Blackjack Rules
Guide To Blackjack Casino Game 2022
Blackjack is the most popular card game in online casinos. Thanks to the low house edge, it gives players an opportunity to make money with optimal play. By learning and implementing a basic strategy, players can expect some nice wins and good payouts. Blackjack rules are easy to follow, and once you learn them you will have no problems playing the game.
Blackjack is a very simple card game with easy-to-understand rules, but mastering this card game takes time. Make sure to learn and understand the blackjack rules before sitting to play.
Most players assume that the primary target of blackjack is to have a hand as close as possible to 21. However, the main objective is to beat the dealer’s hand without going over 21. It is important to know this distinction because players can win with smaller hands by waiting for the dealer to go over 21 and bust. This is a piece of good information to know for beginners, as it can help them play smarter.
Once you start playing blackjack, you will find it a very attractive game to play. It is a very easy game to play, it has an element of skill, and the allure of using a card counting system makes it possible to beat the game.
Here you will learn the blackjack rules and how to play blackjack in the most optimal way. Follow the blackjack guide and you will have a smooth gaming experience at the blackjack tables.
Now let’s start with a brief history of this popular casino game before explaining the rules and concepts behind the game more thoroughly.
The Blackjack History
The game of blackjack has gone through changes over the years. The game we know today is a bit different than the versions that existed a century ago. The first card game considered a precursor to today’s blackjack is the French game Vingt-En-Un, meaning Twenty-One.
This card game started appearing in French casinos during the 1700s and was highly popular at the time. The main objective of the game was to reach a total of 21, but the difference from today’s blackjack is that gamblers made their wagers after receiving their first upcard. Also, the dealer could double players’ bets after looking at their first card. If the dealer had 21, players paid him triple.
The popularity of Vingt-En-Un spread everywhere in the world, but the name soon changed. In England, the game became known as Van John, and in Australia, it was called Pontoon. After some time, the card game made its way in America during the 1800s, but it was not that popular game back then as roulette was the king of games in gambling houses.
To encourage gamblers to give it a try, gambling houses modified the rules and started paying out a 10-to-1 bonus if the player’s hand contained a Jack of Spades or Clubs and an Ace. Because of this, Americans named the game Blackjack.
Card Values in Blackjack
Card suits play a big role in most card games, but they are not relevant at all in the game of Blackjack. In blackjack, each card has a different value and the hand value is determined by adding the card values together. Number cards have a value according to their numbers. Simply, if you have a hand with cards of 8 and 6, your hand value is 14.
When it comes to face cards – King, Queen, and Jack, each of these have a value of 10. Aces are special, as they can have a value of 1 or 11. You can change the value of the Ace depending on the cards you are dealt. A hand with an Ace and a 7 can be either 18 or 8, depending on how you choose to play the hand.
Face cards and the Ace are the most valuable cards you can get. Aces give you flexibility in making combinations, and face cards are helping you beat the dealer more often.
Understanding Different Blackjack Hands
The basic blackjack rules require getting a deeper understanding of different blackjack hands. Beginners should make an effort to memorize which combinations are the best for them and what to do in a certain situation. That knowledge will help them make smarter moves when playing, and will also help in avoiding the most common mistakes that blackjack players make. Let’s now take a look at which hands are the best and the worst when playing.
The Best Blackjack Hands
As the name of the game may suggest, the best hand is 21! A 21 is a combination of an Ace with King, Queen, Jack, or 10. Holding a blackjack hand of 21 is almost unbeatable unless the dealer also has a blackjack, which is then a push and the bet is returned to the player.
Hard Hands and Soft Hands in Blackjack
Whether a hand is hard or soft depends on the Ace. A hard hand is a hand without an Ace, or with an Ace but the Ace has a value of 1 and does not change. A soft hand is a hand where the Ace is flexible and can be counted as 1 or 11. This is a more flexible hand, hence the name soft hand.
Examples of hard hands in blackjack are Q-7, K-8, or 10-9, while examples of soft hands are A-5, A-7, or A-9. Most beginners in blackjack do not pay enough attention to the soft and hard hands, although these can have a big influence on their chances of winning. Players that start by holding a soft hand cannot go bust, even with taking an additional card.
Another thing to know is that in the European version of blackjack, which is the most popular one, dealers must stand on 17, which can be of advantage to players.
When it comes to troublesome cards in blackjack – probably the trickiest hands for beginners are soft/hard 16 and soft/hard 17. How do you approach these hands will be explained in more detail in the advanced strategies, and here we will give you some pointers which are enough when learning the basic strategy of blackjack.
Beware of Bust Cards in Blackjack
Bust cards are those cards that have a statistically low chance of winning. Cards with values of 2,3,4,5 and 6 are commonly referred to as bust cards. Especially 5 and 6 are very tricky cards that almost always give headaches to both beginners and experienced players. With these cards, players usually go bust when they get a third or fourth card in their hand.
