How to play blackjack
Blackjack is you against the dealer: get closer to 21 than the dealer without going over. Here are the rules, start to finish, in five minutes.
In short: cards 2–10 count their number, J, Q and K count 10, and an ace counts 1 or 11. You and the dealer each get two cards. You choose to hit (take a card), stand, double down or split. Go over 21 and you lose. The dealer then draws to 17 or more. Closer to 21 wins, and a two-card 21 (a blackjack) pays 3 to 2.
On this page
The goal
You win by finishing closer to 21 than the dealer, or by staying at 21 or under while the dealer goes over (busts). The other players at the table don’t matter: each of them plays their own hand against the dealer, and nobody plays against anyone else.
The catch is the order. You act first, so if you bust, you lose right away, even if the dealer busts later. That one rule is where the house gets its edge.
What the cards are worth
- 2 through 10: their number.
- Jack, queen and king: 10 each.
- Ace: 1 or 11, whichever helps the hand. A hand with an ace counted as 11 is a soft hand (A,6 is “soft 17”), because one more card can’t bust it: the ace just drops to 1. Every other hand is hard.
Suits don’t matter in the main game.
How a round goes
- Bet. Put your chips in the betting circle before the cards come out. The sign on the table shows the minimum and maximum bet.
- The deal. Each player gets two cards, usually face up in a shoe game. The dealer gets one card face up (the upcard) and one face down (the hole card).
- The dealer checks for blackjack. In most US games, when the upcard is an ace or a 10-value card, the dealer peeks at the hole card. With a blackjack, the dealer turns it over and the round ends: everyone loses except players who also have a blackjack, who push. With an ace showing, you’re offered insurance first (see below).
- You play your hand. Players act one at a time, starting from the dealer’s left. You keep taking cards until you stand, double, or bust.
- The dealer plays. The dealer turns over the hole card and draws by fixed rules (below). The dealer makes no choices.
- Settle. Every hand still in play is paid, pushed or taken.
Your choices
- Hit: take another card. You can hit as many times as you like until you stand or bust.
- Stand: take no more cards.
- Double down: double your bet and take exactly one more card. Usually allowed only on your first two cards.
- Split: with two cards of the same value, put out a second bet equal to the first and play them as two separate hands, each getting a second card. Split aces usually get only one card each. Many tables let you double after splitting.
- Insurance: when the dealer shows an ace, a side bet of up to half your bet that pays 2 to 1 if the dealer has blackjack. By basic strategy, never take it.
- Surrender (only some tables): give up your hand and get half your bet back. The game this site teaches has no surrender.
Which choice is right depends on your hand and the dealer’s upcard. That’s exactly what basic strategy tells you, for every hand.
What the dealer does
The dealer hits until the hand totals 17 or more, then stands. The one difference between tables is soft 17: at some tables the dealer stands on soft 17, at others the dealer hits it. Standing is better for you; the felt says which rule the table uses (“Dealer stands on all 17s” or “Dealer hits soft 17”).
How you get paid
- A win pays even money: bet $10, win $10.
- A blackjack (an ace and a 10-value card as your first two cards) pays 3 to 2: bet $10, win $15. Avoid tables that pay 6 to 5 for a blackjack: that one rule costs you about 1.4% of everything you bet.
- A tie is a push: you keep your bet.
- 21 after a split counts as 21, not as a blackjack, and pays even money.
What to learn next
- Basic strategy: the best play for every hand. It cuts the house edge to about 0.4%.
- Playing in a casino: buying in, hand signals, tipping and table manners.
- Card counting, once basic strategy is automatic.
Quick answers
What is a soft hand in blackjack?
A hand with an ace counted as 11, like A,6 (soft 17). One more card can’t bust it, because the ace can drop to 1.
Does the dealer hit on soft 17?
It depends on the table, and the felt says which. Standing on soft 17 is better for players. The game these guides teach has the dealer stand.
What does blackjack pay?
A blackjack (an ace and a 10-value card as your first two cards) pays 3 to 2 at a good table. Avoid tables that pay 6 to 5: that rule costs about 1.4% of everything you bet.
If I bust and the dealer busts too, who wins?
The dealer. You act first, so a hand that busts loses right away, before the dealer plays.
Is 21 after a split a blackjack?
No. It counts as 21 and pays even money.