Rules of Blackjack
Rules of Blackjack
The casino version of this game is generally played simultaneously by between one and six players against a dealer. Two cards are dealt, face up, to each player, and two more cards are dealt to the dealer, one face up and the other face down. Cards numbered 2 though 10 are given their numerical value, while jacks, queens, and kings are given a value of 10, and aces can hold a value of 1 or 11 depending on the preference of the player. The goal of the game is to attain cards with a total value, less than or equal to 21, greater than that attained by the dealer. The payoff from winning an individual hand is 2:1 or two dollars for every dollar wagered.
If, after receiving the two original cards, the player does not feel his/her total to be high enough, s/he may request a "hit", in other words an additional card. This may be repeated, as desired. On the other hand, if the player decides that his/her total is high enough, s/he may decide to "stay", or to take no further cards. If, however, the player's total exceeds 21, then s/he "busts", meaning that the player loses and his/her bet is lost.
The same rules apply to the dealer. The dealer, however, is restricted somewhat in action. If the dealer's cards total 17 or more, then s/he is forced by the rules to stay. If the dealer's cards total less than 17, then s/he must hit. If the dealer and the player(s) tie, then it is declared a "push" and all players receive their money back.
The name "Blackjack" refers to the hand consisting of one Ace and one card with a value of 10, which would give the recipient a starting total of 21. The player can then choose to forgo the rest of the game and receive a payout of 3:2 rather than risking a tie at the end of the hand. If, however, the dealer has a blackjack, then all players immediately lose, even if one of those players also had a blackjack. This is one aspect of the house's advantage.
On the topic of betting, all bets are placed before the cards are dealt based on the player's confidence in winning the particular hand. Generally, there is some house imposed limit on the size of bets, but this is not important for the time being. Aside from the standard, pre-deal bet, there are four other betting strategies that should be mentioned: split, double down, surrender, and insurance.
A split can be carried out when a player is dealt two matching cards at the beginning of a round. The two cards are seperated and the player places the same bet on each of the new hands. Play continues as though that player was playing two seperate hands. Based on the rules of Basic Strategy, there are occasions where splits should and should not be attempted. Refer to the Basic Strategy page on this site for further details.
Doubling down is a move of confidence. After seeing the first two cards that s/he was dealt, the player may believe that with only one additional card s/he can beat the dealer. This move requires that an additional bet, matching the size of the original wager, be placed, hence the term "double down". Again, the instances where this is an effective strategy are subject to the rules of probability described under Basic Strategy.
Surrendering is a rare move. After the player sees his/her first two cards and the "up" card dealt to the dealer, the player may decide that s/he stands no chance of winning. In this case, the player may "surrender" and get half of his/her original bet back. This action is not always permitted, and even when permitted should only rarely be utilized. Surrendering means an automatic loss of half of your original wager. Unless a person is very risk averse (in which case, why would he or she be playing in a casino?), it is almost always a better plan to see the hand out to its conclusion, even if that conclusion is a loss.
Finally, there is the insurance bet. This comes into play when the "up" card dealt to the dealer is an Ace. A player may purchase insurance by placing chips equivalent to half of his or her original bet in the insurance part of the table in front of the dealer. If the dealer has blackjack, then the player loses his or her original bet, but is paid 2:1 on the insurance bet. The net effect of this is that the player loses half of his or her initial wager. If the dealer does NOT have blackjack, then the insurance bet is forfeit and play continues. For reasons that may be somewhat clear, players should generally refrain from purchasing insurance. On average, it does more damage to your potential winnings from a particular hand than it prevents. Insurance bets may be placed effectively only by a skilled card counter and even then, it will be a rare occurance.
Once you are familiar with these rules, you can begin to learn Basic Strategy.
Rules of Blackjack | Basic Strategy | Plus-Minus Count | Updating Probability Charts
