Casino Ready: The Complete Rules of Blackjack

Learn How to Play Blackjack Online – Rule Variations and Objective

The game of blackjack is among the most well known. It’s played in all casino-friendly regions of the world. Many consider the rules to be simple to understand. After all, anyone who can count to 21 can figure it out. But the game has evolved a lot in recent years, especially since the dawn of internet and mobile gambling. Today, there are so many slight rule variations that can be enforced, literally hundreds of blackjack games exist online and on land.

We’re going to cover the object of the game first, since that particular aspect rarely changes. Then we’ll delve into the fundamentals of blackjack, followed by all the slight rule variations you should be looking out for, and what they mean.

The Object of Blackjack

The object of the game is rather simple. The hand that is closest to 21, without exceeding 21, wins. The hands that are competing are each player, individually, versus the dealer. So player 1 versus the dealer, player 2 versus the dealer, etc. Player hands never compete against one another. Thus, it doesn’t matter what any other player has. It’s your hand against the dealer’s hand – closest to 21 without busting (going over) wins.

Card Values: The value of each card is as follows—

• 2-10: Face value.
• J, Q, K: 10
• Ace: 1 or 11*

*An Ace will always carry the highest possible value, so long as it doesn’t bust the hand. In the case of 4-A-2, the Ace is 11, and the “soft” total 17. In the case of 4-A-9, the Ace is reduced to 1, and the “hard” total 14 (as opposed to a busted hand of 24).

Win, Lose, Push or Bust: If any hand exceeds 21, it is a bust. A busted hand automatically loses. Otherwise—

• When the player’s hand is higher than the dealer’s, the player wins.
• When the dealer’s hand is higher than the player’s, the dealer, or “house”, wins.
• Where the player and dealer hands tie, it is a “push”. No one wins or loses. The player’s bet is returned.

Note that some rule variations (below) may impact the objective of the game.

Player’s Hand – Basic Rules of Blackjack

The general rules of the game provide players with a range of decisions that can be made throughout the hand, depending on the current situation. These decisions will impact the result, for better or worse.

Decisions – Stand, Hit, Double, Split

Stand: To “stand” is to refuse any additional cards and keep the current total. If the current is 21, the player will automatically stand.

Hit: To “hit” is to take one additional card. A player can hit as many times as they wish, so long as their total does not meet or exceed 21. If the player hits, and the result causes the hand to bust, the player automatically loses.

Double Down: To “double down” is to double your bet and take one more card, agreeing to stand on whatever total may result. The rules of doubling can vary from one game to the next. Sometimes, it is only permissible to double when the player has a total of 9, 10, or 11. Some games only allow doubling on 10 or 11. Others are more liberal, permitting a double on any total. Furthermore, most rules (but not all) limit doubling to the first two cards only (i.e. no doubling after hitting).

Split: To “split” is to divide two exact same cards into two separate hands. Each card in the pair becomes the first card of two individual hands. The player must place an additional bet on the new hand. Then, the dealer will place a second card on the first hand, and ask the player to decide how to proceed. Once that hand is completed, a card is dealt to the second hand, followed by the player making decisions on that hand.

Splitting is only an option immediately after the deal, when the player’s original two cards pair. The cards must match in face, not just value. For example, you can split a pair of 4s, or 10s, or Kings, but you cannot split a 10 and King. They have the same point value, but their faces do not match.

Other Rules Available in Most Games

Insurance: When the dealer has an Ace showing, players are offered an opportunity to purchase “insurance”. The cost of insurance is equal to half the size of the player’s bet. Once all players have chosen to purchase or decline insurance, the dealer will peak at his or her bottom card. If the dealer declares blackjack, all player hands (except player blackjack) automatically lose. The original bet is collected, while all insurance bets are paid 2-to-1 (i.e. players who took insurance break even). If the dealer does not have blackjack, all insurance bets are lost, and the game proceeds as normal.

Early / Late Surrender: Most blackjack games will allow a player to surrender their hand before taking any action (early surrender), or after taking a hit (late surrender). To surrender is to forfeit the hand, but lose only half the bet.

Winning Hands and Payouts

There are two common ways to win a hand. The first is to achieve the objective of beating the dealer’s hand (closest to 21 without going over). This win results in a payout of even money. The other is to be dealt that oh-so-perfect hand, known as a “Blackjack”.

