Blackjack Rules

So as we mentioned earlier, Blackjack is a game where you want to get 21 or closer than the dealer to 21. We will now expand a little further on these rules to help you understand the online casino game of Blackjack.

The Player’s Turn

To start of a hand of blackjack the player must place his bet first. At most Casinos you can place a minimum bet of $5. All online casinos are a little different with their limits so check that out a little closer. Once the bet is placed you will click the “Deal” button. Both you and the dealer will now receive two cards. Your cards are dealt face up for you to see while the dealer is dealt one card up and one card down. This down card is sometimes referred to as the “Hole Card”. Now remember the values, 2-10 are face value, Jack/Queen/King are worth 10, and Aces are with 1 or 11.

Now that the cards are dealt you have a choice. You can either Stand, Hit, Double or Split. We will expand a little on each of these scenarios:

Stand: If you are happy with your card total and want no more cards, you want to stand.

Hit: If you want to take another card, you want to hit. Lets say your first two cards are 5 and 3 for a total of 8. You may want to consider “hitting” to get closer to 21.

Double: If you want one (and one only) more card and want to double your initial bet, you want to double. You can choose to double your bet on any two cards that you have but you can only double once. So for instance. If you are dealt an 8 and a 3 you may want to consider “doubling”. If your one card is a 10 you are sitting at 21 with a “double” bet out there.

Split: In blackjack you can split your cards if you have a “pair”. A split means you take your pair and create 2 separate hands from it with a bet on each. This is sometimes a great move as it allows you to double your bet in a good situation. So for instance, lets say have two 8’s after your first 2 cards for a total of 16. 16 is a tough number as another hit might bust you but it’s not quite good enough to stay with a lot of the time. So splitting these gives you two separate hands with an 8 as the first card. After the second card is dealt on each of these hands, you can now play each of these hands separately and choose to hit, stand, double or split each of them.

Ok, so now you have your hand(s) all set and you are now “Standing” and happy with your number. Let’s now see what the dealer has.
The Dealer

So after you decide to stand, the dealer now has to reveal their other card. The dealer now will continue to “hit” on their hand until they are at 17 or higher. At this point, we see who won.

If you “Bust” or go over 21 – YOU LOSE. If the dealer has a higher card total than you – YOU LOSE.
If the dealer “Busts” or goes over 21 – YOU WIN! If you have a higher card total than the dealer – YOU WIN! If you get a blackjack, a total of 21 on the first two cards – YOU WIN. Sometimes a blackjack even pays better odds!
If you and the dealer have identical card values – YOU PUSH (and get your money back).

Some points to remember: