Blackjack rules

Your goal is to finish closer to 21 than the dealer without going over. You play only against the dealer; other players’ hands do not determine your result.

A hand over 21 busts and loses immediately, even if the dealer later busts. You do not need exactly 21: any active total higher than the dealer’s wins.

Cards 2–10 count at face value. Jacks, Queens and Kings count as 10. An Ace counts as 1 or 11, automatically taking the value that avoids a bust when possible. Suits do not matter.

A soft hand contains an Ace still counted as 11; a hard hand has no Ace, or all Aces must count as 1. A-6 is soft 17, while 10-7 is hard 17.

Each player receives two face-up cards. Under US rules, the dealer receives one upcard and one face-down hole card. The upcard is the reference for player decisions.

In European no-hole-card blackjack (ENHC), the dealer takes the second card only after player actions. If the dealer then makes blackjack, the table may take every added double and split wager or only the original wager.

With peek enabled, an Ace or ten-value upcard makes the dealer check the hole card immediately. A dealer blackjack ends the round before players can double or split.

Dealer blackjack beats every ordinary hand; player blackjack against dealer blackjack pushes. Some tables do not peek or use different checks, so read the posted rules.

During your turn, you choose from the actions allowed by your hand and the table.

• Hit: take another card and continue while under 21.
• Stand: keep your total and end your turn.
• Double: double the wager, receive exactly one card, then stand.
• Split: turn a pair of equal-value cards into two separately wagered hands.
• Surrender: end the hand and forfeit half the wager when available.
• Insurance: a separate bet against dealer blackjack when the upcard is an Ace.

Every split hand plays independently with its own wager. A table may allow one split or up to three or four hands. A 21 made after splitting normally pays 1:1 because it is not a natural blackjack.

Split Aces may receive one card each or, less commonly, play normally. RSA allows Aces to be split again; DAS allows doubling after any split. Other tables prohibit DAS or reserve doubling for unsplit hands.

After all players finish, the dealer reveals the hole card and follows fixed instructions: hit below 17 and stand on every hard 17 or higher.

S17 means the dealer stands on soft 17; H17 means the dealer hits it and is slightly more favorable to the house. If the dealer busts, all still-active hands win; busted and surrendered hands remain lost.

A natural blackjack is an Ace plus a ten-value card in the first two cards of the original hand. It may pay 3:2, 6:5 or 1:1: a 10-chip wager earns 15, 12 or 10 chips profit respectively. The 3:2 payout is best for the player.

An ordinary win pays 1:1. Equal totals push and return the wager. A player blackjack pushes only against dealer blackjack and beats any three-or-more-card 21.

Surrender ends the hand and returns half the wager. Late surrender is available only after dealer blackjack has been ruled out; early surrender happens before the check and is more valuable but rare. Some tables offer no surrender.

It may be limited to the first two cards, prohibited after a split or allowed on split hands. Availability does not itself mean surrender is the correct strategic choice.

With an Ace upcard, the table may offer insurance: a separate wager of up to half the main bet. It pays 2:1 if the hole card completes blackjack and loses otherwise. Other tables do not offer it.

When the player has blackjack, even money is the same wager presented as an immediate 1:1 payout. Insurance and even money do not protect the hand itself: without information about deck composition, both have negative expected value.

The game may use 1, 2, 4, 6 or 8 decks; blackjack may pay 3:2, 6:5 or 1:1; the dealer may follow S17 or H17; dealing may use a US hole card with peek, a hole card without peek or European ENHC rules.

Doubling may be open on any first two cards, limited to totals such as 9–11 or 10–11, allowed or prohibited after splits. Split limits, RSA, play on split Aces, early, late or no surrender, insurance and loss of added wagers against dealer blackjack can also vary. Select the conditions you want to study in Table Rules: charts, expected values and simulation adapt to your choices.