Regarding bust cards, players should remember one thing that will help them make better decisions when they play blackjack. The good advice is this – if you see that the dealer holds some of the bust hands, know that the chances of them going over 21 and busting is greater. In such cases, play conservatively to avoid busting yourself. In general – if the dealer’s upcard is 7 or higher – you should play by taking more risks. If the dealer’s upcard is 6 or less, use a conservative strategy.
What does Push mean in Blackjack?
There are situations in blackjack when both the player and the dealer will hold hands of the same values. When this happens, your bet becomes a ‘push’ and both you and the dealer receive back your wagers. You are not winning or losing anything, just getting back your initial wager.
Some players wonder why the ‘push’ situation returns the wager back when, in fact, you did not lose your hand. The answer to this is that when you bet in the game of blackjack, you are betting that you have a better hand than your opponent i.e the dealer. If neither of you has a better hand, then no one wins and the bets are off.
Betting Blackjack Rules – how to play blackjack for beginners
Just like all other games in online casinos, blackjack tables come with different bet limits. Nowadays you can find both low-stakes and high-stakes blackjack tables, ranging from bets of $1 per hand up to hundreds, even thousands of dollars. The minimum and maximum bet differ from one online casino to another, so explore tables before joining and playing. Betting is done before cards are dealt, after which players will receive their cards. After you have your cards, you have several choices on how to proceed. Here are the rules that follow:
Hit
If you wish to receive another card, just press HIT. There is no need for making an additional bet, and there is no limit to how many times you can press hit to receive additional cards. Whether you hit or stand largely depends on what does the dealer has in their hand. In general, if you see that dealer’s upcard is 6 or lower, avoid hitting and wait on them to bust. The exception to this is if your hand is lower than 11, then you should hit.
Stand
If you are happy with what you hold in your hand and want to keep the cards you have, just press ‘Stand’. The dealer will draw afterwards and complete their hand. When you choose to stand, your turn is over and you cannot make additional bets. You should always stand if your hand is between 17 and 21, and also stand if your hand is between 14 and 16 and the dealer’s upcard is 6 or lower.
Double Down
As the name says, with this move you are doubling your initial bet. However, this is a risky option because you do it before drawing a card, and there is no turning back once you double down. Doubling down can be very profitable if you play blackjack by following a basic strategy. Rule number one is – Always double down when you have an Ace as an upcard! The other two occasions to double down are when you have 10 and sometimes 9. If the dealer’s upcard is lower than 7, you can double down on 8 as well.
Split
When you have a pair in your hand, you can split the cards and play them as two separate hands. You bet each hand separately. Some online casinos allow just one split per round and some allow splitting up to three or four times. Always check the rules in advance to know for sure about this. One thing worth remembering is that you should always split pair of aces, as that significantly increases your chances of having not one, but two winning hands. Higher pairs like 8s, 9s, and 10s are also worth splitting especially if the initial dealer’s card is of lower value.
Surrender
If a player has a bad hand, some variants of blackjack allow players to return their bad cards in exchange for half their original wager returned back to them. If you want to use the surrender option, you must use it before getting more cards. Most casinos have a couple of rules regarding the surrender option – early surrender and late surrender.
The early surrender is when the player surrenders before the dealer checks their hole card. Late surrender is when players surrender after the dealer checks their cards for a possible blackjack. The early surrender option is usually offered in online blackjack variations and some blackjack variants do not offer this option at all. Remember that the surrender option increases the house edge so it is not advisable to use it as a part of your winning blackjack strategy.
Even Money
If your hand is blackjack and if the dealer’s hand contains an Ace as an upcard, then you may be asked whether you accept ‘even money’. Even money allows you to accept a 1:1 payout on your original bet before the dealer checks whether they have a blackjack hand. Similar to insurance, this bet is statistically not good for players.
Side Bets
Most casinos offer side bets for players playing blackjack. A side bet can make the game even more refreshing and exciting but are highly risky. They do offer high payouts and are fun to take occasionally, but players are not advised to take a blackjack side bet constantly as it can drain their bankroll quickly.
Blackjack Rules Regarding Dealers
Dealers follow the same playing strategy as the players. The objective of the game is the same, all cards have the same values, and Aces are also worth 1 or 11 for the blackjack dealer. The one exception where dealers are not the same as players is in the blackjack betting rules. Dealers, for example, cannot split hands, double down, take insurance, or surrender.
Dealers also follow specific rules regarding standing. Blackjack dealers must hit if they have 16 or lower hands and stand on hands of hard 17 and hit on soft 17.
Finally, blackjack dealers are the last to act, as all bets depend on the dealer’s hand outcome.
Different Types of Blackjack Tables
New casino players may notice that online casinos have different rules regarding different blackjack tables. Some casino rules can help players, while others lower their chances of winning at the table. There are a few things that every novice casino player should consider before sitting to play a blackjack game. They are the following:
- Payouts are the first thing to check. Most blackjack tables have a 3:2 payout, but there are casinos that offer an even more lucrative payout of 2:1. Avoid playing a blackjack game with 6:5 payouts, as the house edge is very high in such games.
