Blackjack Rules

The Blackjack rules are fairly simple. The Blackjack table seats a dealer and one or more players.

According to the Blackjack rules, both dealer and players have to get as close to 21 as possible by drawing a number of cards. The numerical values of the cards are: (10, J, Q, K) = 10; (Ace) = 1 or 11; (Other cards) = face value (7= 7). A Blackjack occurs when the dealer or a player draw an ace and a ten (10, J, Q, K). A Blackjack usually pays 3 to 2. This means that if you bet 20 dollars, you will win a further 30 dollars on a Blackjack.

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The players of the game are all playing against the dealer. First you make your bet, and next the players receive two cards face up. The dealer receives one card down and one card up. Here is an example:

We receive a 10 and a jack, in total a value of 20. The dealer gets a queen, and his hand has the value 10 at this point. Now the player has to decide what to do. Here are the possibilities:

Hit means that the player draws another card. This is often a good idea when your hand has a low value. In that case you can often hit several times until your hand has a higher value. This, however, can also be risky, as you may exceed 21, in which case you will lose the game instantly. In this example it is too dangerous to ask for another card. The risk of getting more than 21 by drawing another card is high.

Stand means than the player chooses not to get any more cards. With a high-value hand the right decision is to stand.

Double, or ’Double down’ means to double your bet while receiving one - and only one - additional card.

Split means to split up your hand in two and to bet the same amount on both hands. This can only be done when both cards has the same value. After splitting, the player plays two hands simultaneously, and in some casinos it is even possible to split into four hands. Note, however, that it is never a good idea to split two 10’s, as a hand with a value of 20 is quite strong without splitting.

In this example we chose Stand, and the turn goes to the dealer. If the dealers hand is 16 or less, he must take a card. If the dealers hand is 17 or more, he must stand. Note that some casinos allow the dealer to hit on soft 17, which gives the house a very small additional advantage. The play of the dealer is independent of what cards the players have.

The dealer now turns the card he received face down. This turns out to be a 6, and having a total of 16 the dealer must draw again.

The next card is a king (i.e.10), which means that the dealer’s hand has the value 26, which is higher than 21. This is called a ‘bust’ and results in the dealer losing this round. The player wins the same amount he bet, i.e. if he bet 10 dollars he would win an additional 10 dollars. If the player and the dealer’s hands have the same value, the player will get back the money he bet in that round. This is called a ‘push’.

Read more about Blackjack on our page about Blackjack strategy

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