A blackjack occurs when any hand receives a natural total of 21 (first two cards only). A blackjack must consist of one Ace and one 10-point value card (10, J, Q or K). When a player is dealt blackjack, once it is their turn to act, they must turn up their cards (if they were face down) and declare blackjack. If the dealer offers insurance, the player may declare blackjack at the time of offer. Note that a two-card total of 21 after splitting a hand is jut a total of 21, not a natural blackjack.

A player blackjack will always win, unless the dealer also has blackjack. Most game rules call this a push. A few variants will give the player the win. In rare cases, however, a dealer blackjack wins against player blackjack. Be sure to check the rules of the game so you know what you’re up against.

There is a third way to win without besting the dealer, or receiving a blackjack. It’s a rule we call “Charlie”. It may be a 5-Card Charlie, 6-Card Charlie, or 7-Card Charlie. The number denotes how many

Dealer’s Hand – House Rules

While players are capable of making decisions on their own, the dealer must follow a strict code of conduct based on what’s known as “house rules”. The house rules will vary from one game to the next. We’ve supplied a complete list of common (and some uncommon) blackjack rule variants below.

By standard rules, the dealer’s first card is played face down, known as a “hole card”. The second card is dealt face up for all players to see; the “up card”.

If the dealer’s up card is an Ace, s/he will offer insurance, then check for blackjack. If the dealer has blackjack, the hand is over. Winning bets are paid, losing bets collected, and a new hand begins. If the dealer does not have blackjack, insurance bets (if any) are collected, and the hand continues.

Once all players have acted on their hands, the dealer will turn up his hole card to reveal the current hand total. Then, if—

• The dealer’s total is 16 or below, or soft 17, s/he will hit.
• The dealer’s total is 18 or above, or hard 17, s/he will stand.

Hard/Soft 17: A soft hand is one that contains an Ace that’s valued at 11. Thus hitting the hand cannot result in a bust. A hard hand is one that contains an Ace valued at 1, which means the hand’s total value is at least 12. Thus taking another card could result in a bust.

How to Play Blackjack Online or On Land

This next part depicts a sample run-through of game play, based on the standard rules above. Note that the rules are no different between online and in-person play, except that you’ll be pressing buttons online. In-person, you’ll place bets in the designated betting circles, and speak your intent to the dealer when taking actions. All you need to know is 1) never touch the cards, and 2) don’t touch the chips while a hand is in play.

For this step-by-step play-through of a hand, we’ll assume there are 4 players at the table, each competing against the dealer.

Sample Hand

1. All players place a bet within the table limits.
2. The dealer will deal out one card face up to each player, starting with the player in seat 1, then finally one card to himself face down.
3. The dealer will then place a second card face up for each player, and one face up for himself. It’s a 9.
4. Player 1 has A-K and declares, “blackjack!” He automatically beats the dealer. His is paid 3:2, and his cards are collected.
5. Player 2 has 5-7 (12) and chooses to hit. He receives an 7, and chooses to stand on 19.
6. Player 3 has 3-8 (11) and chooses to double down. He places a second bet next to the first one and states, “double“. The dealer gives him one more card, a 6. He automatically stands on 17.
7. Player 4 has A-2 (3 or 13) and chooses to hit. He receives a Jack (13), and elects to hit again. He is dealt a King. The hand busts with 23. He instantly loses. His bet and cards are collected.
8. Player 2 and Player 3 are the only participants who remain active in the hand. In a live game, the dealer will bid them good luck.
9. The dealer turns up his bottom card to reveal a hand of 9-9. By house rules, he must stand on this total of 18.
10. Player 2 wins, 19 over 18. He is paid 1:1 for the standard win.
11. Player 3 loses, 18 over 17. Both of his bets (original and double) are collected by the dealer, thus ending the hand.

Common Rule Variations in Blackjack

Above are the most basic rules of the game. There are many other rules that may or may not effect how the game is played. For instance, the dealer may be required to stand on soft 17, instead of hitting. Or, a game might have a “# Card Charlie” rule, meaning that a player who receives the designated number of cards, without busting, automatically wins the hand. Below is a descriptive list of rule variations you may come across in land-based or online casinos. You may also be interested in learning how common blackjack rule variations impact the house edge.