Learn Blackjack: The Goal, the Cards and One Full Round

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In blackjack, you try to finish with a hand total closer to 21 than the dealer's total, without going over 21. You place a bet, get two cards and choose to hit, stand, double or split, then the dealer plays by fixed rules and winning bets are paid.

• The goal of the game
• Card values
• One round, step by step
• Your options: hit, stand, double, split, surrender, insurance
• How the dealer plays
• Payouts
• What basic strategy is
• Playing blackjack online

01The goal of the game

You play against the dealer, not against the other players. Your goal is a hand total that is closer to 21 than the dealer's total.

If your total goes over 21, you bust. A bust means you lose the bet right away, even if the dealer busts later.

Here your hand is a 10 and a 6, a total of 16. The dealer's up card (the card dealt face up) is a 10.

• You win if your total is higher than the dealer's total at the end of the round.
• You win if the dealer busts and you did not bust.
• You lose if you bust or if the dealer's total is higher than yours.
• If both totals are the same, it is a push. A push is a tie, and you get your bet back.

An ace and a ten-value card as your first two cards is a blackjack. It is the strongest hand in the game.

02Card values

Every card has a point value. Suits (hearts, spades and so on) do not matter.

A hand where the ace counts as 11 is a soft hand. An ace and a 6 is soft 17.

With a soft hand, you can take one more card and you cannot bust with it.

A hand with no ace, or with an ace that must count as 1, is a hard hand. A 10 and a 6 is hard 16.

More card values and examples are on the card values page.

03One round, step by step

Cards come from the shoe (the box the cards are dealt from). At an online table, the software deals from a virtual shoe.

Every round has the same six steps.

1. Bet. You place your bet before any cards are dealt.
2. Deal. You get two cards face up. The dealer gets one card face up (the up card) and one card face down (the hole card).
3. Dealer check. If the dealer's up card is an ace, the table offers you insurance, a side bet on a dealer blackjack that costs up to half your original bet. If the up card is an ace or a ten-value card, the dealer checks the hole card for blackjack. If the dealer has blackjack, the round ends: you lose your bet unless you also have blackjack, which is a push. If you have blackjack and the dealer does not, you are paid right away.
4. Your moves. You hit, stand, double, split or surrender. Your turn ends when you stand, double, surrender or bust.
5. Dealer plays. The dealer turns over the hole card and takes cards by fixed rules.
6. Payouts. The dealer compares totals. Winning bets are paid, losing bets are taken, and pushes are returned.

Step 4 example: you have 11 against a dealer 6. You choose your move now.

Step 5 example: the dealer has a 6 and a 10, a total of 16, so the dealer takes another card. A 7 takes the total over 21, and the dealer busts.

Victoria's tip

Before each move, add up your total and look at the dealer's up card. Those two things decide your move.

04Your options: hit, stand, double, split, surrender, insurance

On your turn, you pick one move at a time. Each move has its own page with examples.

This is the chart row for a pair of 8s. Under standard rules, you split a pair of 8s against every dealer up card from 2 to ace.

Insurance is a separate bet with its own house edge of about 7.4% at a 6-deck table.

05How the dealer plays

The dealer makes no choices. The dealer turns over the hole card and follows the same rules every round.

• Dealer total 16 or less: the dealer takes another card.
• Dealer total 17 or more: the dealer stands.
• Dealer soft 17 (for example an ace and a 6): at some tables the dealer hits, at others the dealer stands. The table's rules screen tells you which.

This is a dealer soft 17. When the dealer hits soft 17, the house edge goes up by about 0.21 percentage points.

The soft 17 page shows the difference in detail.

The chart shows how often the dealer busts with each up card. With a 6 showing, the dealer busts about 43.9% of the time.

With an ace showing, the dealer busts about 13.9% of the time. These numbers are counted before the dealer checks for blackjack, so a dealer blackjack counts as no bust.

06Payouts

Each result pays a fixed ratio. A ratio of 3:2 means you get 3 for every 2 you bet, plus your bet back.

The picture shows what a 10 bet pays at 3:2, 6:5 and 1:1. A 6:5 table raises the house edge from about 0.62% to about 1.98%.

You get a paid blackjack about once every 22 hands, so the blackjack payout matters a lot.

07What basic strategy is

Basic strategy is a chart that gives the move with the best average result for every hand against every dealer up card. It is calculated by computer from the table rules.

The house edge is the share of each bet the casino keeps on average. With perfect basic strategy under standard rules, the house edge is about 0.62%.

Hard 16 under standard rules: stand against a dealer 2 to 6, hit against a dealer 7 to ace.

Basic strategy lowers the house edge. It does not remove it.

Hard 11 under standard rules (dealer hits soft 17): double against every dealer up card from 2 to ace. If the table does not let you double, you hit.

• See every row on the blackjack strategy chart.
• Practice the chart hand by hand in the blackjack trainer.
• Play full rounds with no money in the blackjack simulator.

Victoria's tip

Keep the chart open while you practice. After a few sessions, check yourself in the trainer without looking at it.

08Playing blackjack online

Online blackjack comes in two main types. The rules of the round are the same in both.

• Digital tables: software deals the cards. The virtual shoe is usually reshuffled after every round.
• Live dealer tables: a real dealer deals real cards on a video stream. You choose your moves with buttons on the screen.
• Rules screen: every table has a rules or help screen. Check the number of decks, the soft 17 rule, double after split, surrender and the blackjack payout.

Card counting means keeping track of the cards already dealt to judge what is left in the shoe.

Most digital tables reshuffle every round, so cards like these go back into the shoe before the next deal. Card counting does not work there.

Whether you can play online for real money depends on where you live. Read the responsible gambling page before you play anywhere.

Victoria's tip

Before you sit at any table, open the rules screen and check that blackjack pays 3:2.

Questions people ask