Basic Blackjack Rules
The basic rules of blackjack are very straightforward and easy to learn. They are easily applied to online as well as casino blackjack.
Each card has a numerical value which corresponds to the number displayed on the card. For example, a two is worth two, an eight is worth eight etc. Along with tens being worth ten, face cards also share this value. Aces are a special case, and can be worth either one or eleven. It is up to you to decide the value of the card, and you can do this at any point during the hand. For example, if you are dealt an ace after having an initial hand of 14, you can choose to have the value of the ace be one in order to not bust. A hand containing an ace is called a soft hand, and a hand with no aces is called a hard hand. A hard hand can only be counted one way, since all cards other than aces have a set value.
Each player lays down a bet to begin the game. The dealer then deals each player two cards, one at a time, starting with the player at his left and continuing clockwise. In singleand double-deck blackjack games, the cards are dealt face down. In all online casinos' blackjack games, as well as physical casinos' blackjack games that use a shoe (four or more decks), the cards are dealt face up. The dealer also deals himself two cards, one face up and one face down, no matter what the number of decks are being used. (The face-down card is also called the hole card).
Each player must add the value of his or her cards to determine what the hand is worth. For example, if you have a five and a seven, your hand is worth twelve. If you have a nine and a jack, your hand is worth nineteen. If you have an ace and six, you have a total of seventeen or seven. If you have a queen and an ace, you have twenty-one (you would never want to count the ace as one in this situation). That total is called a blackjack. If you are initially dealt a blackjack, this is called a natural.
Each player plays against the dealer and not each other. No matter how many players are sitting at your blackjack table, your object is to beat the dealer, so don't worry about the other players' hands. You can beat the dealer in two ways. If your cards total twenty-one or lower and that total is higher than the total of the dealer's hand, you win. If the dealer goes over twenty-one, then you win. Any value over twenty-one is called a busted hand. The same applies to you: if your hand total is over twenty-one, then you've busted and automatically lose.
Before proceeding to learn about the more complex aspects of the game, take a moment to familiarize yourself with the Blackjack Table Layout.
The dealer always plays his hand last. That means his face-down card remains unknown to the players until he turns it over to play his hand. It would be no challenge to the players if both the dealer's cards were turned face up at the beginning. In turn, it would also be unfair to the players if both the dealer's cards were face down. The players need to judge how to play their hands based on the dealer's face-up card and the total of their hand.
The reason the dealer deals the cards to the players face down when using one or two decks is that the use of only 52 or 104 cards makes it easier for the players to keep track of the cards that have been played. By dealing the cards face down, the dealer makes it tougher for players to count cards. By using three or more decks, which makes it more difficult to count cards, the house increases its advantage, so it allows the players to see each other's hand to compensate for the greater house advantage. The house only gains anywhere from .30 percent to .60 percent, depending on the number of decks being used.
The game begins when the dealer deals every player and himself two cards each. When the cards are dealt face down, you may only use one hand to pick up your cards; this rule is to prevent cheating. When the cards are dealt face up, you are not allowed to touch the cards at all. Play begins with the first player to the dealer's left (called first base). Each player in turn decides whether to take a hit (get another card) or to stand (stick with his or her two cards). You are allowed to hit your hand as many times as you like, until you decide to stand or you bust. The dealer will ask each player, usually with a hand signal, if he or she wants another card. As a player, you must respond with a hand signal. At an online casino, the game will usually prompt you to decide to hit or stand by illuminating the buttons (or by some other attention-grabbing method) at the appropriate time.
The signals differ according to the number of decks in use, that is, depending on whether the players are holding their cards (in one hand only) or the cards are lying on the table. In single or doubledeck games, if you want to take a hit, you scrape your cards toward you on the table, as if flicking crumbs. If you want to stand, then you tuck the cards under your chips, using just the one hand. In games using more than two decks, since you can't touch the cards, you use your fingers to signal. To signal a hit, you scrape the table in a pulling motion towards you. To stand, you wave your hand over your cards. This is much simpler at an online casino - all you do is move the mouse cursor over the buttons, and click.
Hand signals are very important and must be used when playing blackjack. The reason for the hand signals is to prevent cheating by the dealer and/or the players. The casino security personnel use cameras in the ceiling for surveillance of the games. Since the security cameras used in casinos don't have sound, personnel would be unable to monitor spoken questions and answers. By making the players use hand signals, the security personnel can make sure dealers and players aren't cheating.
After receiving your two cards, you may have four choices to make before proceeding to play your hand: split pairs, double down, surrender, and take insurance. Click on one of the links to learn more, or just click next below.
Next... Splitting Pairs
