Blackjack Rules - Learn to Play Blackjack

Before starting to explain the rules, we recommend that you download the casino software from one of our featured casinos, and register as a guest, so you can play Blackjack for free. We recommend this because when you have the casino software open and play the game, the rules of Blackjack will be much easier to understand, and you will learn the game much faster.

The goal of Blackjack is to get closer to 21 than the dealer, without going over 21. Note that you are not playing against other players on the table, only against the dealer. The dealer also has no choices to make, as his play is clearly dictated by the rules.

Hand values are calculated by adding the value of all cards on the hand, using these values:
Aces count either 11 or 1, depending on which value gives the player a better hand without going over 21 and therefore busting.
10s, Jacks, Queens and Kings all count 10.
The other cards all count at face value (9 counts as 9, 8 as 8, etc.).
The suit of the cards have no meaning in Blackjack, and can therefore be ignored!

After bets are made, the dealer gives everybody 2 cards. The players cards are dealt face up, and one of the dealers cards is also shown face up. Then, the dealer will play with the player sitting on the right site of the table, from your point of view. This player will then try to get as close to 21, without going over 21. Once, the first player is done, the next player will play his hand, and so on.

At the end, the dealer plays his hand. As I stated earlier, the dealer doesn't make any choices. He has to hit until he gets between 17 and 21. There are 2 different set of rules possible for the dealer. First, he might have to stand on all 17's, meaning that if he has A6, he have to stand, just like if he has 10 & 7. The other option is that he has to hit on soft 17. A soft hand value always refers to a had value that has an Ace in it, counting 11. So, in this case, the dealer would have to hit again when holden A & 6, while he would stand when holding 10 & 7. He would also have to stand when holding Ace & 6 & 5 & 5, as this is also a hard 17 because the Ace would only be valued at 1 in this case. But, the set of rules used will be shown on the table, where it will state either that "Dealer stands on all 17s", or "Dealer hits Soft 17"!

In Blackjack, when you win your hand, you get paid at 1 to 1, meaning for each dollar bet, you will win 1 dollar and get your original bet amount back. The only exception to that is if you hit a Blackjack. A blackjack is when you have 21 with your first 2 cards, meaning that if you have an Ace and a card counting 10, you have a Blackjack, and will usually get paid 3 to 2, meaning that should you bet $10 and you hit a blackjack, you will win $15 and get your original $10 back. Should you have 2 Aces on your hand and split them and then hit a 10 on one of these Aces, it's not a blackjack. A blackjack beats all hands from the Dealer, except if the dealer also has a Blackjack.

When drawing your hand, you, as the player, have several choices to make:
Hitting / Standing: This is the decision you have to make most commonly. You have to decide if you want another card to increase your chances of getting closer to 21 than the dealer will get to it, or if you think that you have a good hand, and will beat the dealer. For more information, on what the best strategy is in various situations, visit our BlackJack Strategy section.
Splitting Pairs: When your first two cards are a pair (8 & 8, for example), you can decide if you want to split your cards and play 2 separate hands, each one using one card of the pair. When you do this, you will also have to put another bet on the table, which is the same amount as your original bet. For example, you are betting $10 on the hand. You get 9 & 9. Now, if you want to split your hand and start each new hand with a 9, you will have to bet another $10. Then, these two hands play completely separate. Should you end up winning both hands, you will get $20 back in winnings and your original $20, should you win only one, you will get a total of $20 back, should you win none, you lost your $20 you bet.
Should you then get an additional pair (you have 8 & 8, split the hand, and get another 8), you might be able to split this new pair again. But, this varies from casino to casino and you should check on this rule before playing.
Doubling Down: This play can be very profitable, if done right. You can double your bet if you think that you will win the hand. This play can only be done after you received your first 2 cards. You are not able to double down after that. When doubling down, you will have to add the amount that you are betting to your bet. For example, if your original bet is $10 and you want to double down, you will have to bet an additional $10, making your total bet $20. When doubling down, you will only receive 1 more card to complete your hand. Some casinos allow you to double down on any 2 cards, while others allow you to double down only when you have 9, 10 or 11. Please check the casino rules to see which method of doubling down is allowed. For more information on when to double down your hand, visit our BlackJack Strategy section.
Surrender: Surrender is an option only available at a few casinos, and is therefore not used very often. It basically means that, after everybody has their first 2 cards, you can give up your hand and get paid back half of your bet. That way, you can minimize your loses. So, for example, you bet $10 on the hand and you don't think that you will win. Instead of losing all $10, you can surrender, and get $5 back, for a $5 loss. But, remember that in order to break even when not surrendering, you will only have to win 1 out of 4 hands, which is the reason why surrender is not used very often, if it's even offered by the casino. For more information, visit the BlackJack Strategy section.
Insurance: When the dealer shows an Ace, you have to option of purchasing insurance. You can bet up to half the amount of your original bet on Insurance, to protect yourself from the dealer having a blackjack. Should you take insurance and the dealer has a blackjack, you will lose your original bet, but win the insurance bet at the odds of 2 to 1. This basically means that if you bet half the amount of your original bet on your insurance bet, you will get all the money back that you bet, without any loses or gains, which is the reason this bet is called insurance bet. The insurance bet is also a bet that should usually not be taken, as it offers the house a big edge.

Now, you should know everything there is to know about how to play Blackjack. We highly recommend that you play a few hands of blackjack on the casino software you can download at the online casinos. There, you can play for free, so you can practise your blackjack skills and understanding of the rules without having to worry about losing money. To learn more about Blackjack, especially with regard to basic strategy, visit our our BlackJack Strategy section. Should you just be interested in playing blackjack at an online casino now, visit one of our recommended internet casinos listed in our Blackjack Casinos section.