Blackjack - Basic Rules

In Blackjack, the player competes against the dealer. Your goal as the player is to draw cards ("hit") until your hand adds up to 21, or comes as close as possible without exceeding 21. If your first two cards total 21, you have blackjack.

If the total value of your cards is closer to 21 than the dealer's, you win as much as you have wagered. If you have blackjack, you win 3 to 2 times your bet (assuming the dealer does not also have blackjack). Aces count as either 1 (hard) or 11 (soft), face cards as 10, and remaining cards according to their number values.

If the total value of your cards exceeds 21, you "bust" and lose your wager. If you have the same card total as the dealer, from 17 and up, no one wins and you get your bet back in a "push." Blackjack beats a score of 21. Six decks of cards are used, which are shuffled after each round.

Split

If your first two cards are of the same value, you may split them into two separate hands, placing a second wager of equal value. You then proceed to draw cards as usual. Splitting doubles the bet, because both new hands must have the same value as the original bet. A player can split additional pairs resulting from the original split up to a maximum 3 splits in one game. However, if you split two aces, you get only one additional card for each hand. If you split two aces and one of your hands totals 21, this is not considered blackjack, but 21. You can split a maximum of three times, resulting in four hands, in one game.

Double Down

When you have been dealt two cards, and believe that a third card may give you a position to beat the dealer's hand, you can "double down". Your wager is doubled, and you are allowed to hit and receive just one additional card. You can also double down on a hand resulting from a split.

Blackjack Insurance

Insurance gives you the chance to protect yourself when you believe that the dealer may have blackjack. If the dealer's first card is an ace, and if you believe that the dealer's hole card is of value 10, you may buy insurance against dealer Black Jack at the price of half your initial bet. If the dealer does have blackjack, the insurance pays 2 to 1, corresponding to the amount of your initial bet. If you have bought insurance, and the dealer does not have blackjack, you lose your insurance. Your initial bet is then settled by comparing your cards with the dealer's.

Blackjack Dealer Rules

The dealer must draw cards until he has at least hard 17 (a hard hand is a hand that does not include an ace being used as 11), and must stand at 17 or higher. If the dealer gets 16 or soft 17, he must take another card.

Paytable*

• Winning Hand 1 to 1
• BlackJack 3 to 2
• Insurance 2 to 1

Basic Strategy for Blackjack

The table below is mathematically worked out to give you the best possible chance of winning, based on which two cards you have been dealt and the dealers visible card.

	-	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
	8	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
	9	H	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	10	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
	11	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
	12	H	H	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
	13	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
	14	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
	15	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
	16	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
	17	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
	A,2	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	A,3	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	A,4	H	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	A,5	H	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	A,6	H	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	A,7	D	D	D	D	D	S	S	H	H	H
	A,8	S	S	S	S	D	S	S	S	S	S
	2,2	HP	HP	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H
	3,3	HP	HP	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H
	4,4	H	H	H	HP	HP	H	H	H	H	H
	5,5	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
	6,6	HP	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H	H
	7,7	P	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H
	8,8	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P
	9,9	P	P	P	P	P	S	H	H	S	S
	10,10	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
	A,A	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P

Please be aware that this will not guarantee you success on the Blackjack tables but if applied will improve your chances.