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Blackjack guides
Short answers to one question each: the rules, the right move for a hand, the odds, and every type of blackjack. Every number comes from our own calculation. To learn from the start, step by step with practice, take the blackjack academy.
Rules and basics
How a round works, what the cards are worth and what the words mean.
How to Play Blackjack: The Goal, the Cards and One Full RoundLearn how to play blackjack online: the goal, card values, one full round step by step, your moves, payouts and what basic strategy does.Rules of Blackjack: What Each Online Table Rule MeansLearn the standard blackjack rules, the dealer rules, and every rule variation an online table can have, with how each one changes the house edge.Blackjack Card Values: What Each Card Is WorthBlackjack card values explained: number cards, face cards worth 10, the ace as 11 or 1, soft and hard hands, and blackjack versus 21 with three cards.What Is a Push in Blackjack? What Happens When You TieA push in blackjack is a tie: you and the dealer finish on the same total and your bet comes back. See which hands push and how often it happens.What Is a Soft 17, and Does the Dealer Hit It?Learn what a soft 17 is in blackjack, how H17 and S17 rules work, what the hit rule costs you, and which basic strategy plays change.How Many Decks in Blackjack: 1 to 8 Decks and the ShoeBlackjack uses 1, 2, 4, 6 or 8 decks of 52 cards. See what a shoe and a cut card are, how online games shuffle, and how decks change the house edge.Five card Charlie: the rule and what it is worthFive card Charlie in blackjack: five cards without busting win at once. What the rule is worth, how the strategy changes, and six and seven card Charlie.Blackjack Hand Signals: How to Hit, Stand, Double and SplitBlackjack hand signals for hit, stand, double, split and surrender at a real table, and the buttons that replace each gesture in online blackjack.How to Deal Blackjack: Dealing Order, Peek and Dealer RulesSee how to deal blackjack step by step: bets, dealing order, the peek for blackjack, and the fixed rules the dealer must follow at online tables.Blackjack Glossary: The Words You Meet at an Online TableBlackjack terms and slang in plain English, A to Z: push, stiff, monkey, DAS, hole card, the chart letters H, S, D and R, and more for online players.
Strategy and decisions
The best move for every hand, and the hands players doubt most.
Blackjack basic strategy chart online for your rulesBlackjack basic strategy chart online – "the book" – for your exact rules: decks, soft 17, double after split, surrender, 3:2 or 6:5. Save or print it.Blackjack hands ranked from best to worstEvery starting hand in blackjack ranked by its average result against each dealer up card, worked out exactly: the best hands, the worst, and why.Blackjack tips: 12 habits, each with its price12 blackjack tips with a price in percent: 6:5 payouts, soft 17, insurance, side bets and common chart mistakes, worked out by our blackjack engine.Hit or stand on 16: the numbers for every dealer cardShould you hit on 16 in blackjack? What hitting, standing and surrendering hard 16 average against each dealer up card, and when the rules change it.Hit or stand on 15: the numbers for every dealer cardShould you hit on 15 in blackjack? What hitting, standing and surrendering hard 15 average against each dealer up card, and when the rules change it.Do you hit a 12 against a 3? Hit or stand on 12, 13 and 14Do you hit a 12 against a 3 or a 2? What hitting and standing on hard 12, 13 and 14 average against every dealer card, and when the rules change it.How to play soft 18: A,7 against every dealer cardHow to play soft 18 (A,7) in blackjack: what standing, hitting and doubling average against each dealer card, why you hit soft 18 vs 10, and rule changes.When to Split in Blackjack: Every Pair and What to DoLearn when to split in blackjack: split rules, the full pairs chart for standard rules, and why you always split aces and 8s but never 10s or 5s.Double Down in Blackjack: What It Means and When to Do ItDoubling down in blackjack means doubling your bet for exactly one more card. See the rules, which hands the chart doubles, and why.Blackjack Surrender: Give Up Half Your Bet and Keep the Other HalfSurrender in blackjack lets you give up your hand and get half your bet back. Learn late vs early surrender, when the chart surrenders, and its value.Blackjack Insurance: How the Side Bet Works and Why to Skip ItInsurance in blackjack is a side bet that the dealer has blackjack. See how it pays 2:1, a worked example, and why basic strategy always says no.No bust blackjack strategy: what never busting really costsThe no bust blackjack strategy never hits a stiff hand. Our engine shows its exact house edge and the cost of mimicking the dealer next to basic strategy.Card Counting: What It Is and Why It Rarely Works OnlineCard counting in plain words: why tens and aces help the player, whether it is illegal, and why it rarely works in online blackjack games.
Odds and money
How often you win, what the house keeps, and what betting systems really change.
Blackjack Odds: How Often You Win, Push, Bust and Get a BlackjackBlackjack odds in plain words: how often a hand wins, pushes or loses, how often the dealer busts with each up card, and how often you get a blackjack.What Is the House Edge in Blackjack?Learn what the blackjack house edge means, see the edge for common online rule sets, and find out how 6:5 payouts and rule changes raise or lower it.Blackjack Pays 6 to 5: How the Payout Changes Your Game6 to 5 blackjack pays 12 on a 10 bet instead of 15. See what 6:5 costs, how it compares to 3:2 and 1:1, and how to spot it online.Blackjack Side Bets: 21+3 and Perfect Pairs Pay TablesBlackjack side bets explained: how 21+3, Perfect Pairs and insurance work online, their real pay tables and exact house edge next to the main game.Blackjack Betting Systems: What They Change and What They Don'tLearn how Martingale, Paroli, 1-3-2-6 and flat betting work in blackjack, why table limits stop them, and why no bet size changes the house edge.
Types of blackjack
Every variant we cover, with its rules and house edge.
Types of blackjack: rules and house edge of each gameClassic, European, single deck, Free Bet, Spanish 21, Switch and more: the types of blackjack online, with their rules and exact house edge.European blackjack simulatorPlay European blackjack free: the dealer takes the second card after you play. See the no-hole-card rules, the house edge and the strategy chart.Free Bet Blackjack simulatorPlay Free Bet Blackjack free: free doubles and splits, dealer 22 pushes. See the rules, the house edge and the strategy chart for this game.Spanish 21 simulatorPlay Spanish 21 free: no 10s in the deck, player 21 always wins, 21 bonuses. See the rules, the house edge and the basic strategy chart.Double Down Madness blackjack simulatorPlay Double Down Madness blackjack free: double on any number of cards. See the rules, the exact house edge and when to double with three cards.Blackjack SwitchBlackjack Switch rules, the strategy chart after the switch and a checker that tells you when to swap cards. Exact house edge for 6 and 8 decks.Single deck blackjack simulatorPlay single deck blackjack free with the strategy chart for one deck. See how one deck changes the house edge and why 6:5 payouts cancel it out.Double deck blackjack simulatorPlay double deck blackjack free with the strategy chart for two decks, and compare the house edge with six-deck games for the same table rules.Multi-hand blackjack simulatorPlay up to three blackjack hands at once, free and without signing up. Every decision is checked against basic strategy; see what more hands do to your losses.
Playing online
Where online blackjack is legal and where to get help.
Where you can legally play blackjack onlineWhich US states, Canadian provinces and countries license online casino blackjack, the legal age and the regulator, quoted from official sources.Gambling help lines and self-exclusion by countryFree, confidential gambling help lines, crisis lines and self-exclusion schemes for the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.