- The number of decks in play is another important thing to look into. Nowadays, single deck blackjack games are a rarity and you will hardly find such games in casinos. Most online casinos offer tables with 6 to 8 decks in the shoe games.
- Wagering limits is a thing to check as that will give you pointers on which games are for high-rollers and which are for novice blackjack players.
- Specific rules of the blackjack game. Every game has specific rules, so make sure you explore all details so you know what you can expect when you sit down to play blackjack.
Variations of Blackjack Table Rules
The basic strategy for playing blackjack remains the same everywhere, but keep in mind that some casinos may have different rules for specific variations of blackjack. Of course, players need to beat the dealer in all games, but with a few twists when playing.
The reasons why online casinos offer several variants of blackjack are to limit the risks and losses and to increase the house edge. For casino players, the more rules the blackjack table has, the worse for the players. Always go for tables that have clear instructions and rules of blackjack variations.
Remember a few things regarding blackjack table variations. First, good blackjack tables to play are those that pay 3:2 or 2:1, but never 6:5. Early/Late Surrender, Dealer stands on soft 17, single-deck game and double-deck games, resplitting pairs and Aces, are some of the characteristics of good blackjack variants.
Multi-deck games without an insurance bet, no resplitting aces, no doubling down on soft hands, and games using continuous shuffling machines should be avoided as these come with a very high house edge and are not favourable to players.
Which Blackjack variants are most profitable?
Online casinos offer all kinds of blackjack games, but the most popular ones are European and American blackjack. Both have identical objectives and rules, but they have a different hole card rule that distinguishes them.
The American variant of blackjack allows the dealers to take a peek at their hole card if their upcard is an Ace. If the dealer peeks and has a blackjack, the round is over immediately and the player loses.
The European version does not allow the dealer to see their hole card until players have finished their turns. Even if the dealer has an Ace, they will not peek at their hole card.
This small difference can have a big influence on players’ bankrolls. With European blackjack, can potentially lose more if they double down their original bet or split when the blackjack dealer has already won the hand.
Here are some main characteristics of popular variants of blackjack:
American Blackjack – plays with 6-8 decks, dealer stands at 17, hole card peek allowed, the house edge is 0.5%, doubling down is allowed, the payout is 3:2.
European Blackjack – plays with 2-8 decks, dealer stands at soft 17, hole card peek is not allowed to see if the dealer has a blackjack, the house edge is 0.38%, doubling down is only allowed at hand totals of 9, 10, or 11, the payout is 3:2.
Vegas Downtown Blackjack – plays with 2 decks, dealer stands at 17, hole card peek allowed, the house edge is 0.39%, doubling down is allowed, the payout is 3:2.
Vegas Strip Blackjack -plays with 4-6 decks, dealer stands at soft 17, hole card peek allowed, the house edge is in the range 0.48%-0.72%, doubling down is allowed, the payout is 3:2.
Blackjack Rules of Conduct at the table
Playing blackjack in online casinos is straightforward, automatized, and there are not many rules to follow. However, playing in land-based casinos comes with a specific set of rules which we will briefly mention in this section.
First, although card counting looks tempting, you should not try to do it in casinos because you may get banned. Using a card counting system in online blackjack is impossible, while card counting in land-based casinos, although it is not illegal, rarely any casino allows players to use such a system.
People that try card counting are relatively easily spotted in casinos, so this is not a good strategy to use. Instead, stick to the basic strategy of playing and you should do fine.
Do not give your bets to the dealer. Just put the chips on the table and leave the face-up cards as they are handled by the dealer. Handling of cards should be done with just one hand, and always signalize and say your intention when playing. Tipping the dealer after an occasional big win is advisable, and also make sure you learn the correct blackjack lingo to use on the table and to avoid any confusion.
Playing Blackjack at Home
One of the best things about online blackjack is that you can enjoy playing different types of online blackjack games from the comfort of your home. All you need is a good internet connection and a quality casino room, and you are good to go. However, you can also choose to play with your friends at home. Regardless of the setting, blackjack rules are always the same and applying the basic strategy of knowing when to hit, stand, or split can help you make money on the tables.
If you choose to play at home, ideally you should play with between two and six players. Any more than that will slow down the game and lower the excitement. Also, always choose the bet limits in advance. That will help you better manage your money and have fun while playing.
Conclusion – Follow Blackjack Rules and Enjoy Playing Different Types of Blackjack Games
We can conclude that blackjack rules are very straightforward. Even complete beginners will have no problems following a few important steps when playing blackjack games. Make sure you know your betting limits and find tables with minimum and maximum bets that you are most comfortable with. All casino games are exciting, but blackjack is one of the best games you can find in online casinos. Hopefully, this article made many things clear regarding blackjack rules, so we wish you the best of luck at the blackjack tables.
