Blackjack
Blackjack is a race to 21 against the dealer alone. The other players at a real table do not affect your hand.
Goal
Finish with a total closer to 21 than the dealer, without going over 21.
Going over 21 is called a bust, and a bust loses immediately even if the dealer busts afterwards.
Setup
Afterhand deals from a six deck shoe by default. You place a bet, then receive two cards face up. The dealer takes one card face up, called the , and one face down.
Card values
- 2 through 10
- Worth their face value.
- Jack, Queen, King
- Worth 10.
- Ace
- Worth 1 or 11, whichever helps. A hand using an ace as 11 is called a .
Your actions
- Hit
- Take another card. You can keep hitting until you stand or bust.
- Stand
- Keep your total and pass play to the dealer.
- Double
- Double your bet and take exactly one more card. Offered on your first two cards.
- Split
- When your first two cards are a pair, separate them into two hands and match your original bet.
- Surrender
- Give up the hand and take half your bet back. Offered on your first two cards only.
- Insurance
- A side bet offered when the dealer shows an ace. It pays 2 to 1 if the dealer has blackjack.
How a round works
1. Place your bet.
2. You receive two cards, the dealer receives one face up and one face down.
3. If the dealer shows an ace or a ten value card, they check for before you act.
4. You act on your hand until you stand, bust, double, or surrender.
5. The dealer turns over the hole card and draws to at least 17.
6. Hands are compared and bets are settled.
How you win
- Blackjack
- An ace and a ten value card on the first two cards. Pays 3 to 2.
- Higher total
- Your total beats the dealer without busting. Pays 1 to 1.
- Dealer busts
- The dealer goes over 21 while you are still live. Pays 1 to 1.
- Push
- Equal totals. Your bet comes back.
Payouts
A winning hand pays even money. A blackjack pays 3 to 2, so a 100 bet returns 150 in winnings. pays 2 to 1 when it wins.
Some casinos pay 6 to 5 on blackjack, which is a much worse deal. Afterhand lets you switch the rule on so you can see the difference.
Dealer rules
The dealer has no choices. They draw until they reach 17 or more, then stop.
The one variation that matters is soft 17, a hand like ace plus six. Some tables stand on it and some hit. Hitting soft 17 is slightly worse for you.
Important terms
- Hard hand
- A hand with no ace, or one where the ace must count as 1.
- Soft hand
- A hand where an ace counts as 11 without busting.
- Upcard
- The dealer's face up card.
- Stiff
- A hard total from 12 to 16, the hardest hands to play.
- Shoe
- The container holding the decks in play.
Common mistakes
- Standing on 16 against a dealer 10 because busting feels worse than losing.
- Taking insurance. It loses money over time no matter how good the hand looks.
- Splitting tens. Twenty is already a very strong hand.
- Not splitting eights, which turns the worst total in the game into two fresh hands.
- Playing a soft 17 like a 17. A soft 17 cannot bust on the next card.
Beginner tips
- Look at the dealer first, then your total. Every decision depends on both.
- Dealer 2 through 6 is weak. Dealer 7 through Ace is strong.
- Never take a side bet you do not understand.
- Correct play still loses hands. Judge the decision, not the result.
Terms you will hear
- Blackjack
- An ace plus any ten value card on the first two cards. It beats a plain 21 and normally pays 3 to 2.
- Soft hand
- A hand holding an ace that can count as 11 without busting. A soft 17 is ace plus six, and one more card cannot bust it.
- Hard hand
- A hand with no ace, or one where the ace must count as 1. A hard 16 can bust on the next card.
- Split
- When your first two cards are a pair, you can separate them into two hands and place a second bet equal to the first.
- Double down
- Doubling your bet in exchange for exactly one more card. Useful when your total is strong and the dealer's card is weak.
- Push
- A tie. Your bet is returned and nothing is won or lost.
- Insurance
- A side bet offered when the dealer shows an ace. It pays 2 to 1 if the dealer has blackjack, and it loses money over time.
- Surrender
- Giving up the hand after the deal and getting half your bet back. Late surrender is offered after the dealer checks for blackjack.
- Upcard
- The dealer's face up card. Every basic strategy decision starts with it.
- Basic strategy
- The mathematically best play for every combination of your total and the dealer upcard, assuming no knowledge of the remaining cards.
- House edge
- The long run share of each wager the house keeps. A 1.06% edge means about one cent per dollar wagered on average.