Blackjack is played with from one to eight decks of cards. All face cards are worth 10 points, two to ten are worth their face value. Aces are semi-wild and can be worth either 1 or 11. The highest hand is an ace and any card worth 10 points - this is called a blackjack. A winning blackjack pays 3:2. If the player and dealer both have blackjack the bet is a push and neither wins. A winning hand that is not a blackjack pays even money. The player wins if his hand has more points than the dealer, without going over 21. If either goes over 21 it is called a bust and automatically loses. If both player and dealer bust the player loses. If the player and the dealer tie, the bet is a push.
A round begins with each player placing his bet. The dealer will then give each player and himself two cards. One dealer card is dealt face up (the up card), the other face down (the hole card). If the dealer has 10 or ace as the up card a blackjack is possible. In U.S. blackjack the dealer will check immediately and will collect all losing bets if he does have a blackjack.
If the dealer has an ace as the up card he will ask the players if they would like to insure their hands against a blackjack. The insurance bet in blackjack pays 2:1 if the dealer has a blackjack. After all players have accepted or declined insurance the dealer checks the hole card. Presuming the dealer does not have a blackjack the players play their hands in turn. They have the following options:
Stand: If the player is satisfied with his hand and wishes to do nothing more.
Hit: If the player wishes to take another card. He may continue to hit until he either decides to stand or busts.
Double: If the player wishes to take one more card only he may also double his bet. This is only offered on the first two cards, and sometimes the first two cards after splitting.
Split: If the player’s first two cards are of equal value he may split them into two hands, with each card becoming the first card of a new hand. Doubling after splitting is usually allowed, as is splitting after splitting.
Surrender: If the player does not like his hand he may forfeit half the bet as well as his cards. This was once very common but is now rarely offered. If the player is allowed to surrender before the dealer checks to see if he has a blackjack it is called “early surrender“, if the dealer checks first (and thus the player can lose before he has the option) it is called “late surrender“. Obviously early surrender is a better option to have.
After the players have played their hands, the dealer will play his. He has no choices to make as he must always play by certain house rules. Usually the rule is that the dealer hits until he scores 17 or more. A common additional rule is that if the dealer has a soft 17 (an ace and any number of cards totalling 6), he must also hit. If the dealer busts, all players that did not bust automatically win.
Continue to part 2 - basic strategy.
If you want a downloadable guide then here’s my PDF.
