How to play blackjack

The Blackjack table sits up to 6 players. There is a ‘BET’ label at every seat. Six or eight decks of cards are used and are shuffled together. Everyone is playing against the house. The goal of the blackjack game is to accumulate cards with point totals as close to 21 as possible without going over 21.

The Blackjack

A blackjack, or natural, is a total of 21 in your first two cards. A blackjack is therefore an Ace and a face card, or an Ace and a ten, with the additional requirement that these be your first two cards. The blackjack is the strongest combination, and beats every other combination.

Values of the cards

If you have a higher count than the dealer, but lower than or equal to 21, you win an amount equal to your bet. If you have Blackjack, you will win one and one-half times your bet.

The face cards (Jacks, Queens and Kings) are valued at 10, an Ace can count as either 1 or 11, the cards from 2 through 9 are valued at their face value.

Play Blackjack

Before receiving any cards players must place a wager. Then the players are dealt two cards face up. The dealer gets one face up, one face down. Once the cards are dealt play proceeds around the table, starting at the first seat to the dealer's left, also called first base. Each player in turn indicates to the dealer how he wishes to play the hand, either stays (STAND) or takes more cards (HIT) to try and get closer to 21 without busting. You bust when your cards total to more than 21 and you lose automatically. After each player has finished his hand, the dealer will complete his hand. By rule, on counts of 17 or higher the dealer must stay, on counts of 16 or lower the dealer must draw. If the dealer busts, all the remaining players win. If the dealer doesn’t hit 21, then the remaining players with a higher count than the dealer win. In case the dealer’s, and the player’s hand value is equal, then this is a tie, and the player will keep his wager.

Special Bets

Doubling Down

Doubling down allows you to double your bet and receive one, and only one, additional card to the hand. This can only be done with a two card hand, before another card has been drawn.

Split

Split the initial two-card hand into two and play them separately - allowed only when the two first cards are of equal value. Use each card as the start to a separate hand and place a second bet equal to the first. If you get additional pairs (in the first two cards of a hand), you are able to resplit, making yet another hand. You are allowed to split any 10-valued cards, so you could split a (Jack, Queen) hand, even Aces. Splitting Aces is a very strong player move, so you will be allowed to drawing only one additional card on each Ace. Also, if you draw a ten-valued card on one of your split Aces, the hand is not considered a Blackjack.

Insurance:

This is a side bet - which is half of the initial bet - against the dealer having a natural 21. This side bet allowed only when the dealer's showing card is an Ace. If the dealer has a 10 face down and makes a blackjack, insurance pays at 2-1 odds, but loses if the dealer does not make a blackjack.

If you have a Blackjack, and the dealers showing card is an Ace, the dealer offers you "even money"  (cashing in your bet immediately at a 1:1 payout ratio) instead of the insurance bet. 

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