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Lesson 1.2 Blackjack basics
One Blackjack Round, Step by Step: From Bet to Payout
In this lesson you follow one full round of online blackjack, from the first chip to the payout. After it, you will know the six steps in order, what the dealer peek is, and what happens when you or the dealer bust.
The six steps of a round
Every round follows the same six steps in this order.
- Bet – you place your chips.
- Deal – the cards come out.
- Peek – the dealer may check for blackjack.
- Your decisions – you play your hand.
- Dealer plays – the dealer finishes the dealer's hand.
- Payouts – each bet wins, loses or ties.
After the deal, the table looks like this: your two cards and the dealer's face-up card.
Say the name of each step to yourself in your first rounds. Soon you will know what comes next without thinking.
Bet, deal and the dealer peek
You click a chip to place your bet. Then the software deals the cards.
Your two cards are face up. The dealer's face-up card is the up card, and the face-down card is the hole card.
When the up card is an ace or a 10-value card (10, J, Q or K), the dealer peeks – looks at the hole card – to check for blackjack. Blackjack is an ace plus a 10-value card as the first two cards.
- Dealer has blackjack: the round ends. You lose, unless you also have blackjack. Then it is a push – a tie, and you get your bet back.
- Dealer has no blackjack: the round goes on to your decisions.
With an ace showing, the dealer offers insurance before the peek. Insurance is a side bet that costs up to half your original bet.
Your decisions and the bust
Now you play your hand. You keep making moves until you stand, double or go over 21.
- Hit – take one more card.
- Stand – keep your total and end your turn.
- Double – double your bet, take exactly one more card, and end your turn.
- Split – turn a pair (two cards of the same value) into two hands, with a bet on each.
You have hard 16 – a total with no ace counted as 11. The strategy chart row shows the move against each up card.
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | S | S | S | S | H | H | H | H | H |
Against a 10, the chart says hit. You hit and draw an 8.
Your total is now over 21. You bust – go over 21 – and lose your bet right away.
Your bet stays lost even if the dealer busts later in the round.
If the dealer plays on after you bust, watch the dealer's moves. It is a free way to learn the dealer rules.
The dealer plays, then the payouts
When every player is done, the dealer turns over the hole card. The dealer makes no choices – fixed rules decide every move.
- Total of 16 or less: the dealer hits.
- Total of 17 or more: the dealer stands.
- One exception: on soft 17 – a 17 with an ace counted as 11 – the dealer hits in the standard rules.
Here the dealer has hard 17, so the dealer stands. If the dealer goes over 21, the dealer busts, and every hand still in play wins.
The chart shows how often the dealer busts with each up card.
Dealer up card along the bottom; how often the dealer goes over 21 above each bar (6 decks, dealer hits soft 17, before any check for blackjack).
If the dealer stands, your total is compared with the dealer's total. The higher total wins.
| Result | What you get |
|---|---|
| Blackjack (dealer has none) | Paid 3:2 plus your bet back |
| Win (higher total or dealer busts) | Paid 1:1 plus your bet back |
| Push (same total) | Your bet back |
| Loss (lower total or you bust) | You lose your bet |
The cards are cleared, and the next round starts with a new bet. Digital online games usually reshuffle the cards every round.
The payout calculator works out any amount.
Practice: 25 hands
Only hands from this lesson. Your first answer counts.
The lesson on one card
- A round goes: bet, deal, peek, your decisions, dealer plays, payouts.
- With an ace or 10-value up card, the dealer peeks for blackjack first.
- You hit, stand, double or split until your hand is done.
- If you go over 21, you bust and lose at once – even if the dealer busts later.
- The dealer hits 16 or less, stands on 17 or more, and hits soft 17 (standard rules).
- A win pays 1:1, a blackjack pays 3:2, and a push returns your bet.
Check yourself
1. The cards are dealt and the dealer's up card is a 10. What happens next?
The dealer peeks at the hole card to check for blackjack.
Right. With an ace or a 10-value up card, the dealer checks for blackjack before you make any decisions.
You make your decisions, and the dealer looks at the hole card later.
Not quite. The peek comes before your decisions. If the dealer has blackjack, the round ends before you play.
The dealer takes another card right away.
Not quite. The dealer plays only after every player is done. The step right after the deal is the peek.
2. You have a 10 and a 6. You hit and draw a 9. What happens to your bet?
You lose it right away, because your total goes over 21 and you bust.
Right. Any total over 21 is a bust. A busted hand loses at once, before the dealer plays.
You wait, because you still win if the dealer busts too.
Not quite. Your bet is lost the moment you bust. The dealer busting later does not bring it back.
It is a push, and you get your bet back.
Not quite. A push happens only when you and the dealer finish with the same total. A bust is always a loss.
3. You have a 10 and a 6 against a dealer 5 and stand, as the chart shows. The dealer turns over a 10, then draws a 7. What is the result?
You win and are paid 1:1, because the dealer goes over 21 and busts.
Right. The dealer has 15, must hit, and goes over 21 with the 7. Every hand still in play wins 1:1 when the dealer busts.
You lose, because 16 is a low total.
Not quite. Your 16 is still in play. When the dealer goes over 21, your hand wins no matter how low your total is.
It is a push, because both hands are under 21 at the start.
Not quite. The dealer's final total is over 21, which is a bust. A push needs the same final total on both sides.