Blackjack Rules and Terms
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Blackjack Rules and Terms
The game of blackjack comes in many shapes and sizes:
classic blackjack, Atlantic City blackjack, Vegas Strip blackjack, and many
more. The many variations on the game make blackjack interesting and exciting,
and help ensure that you will find a blackjack game that is just right for you.
On the other hand, you might worry that all these blackjack games will create too much confusion. How, you might be asking, can I possibly learn all the rules of all these games? In truth, there is no need to worry. The rules of all these blackjack games are 90 percent the same; the differences are only in the details.
On this page, you will learn the basic rules of how to play blackjack. Once you understand these basic rules, you will find it easy to learn the specific blackjack rules of any particular blackjack game.
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The Blackjack Cards
The goal in blackjack is to get a hand whose value comes as close as possible to
21, without going over. If your hand goes over 21, you "bust" and automatically lose.
Blackjack is played with anywhere from one to eight decks of cards. These are
standard 52-card decks; there are no jokers. The 2 through 10 cards each have a
value equal to their normal face value. Face cards (jacks, queens, and kings)
have a value of 10.
An ace can be worth either 1 or 11, whichever is more advantageous. A hand with
an ace valued at 11 is called a "soft hand"; thus, a hand comprised of a 2, 4, and ace is a "soft 17." A hand with an ace valued at 1 is a "hard hand"; a hand made up of 7, 9, and ace is a "hard 17."
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Starting the Blackjack Game
At the start of the blackjack game, you are dealt two cards, both face up. The
dealer is also dealt two cards: one face up (the "up card") and one face down (the "hole card"). If your two cards are an ace and a 10-value card - congratulations! You have blackjack! Blackjack automatically wins, and it pays off at odds of 3 to 2. (Unless the dealer also has blackjack, in which case the hand is a tie, known as a "push.")
If you do not have blackjack with your first two cards, then it is time to play
your hand.
Playing Your Blackjack Hand
After examining your cards and the dealer's up card, you play your hand by taking one of the following actions:
- Stand: You take no more cards, and the action passes to the dealer to play his hand.
- Hit: You ask for another card. You may continue to hit and continue receiving more cards until you
decide to stand, or until you "bust" (go over 21).
- Double Down: You double your bet, receive one (and only one) more card, and then stand. In some
blackjack games, you may double down on any two cards; in others, you may double down only if your
two-card total is 9, 10, or 11.
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- Insurance: In some blackjack games, if the dealer's up card is an ace, you may take out insurance
against the dealer's blackjack. The insurance bet is equal to half of your regular bet. If the dealer does
have blackjack, your insurance bet pays out 2 to 1; if the dealer does not have blackjack, you lose the
insurance bet and continue playing your hand with your regular bet.
- Surrender: In some blackjack games, if you think you are likely to lose the hand, you may surrender
the hand and lose only half of your bet.
- Split: If your first two cards are the same denomination, you may split the hand. Each of the two identical
cards becomes the first card in a new hand, the amount of your original bet is placed on each of the
resulting hands (effectively doubling your bet), each of your two hands receives a second card, and you
play each hand separately pursuant to the regular blackjack rules.
Some of the variations in the splitting rule are as follows. In some blackjack
games, if one of your new hands after splitting contains two of the same
denomination, you may split that hand as well; this is known as resplitting.
Other blackjack games do not allow resplitting. In some blackjack games, you may
split two 10-value cards of different denominations, such as a jack and a queen;
in others, you may split only two cards of the exact same denomination. In some
blackjack games, you may double down after splitting; in some, you may not. In
some blackjack games, if you split aces, each ace receives one additional card
and no more; in others, you may choose to hit after splitting aces.
If you received blackjack and the dealer did not, you win the hand. If you surrender or bust, you lose and the hand is over. Otherwise, after you have finished playing your hand, it is the dealer's turn to play his hand.
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The Dealer's Blackjack Hand
Unlike you, the dealer has no discretion in how to play his hand. His moves are
strictly determined by the blackjack rules. These are the rules by which the
dealer is bound:
- Hit: If the value of the dealer's hand is 16 or less, the dealer must hit.
- Stand: With a hard 17, or with 18 or more, the dealer must stand.
- Soft 17: Soft 17 is where the rules differ between different blackjack games. In some games, the dealer must hit on soft 17; in others he must stand. The rule pertaining to your particular game will be printed on the felt of the blackjack table.
Winning at Blackjack
If you get blackjack - an ace and a 10-value card as your first two cards - and
the dealer does not, you win a payout of 3 to 2. All other wins in blackjack pay
out at a normal rate of 1 to 1.
If you stand without busting, and the dealer busts, you win the hand.
If neither you nor the dealer busts, the hand with the higher value (in other words, the hand closest to 21) wins.
If your hand and the dealer's hand have the same value, the hand is a tie, known as a "push." You neither gain nor lose any money.
Rules for Different Blackjack Variations
Most blackjack variations - such as classic blackjack, Atlantic City blackjack,
Vegas Strip blackjack, and Downtown Vegas blackjack - follow the rules described
on this page. The differences are in the fine points of the particular blackjack
game. Some blackjack games allow surrender or insurance or resplitting; others
do not. Some blackjack games allow doubling down on any two cards; some only on
certain combinations. In some games, the dealer stands on soft 17; in others, he
hits. The specific rules of each particular game are clearly stated in the Help
screen of the game, so you will never have to guess.
Some blackjack variations have more unusual rules. In Double Exposure blackjack, for example, both of the dealer's cards are dealt face up. In Spanish blackjack, the 10s are removed from the deck, so you are playing with a 48-card deck. For the rules of these and other off-the-beaten-path blackjack games, please see Blackjack Variations.
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Blackjack Strategy:
Blackjack basic strategy, card counting, shuffle tracking.
Blackjack Rules:
Learn the rules of blackjack and the definitions of blackjack terms.
Blackjack Hall of Fame:
Profiles of the greatest blackjack thinkers, writers, and players.
Online vs. Land-Based Blackjack:
The pros and cons of playing blackjack online or on land.
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Blackjack Tips:
Tips to help you play blackjack smarter and better.
Blackjack History:
The fascinating story of blackjack, from vingt-et-un to online blackjack.
Blackjack Betting Systems:
Progressive betting systems claim they will make you money.
Blackjack Variations:
Double Exposure, Pontoon, Triple Sevens, Spanish Blackjack, and more. |
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