How to Play Blackjack

You hope for a hand, the value of which is closer to 21 (including 21) than the dealer’s, without going over.

The dealer (representing “the house”) is your only competition. Other players at the table do not matter, as they also are playing against the dealer. The dealer must follow certain standard rules of play. He or she has no discretion how to play. The dealer makes absolutely no tactical or strategic decisions. For this reason, it is OK to have everyone see the cards being played.

Aces count as 1 or 11, whichever is more advantageous, face cards are valued at 10, and the other cards are valued at the number they display (called “pips”). Suits are irrelevant. Tens and face cards are usually called simply, “tens.”

Like all casino table games, bets are placed only once, and that is before any play begins.

After the bets are made, the dealer gives two cards to each player and himself (or herself) in two passes. One of the dealer’s cards will be face up.

A “shoe” is a card holder that holds more than one deck of cards, and from which the dealer takes cards for the deal. The opposite of a "shoe game" is a "hand-held" game, in which the dealer distributes cards from a deck held in the hand.

In shoe games all the players’ cards are face up. Players never touch the cards in shoe games. In hand-held card games, the cards are dealt face down, but players are not supposed to handle the cards with more than one hand, take them off the table, or touch any additional cards dealt to them.

The maximum value of the first two cards dealt is 21. An ace and a ten-valued card is a “natural” and frequently called “Blackjack.” It pays 3 to 2 (assuming the dealer did not also have a Blackjack, in which case, there’s a “push” or tie). In a hand-held game, “blackjack” should be declared to the dealer as soon as the player’s turn comes around, appropriately punctuated with a grin. In “shoe” games the natural is obvious. The odds are about 1 in 21 of being dealt a natural.

If the player did not receive this maximum hand, he or she then must decide whether to “surrender” (i.e., fold), “stand” (meaning that no more cards should be dealt), or to receive an additional card (a “hit”). In certain circumstances, other options are open. With the exception of surrender, all options are communicated by gestures rather than verbally. This is to avoid misunderstandings, to overcome ambient noise in the casino, and to permit the TV cameras to record what went on.

The surrender option is available in many casinos, but not in all. It permits a player to fold at the outset, without further play, and recuperate a portion (usually half) of the initial bet. Surrender is almost never available if the dealer has received a natural. To surrender in a shoe game, say “surrender.” In shoe games, standing is indicated by a horizontal hand gesture, palm down, over the cards. A “hit” is indicated by a tap or scratch on the table behind the cards. These gestures can be a little different in face-down (hand-held) games.

The objective is to beat the dealer or “the house.”

If the player and the dealer each has a natural, the hand is a “push” or tie, and the bet is returned. If the dealer and the player have the same number of points by any other means, it is also a push, and the bet is returned. To illustrate, if a player has eleven, asks for a card and makes twenty-one, this total will tie any 21 received by the dealer, even if it is a natural.

Play starts at the dealer’s left (called “first base”). If a player asks for a hit and goes over 21, this is a “bust.” The game is over for that player and the dealer will immediately gather up the chips and cards. Once all players have finished passing or asking for cards, the dealer plays the house hand and then collects or pays the bets.

The felt layout on the table will display the rules the dealer must follow. The usual one is that the dealer will “stand on a 17,” meaning the dealer must take cards until the value of the hand is 17 or more. Aces are valued at 11 whenever possible. A variation is that the dealer can “hit a soft 17,” meaning that if there is an ace in the value of the hand (like A,2,5), the dealer is allowed to take another card or cards until the conventional rule is satisfied. This approach improves slightly the house advantage. Dealers can not “double down” or “split” hands (discussed below), but players can.

A player can "double down" (optionally) only at the beginning of a hand, when it is still a two-card hand, and no other cards have been drawn. The bet is increased (up to double the original value) by placing the chip(s) adjacent to the original bet in the betting circle. Nothing further need be said. Then the dealer issues one more card, face up or down, according to the game. No more additional cards are permitted. This rule of receiving only one card is what limits the circumstances in which a double down makes sense.

A player may also elect to split a hand if he or she receives a pair in the first two cards dealt. This generates two separate hands. Like double down, the player indicates the option by placing a bet next to the first one in the circle. A matching bet is required. The dealer will then issue a second card for each of the first two, and play continues, first on the first hand, then on the second.

Most casinos allow splits of splits – often up to 4 hands deep. Most casinos allow a player to go double down on a split hand.
In the case of a split of aces, the most common rule is that only one additional card is permitted for each of the aces (like the rule that applies to double-down).

Dealers will offer an “insurance” bet to players if the dealer’s up-card is an ace. Half again of the original bet can be placed in the stripe in front of the bet. Then, if the dealer has a natural, the insurance bet is paid 2 to 1. This makes the play a wash if the dealer had a natural and the player did not. If the dealer did not have a natural, the insurance bet is lost, but the original game continues. If a player has a natural, the dealer may simply offer “even money,” which means a one-for-one payout instead of 3 to 2 if the dealer also turns out to have a natural. (The player’s natural is obvious in a shoe game, and it must be announced in a hand-held game before the dealer’s face down (“hole”) card is revealed.) The difference between 1:1 and 3:2 is essentially the player’s half-bet that the dealer has a natural.

These are the basic rules of blackjack. The easiest way to learn them is to play a few hands with a dealer. Go during a slack time in the casino. The dealers usually are grateful for something to do, and glad to show you how it is done. The rules on splits and double-downs may require a little extra study. Be sure to tip the dealer when your lesson is over.