Blackjack Rules & Strategy

Playing correct Blackjack Strategy makes you a tough casino customer. Played properly, blackjack has the best odds of all casino table games.

Blackjack outnumbers other casino table games by a margin of about two to one. The game is so immensely popular because the odds in blackjack are among the best in the casino.

In a nutshell, the goal of blackjack is to get a hand total higher than the dealer's without exceeding a count of 21. You compete only against the dealer, not against other players at the table.

Basic Blackjack Rules

Cards between 2 and 10 are counted at their face value. Jacks, Queens, and Kings also have a value of 10. At your option an Ace can be counted as 1 or 11, whichever is more advantageous to your hand. Therefore, if you hold a 9 and a 5, you have 14, but a nine and an Ace can be either 10 or 20.

When you get dealt an Ace and a ten-value card, it's an automatic 21, called a blackjack. That hand beats all other hands except for another blackjack. So if you have a blackjack, and the dealer has 3 cards that add up to 21, you still win.

Before the cards are dealt, each player must put up a bet. Bets usually start at $5 minimum and range as high as $1,000 at some casinos. At online casinos you can also find games with $1 minimum bets. Additionally, many of the online casinos on our site also let you play for free, allowing you to play and sharpen your blackjack strategy skills without any risk. To make a bet, simply place your wager (chips) in the appropriate box or circle on the table.

After placing a bet, you are dealt two cards face up. The dealer also gets two cards, but only one of the dealer's cards is face up. You are then given the option of standing with the cards you have, or you may take another card, called hitting.

You may hit as often as you wish but if you go over 21, you bust, and the dealer wins automatically. The dealer will not take any cards until all players at the table have either decided to stand, or have busted. The dealer's biggest advantage is here. Any players that bust lose their bet even if the dealer also busts.

After all players at the table are done with their play, the dealer now shows his face down card. If his hand totals 17 or higher he must stand; he is not allowed to take additional cards. But if the dealer's hand is 16 or under he MUST hit until his count is 17 or higher. If he exceeds 21 while taking additional cards, the dealer busts and loses.

If you win your hand, the payoff is even money (1 to 1). If you lose your hand, you lose your bet. If you tie the dealer's hand, the game is a push and you don't win or lose.

If you get a blackjack you are paid 1 1/2 times your wager (bet 2 win 3). However, if the dealer gets blackjack at the same time, it's a tie and you don't win or lose.

Advanced Blackjack Strategy

Now that you know how the game is played, here's your best blackjack strategy for winning as determined by computer testing. Always hit (take more cards) when you have 11 or less. Always stand when you have 17 or more. When the dealer's up card is from a 7 to an Ace, hit if your count is between 12 and 16, stand if the dealer shows a 2 to 6.

In most casinos, you may double down (double your bet) after your first two cards. However, there is one condition. When you double down, you can take only one more card. You can not receive any more cards after this. Good blackjack strategy dictates to always double if you're two dealt cards that add up to 11, except when the dealer has an Ace.

Another blackjack strategy play is the splitting of pairs. If your first two cards of the deal are the same value, you may split the cards and play two hands by placing a bet of the same value as your original bet on the second hand. So if you split a pair of 8's you create two separate hands, each with a value of 8. Then you proceed to play out each of the hands independently. Blackjack strategy says always split Ace-Ace and 8-8. Never split 10-10, 5-5 or 4-4.

You may buy insurance when the dealer's up card is an Ace because there is the possibility that the dealer has a blackjack and you automatically lose, unless you also have a blackjack, in which case it's a tie. After all players and the dealer have 2 cards each, he will ask "insurance?" The insurance "premium" is 1/2 of your original bet. Payment is 2 to 1 if the dealer does indeed have a blackjack hand. Insurance bets favor the house and should generally be avoided. Expert blackjack players never take insurance.

Below is a blackjack chart which tells you what you should do in different situations. It is very important to know when to hit or stand so you have the best chance of winning. Good players also increase their winning odds by knowing when to double down and split. Note that the chart below applies to the most common blackjack table: multiple deck, dealer stands on soft 17. Click here for other charts (single/double decks, dealer hits on soft 17, etc) and for printable versions.

H = Hit
S = Stand
D = Double Down, or Hit
Ds = Double Down, or Stand
P = Split
H/P = Split if allowed to double after a split, otherwise hit
H/R = Surrender if allowed, otherwise hit

*This chart applies to the most common blackjack table: multiple deck, dealer stands on soft 17. For other charts (single/double decks, dealer hits on soft 17, etc) and for printable versions, click here.

GOOD LUCK!