An Introduction to Blackjack

There are lots of reasons why Blackjack has become one of the most popular card games on the planet – and especially in casinos! It’s a game where players can use their skills but it also combines a bit of luck but one of the best things about Blackjack is that players have some (if only a little bit) of control over the game which gives it some of the best payout rates.

The game of Blackjack also goes by the name of Twenty-One, Pontoon or Vingt-et-Un. Each of these versions still follows a general set of rules: 1 dealer, up to 5 players and wagers are placed before cards are dealt with the goal being to get as close to 21 as possible without going over (in order to beat the dealer’s hand).

Blackjack screenshot

Playing Blackjack

As mentioned above the goal of Blackjack is to beat the dealer, not any of the other players by getting as close to 21 as possible. If you happen to go over 21 this is called a ‘bust’ and you would lose the hand (and your bet).

The game begins after players have laid their bets. The dealer deals two cards to the player (face-up) and to himself, leaving his top card face-up for the table to see. The other card is face down and is referred to as the ‘hole’ card. The dealer will then make a pass of the table asking each player if they wish to keep the cards they have (‘stand’) or would like to take another card (‘hit’). Once players have finished this round the dealer will turn his second card over, play out his hand according to the table rules and then winners/losers are called. Below we’ve listed some common Blackjack terminology.

Hit: to take another card.

Stand: to keep the cards in your hand as they are.

Double: player is required to double their bet and receives only one more card.

Split: if a player has two of the same cards they may choose to ‘split’ the cards into two hands. An additional bet is required to split a hand.

Insurance: When the dealer turns over an ace insurance is offered to players as a side bet to counter you original bet should the dealer have a Blackjack. Insurance is paid out 2:1. * We recommend never taking insurance because the chances of a Blackjack are about 4 out of 13.

Surrender: this option is not always offered at casinos and is never available at online casinos. There are two kinds of surrenders: early or late. Early means you decide to forfeit your hand before the dealer checks his cards and a late surrender is offered after.

Card values in Blackjack are as follows: cards 2-9 are worth face value, 10’s, jacks, queens and kings are worth 10 and Aces can be worth either 1 or 11. A true Blackjack is a hand which contains a 10 and an ace and pays 3:2. This hand always wins unless the dealer also turns over a true Blackjack in which case the hand is called a ‘push’ and the bet is returned to the player. True Blackjack’s can only occur on the first two cards. If players choose to split aces and receives any 10 value card this is not consider a Blackjack. Think of it this way: No hand of more than two cards can beat the 2 card Blackjack.

The dealer has separate rules to follow once his second card is turned over. They are as follows: the dealer must hit on a 16 or less and stand on a 17 or higher. Players are not restricted to any rules. Remember that a bust (going over 21) is an automatic loss and because the dealer plays his cards out after yours he has the advantage!

As you can tell this game does involve many decisions on the player’s part. As we mentioned above some of the most common decisions are to hit, stand, double down and split. Doubling down should be done when you hold a 9, 10 or 11 and the dealer shows a 5 or 6. Avoid splitting two 10’s or 5’s and always split 8’s. The number of times you can split your hand depends on the table rules (it’s usually no more than 4 times) and you can double down on split hands as well.

Remember, Blackjack rules vary so make sure you’ve given them a glance over before beginning to play.

Other Blackjack Terms and Tips

Hard hand: a hand that does not contain an ace that counts as an 11. For example you have a 7 and an 8 – this is considered a hard 15. A 6, 10 and an ace would be considered a hard 17 because the ace is counting as a 1. Hard hands only have one possible score.

Soft hand: on the other hand soft hands include an ace that is counted as an 11. For example an ace and an 8 can be considered a 9 or a 19. Soft hands can have two different scores.

Stiff hand: stiff hands are two-card hands adding up to be 12-16 and contain no aces.

Pat hand: pat hands are two-card hands adding up to 17 or more. For the most part we recommend you always stand on pat hands.

A good strategy to use when playing Blackjack is to assume that the dealer always has a 10 or face card hidden. This helps you make decisions based on the dealer’s hand. If you have a hard 14 and the dealer is showing a 5 you should assume he’s got a ten hiding and would have 15. This would make your decision easier (you would stand because it is likely the dealer will bust). Subsequently if you were holding a 15 and he was showing a 10 you would hit because the rule assumes the dealer would now have a 20.

Basic Blackjack Strategy:

Stand on a hard 16 if the dealer is showing a 6 or less. If the dealer is showing 7-ace, hit.

Stand on a hard 12 if the dealer is showing a 4, 5 or 6.

Hit on a hard 12 if the dealer is showing a 2, 3, or 7 and up.

Always hit up to a 17 if the dealer is showing a 10. Also, hit again on a soft 17 in this case.