fives: twenty is a strong hand, and a pair of fives is better played as a 10 you can double down on.

Double down on 11 unless the dealer shows an ace, and on 10 against a dealer 2 to 9.

Skip insurance. It is a side bet that the dealer has a ten in the hole, and over time it loses money for anyone not counting cards.

Frequently asked