Blackjack Rules

Can You make 21?

Blackjack is a game played against the dealer, where you have to beat or match the dealer’s final hand. Learning Blackjack rules means your gameplay is so much smoother. Getting a hand nearest to 21 is the one you are aiming for.

BLACKJACK RULES - THE IMPORTANCE OF CARD values

One of the first rules that is made clear when you start learning how to play Blackjack is that the Blackjack Ace has two values in Blackjack being both ‘1’ and ‘11’. In the rules of Blackjack, all face cards are valued at 10; the rest are valued at the number they show. So being dealt an Ace of any suit and a ‘6’ could be ‘17’ or ‘7’.

Blackjack Rules -Hitting or Standing

If you combined card values are below 21, you could keep hitting until you reach 21 or bust. If you bust you lose your stake. If the dealer reaches a higher number than you, they win, and you lose your stake.

Blackjack Rules - Dealer’s Ace & Insurance

A Blackjack online casino option when the dealers exposed card is an Ace is to take insurance. Insurance costs half your original stake and pays out at 2:1 odds if the dealer has a Blackjack hand; if they don’t, you lose your insurance bet.

Blackjack Rules - Splitting Your Cards

The Blackjack rules split comes into play If you are dealt two of the same number cards you have the option to split them and make two hands, adding an identical bet amount as your original bet to the second hand.

Blackjack Rules - Doubling

This is an option of doubling your stake; this is dependent on the Blackjack variation you are playing. Some allow doubling after two cards have been dealt. Others only allow if the joint card values are nine, ten or eleven.

Blackjack Rules - Surrendering

Some online Blackjack variants allow you to surrender your cards. Doing this loses half your stake, and you do not take any further action in that round.

Blackjack Rules - Dealer’s Options

The dealers cannot surrender, double or split. They can only hit or stand, and they cannot stand until they reach ‘17’. This means if a dealer’s Blackjack hand has ‘16’ he has to hit if they bust all players win.

Some Rules Of Blackjack Variations

The number of decks in play can vary from ‘2’ to ‘8’. Some casinos do offer single deck but not many as it lends itself to card counting and has a very low house edge. The house edge increases with the number of decks in use. In some Blackjack variants, the dealer can hit beyond 17, called a ‘soft 17’. If this happens, it increases the house edge by around 0.2%.

In some Blackjack variations, you can double after splitting, plus some also allow you to resplit again. Dealer Peek is when the dealer is allowed to check for a Blackjack if the exposed hand is a 10 or Ace if it is the round ends there. Not all variants or online casinos allow this.