How to Play Blackjack
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Blackjack Basics
The game of blackjack, or 21, is a classic casino game requiring both skill and a little bit of luck. The game's basics are very simple, however there are many tricks the pros use to help increase their edge.
The object of blackjack is to get as close to 21 as possible without going over (also known as busting), while also beating the dealer's hand. You are playing only against the dealer; the cards held by the other players do not determine whether you win or lose. If the dealer busts, all players still in the game are winners.
Game Play
The game begins with each player making a bet. Each player then receives two cards, both face up, while the dealer receives one card face up and one face down. The player to the dealer's left (known as the player on "first base") then decides whether or not to "hit," or take another card, or "stand," meaning to stay with the initial two cards. The player may take as many cards as desired, but if the cards total more than 21, the dealer collects the cards and the player's bet.
After the first player busts or stands, the dealer moves on to the next player. After all players have played, the dealer flips over the hidden card to reveal his total. If the total is 17 or more, the dealer must stand, regardless of the total of any player's hand. If the total is 16 or less, the dealer must hit, regardless of what the players are holding, until the total reaches 17 or busts. If the dealer busts, all players who have not busted win the hand. All winning bets pay even money, except that "blackjack," or an ace and 10 on the initial two cards, pays 3-2.
Hand values are determined by the value of the card, with all face cards counting as 10. Aces may be used as either 1 or 11.
Betting
Players may increase their bets in one of two ways. The first is to "double down," meaning the player will double his or her bet and take exactly one more card. Players should always double down on 11; doubling down on any total higher than 11 is never advised. The decision to double down on totals of 10 or less is determined by the dealer's up card; see the blackjack chart below. Doubling down can only be done after the first two cards have been dealt; after a hit is taken, the player can no longer double down.
The second way to increase the bet is to split the hand. This can be done only when the player has received two cards of the same value. In order to split, the player must match his or her original bet. The dealer will then give the player one more card on each original card, and the hands are played separately; it is possible to win on one hand and lose on the other. The player should always split on 8's and aces, and should never split 10's. See the chart below for other splitting options.
Players may also buy "insurance" if the dealer has an Ace face up on the initial deal. Insurance requires a player to pay half of the initial bet; if the dealer has blackjack, the player receives 2-1 on the insurance amount, but loses the initial bet. This means the player breaks even on the hand. If the dealer does not have blackjack, the player loses the insurance amount and play continues normally.
Rule Variations
Some rules vary from one casino to the next. Some casinos place restrictions on splitting, such as allowing a player to split only once per hand, or to take only one card when splitting aces. Some casinos do not allow doubling down after a split. Others require the dealer to hit a "soft" 17 (an ace and a 6), which is a disadvantage to the player.
At your home game, use whatever rules you like, but be sure the rules are posted or stated up front to avoid the possibility of disputes.
Blackjack Strategy Charts
Blackjack is a game that can be mastered with practice. A good player can dramatically increase his or her odds by playing correctly. Below are a blackjack basic strategy charts for multi-deck games to help you determine when to hit, stand, double, or split. When following basic strategy, the house edge in blackjack drops to less than 1%.
In these charts, 10 refers to any 10 or face card. Player totals are on the left, and the dealer's up-card is across the top. There are slight variations for single-deck blackjack; an asterisk indicates you should double down instead of hitting in a single-deck game.
Strategy Chart for Blackjack Hard Totals (player does not have an Ace):
| 2-3 | 4-6 | 7-9 | 10-A | ||
| 8 or less | Hit | Hit | Hit | Hit | |
| 9 | Hit* | Double | Hit | Hit | |
| 10 | Double | Double | Double | Hit | |
| 11 | Double | Double | Double | Double | |
| 12 | Hit | Stand | Hit | Hit | |
| 13-16 | Stand | Stand | Hit | Hit | |
| 17-21 | Stand | Stand | Stand | Stand |
Note that an 11 is always doubled, and a 10 is doubled against all but a dealer's 10 or ace. You always stand on hard totals of 17 or higher, and 14 or higher if the dealer shows a 4, 5, or 6. For single-deck games, you should double an 8 against a 5 or 6. You hit a 12 only against a dealer's 2 or 3.
Strategy Chart for Blackjack Soft Totals (player has an Ace):
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5-6 | 7-8 | 9-10 | A | ||
| A2, A3 | Hit | Hit | Hit* | Double | Hit | Hit | Hit | |
| A4, A5 | Hit | Hit | Double | Double | Hit | Hit | Hit | |
| A6 | Hit* | Double | Double | Double | Hit | Hit | Hit | |
| A7 | Stand | Double | Double | Double | Stand | Hit | Stand | |
| A8, A9 | Stand | Stand | Stand | Stand | Stand | Stand | Stand |
Note that a soft 17 (A6) or less is always either hit or doubled, and you should always stand on a soft 19 or 20.
Strategy Chart for Splitting Pairs in Blackjack:
| 2 | 3 | 4-6 | 7 | 8-9 | 10-A | ||
| 2-2, 3-3 | Split | Split | |||||
| 4-4, 5-5 | |||||||
| 6-6 | Split | Split | |||||
| 7-7 | Split | Split | Split | Split | |||
| 8-8 | Split | Split | Split | Split | Split | Split | |
| 9-9 | Split | Split | Split | Split | |||
| 10-10 | |||||||
| A-A | Split | Split | Split | Split | Split | Split |
Note that Aces and 8s should always be split, and 4s and 5s should never be split. Split all 9s except against a dealer's 7, and split all pairs except 4s and 5s against a dealer's 4, 5, or 6. In single-deck games, split 2s against a dealer's 3 and 6s against a dealer's 2.
Tips for Dealing Blackjack
Blackjack is not an overly difficult game to deal, but some simple tips can help improve your efficiency.
When dealing blackjack, always check each player's bets before beginning to deal, to ensure no one has forgotten to bet. When dealing, start with the player to your left and deal one card to each player, face up, then deal a card to yourself. Then continue, dealing one more face-up card to each player and another card to yourself. One of your cards should be face down, although it doesn't matter which one.
If you deal yourself an Ace, ask the players if they want insurance. You can then check your bottom card to see if you have blackjack, in which case all bets lose (except players with blackjack), and insurance pays 2-1. If you deal yourself a 10 face up, there is no insurance but you should still check to see if you have blackjack.
When a player busts, collect the player's chips, then clear the cards. If a player has blackjack, pay them immediately and collect the cards. At the end of the hand, only players with cards in front of them should be paid or have their chips collected. Other players are free to place the bet for the next hand once their cards have been cleared, and you should be careful not to pay them or collect their chips.