Blackjack rules: Play it smart!

The game starts when the player places a bet (for example $20). The dealer then deals two cards to the player and two cards to himself (one of the dealers cards is facing down). The player then has the choice to stand or to hit. To hit means to take one more card.

The purpose is to get a hand-value as close to 21 but not over it. A player who hits and gets a hand-value over 21 immediately loses his bet. When the player is satisfied with his hand (for example 19, a ten and a nine, which is a pretty good hand) he stands. The dealer then turns his second card up, and if his hand-value is less than 16 or 16 he has to take one more card. If the dealers hand-value is 17 or more he has to stand.

Lets say that the dealer got a ten and a seven. He then has to stand and the hands are compared. The dealers 17 is not as close to 21 as the players (he got 19, remember!). The player won this time and he is payed double his bet (makes $40 with his bet of $20). The dealer collects the cards and we can start all over again.

The rules of the cards in Blackjack are as follows:
Cards 2-10 have their standard value.
Face cards (Jack, Queen and King), all have the value 10.
The Ace takes the value 1 or 11 depending on what the player chooses.

Note: If counting the ace as eleven would put the hand over twenty-one, the ace is automatically counted as one instead. You do not need to specify which value the Ace has as it's always assumed to have the value that makes the best hand.

The value of a hand is the sum of the values of the individual cards. For example, a hand containing a Jack, 3, and 4 has a value of 17.

The Blackjack Plays

Hit Rules: Request another card. You can request a hit as many times as you like, but if your total goes over twenty-one, you will bust and lose the hand.

Stand Rules: Request that you receive no more cards. The hand as it currently stands will be judged against the dealers.

Split Rules: If you have two cards of the same denomination, a Split button will appear. You can split your cards into two hands and play each hand separately. Your original bet will be duplicated for the new hand and each hand will be played out as usual. In the Las Vegas version, splitting is allowed only once. But in Atlantic City and Multi-User Blackjack, you may split up to 5 times.

Double/Double Down Rules: If you select this option, three things will happen: you will get exactly one more card, your turn will end, and your bet will be doubled. In the Las Vegas version of the game, doubling down is allowed on any two cards. In the Atlantic City variant, you can only double down on any two cards totaling 9, 10 or 11.

Surrender Rules: Surrender means to give up your hand. After you've been dealt 2 cards, some online casinos will give you the option to surrender your hand. For example, if you've been dealt two cards that you judge to be very poor cards, and the dealer's face card is very good like a 10 card or an ace, you may decide to surrender. If you do so, you will lose half of your bet. The remaining half goes back to you. This can be a wise move in cases where you are almost certain to lose to the dealer... better to lose half your bet than all of it!

Insurance Rules in Blackjack: Whenever the dealer's up card is an ace, the player has an option of clicking on the "Insurance " button. This is only done if the player believes that the dealer's down card is a 10-ranking card. Then the player is permitted to place a side bet of half the original wager as insurance. If the dealer does have a 10 ranking card, the player is immediately paid 2-to-1 on the insurance bet, but the original wager is lost unless the player too has a blackjack and pushes with the dealer. If the dealer does not have a natural twenty-one, the rest of the hand is played out as usual and you will lose your insurance money.

Click HERE to go to Lesson 2

Blackjack Rules : Lesson 1