Blackjack Rules

Basic Blackjack Rules

Blackjack rules are very simple to understand. The game is played against the dealer and the basic objective of the game is to obtain a total that is greater than the dealer’s total and, at the same time, does not exceed 21. If the total does exceed 21, that hand goes ‘bust’ and loses.

According to blackjack rules, the suit of the card is of no importance, although the numerical values are. All cards have their numerical face values (ie. 1-10), while picture cards (King, Queen and Jack) are valued at 10 and the Ace is valued at 1 or 11, depending on the player’s choice.

The game begins with players placing their bets on the custom blackjack table. The dealer deals two cards face up to the player and two cards to himself, one of which is dealt face down. Players, in turn around the table, then decide whether they want to ‘hit’ – request another card – or ‘stand’ – stick with the cards they have. This is where the skill element of blackjack comes in and knowing a blackjack strategy can go a long way in helping the player make the correct decision at this point.

Players can also make other choices, such as ‘splitting’ (making two separate hands if their first cards were a pair), ‘doubling down’ (placing another bet if the first cards are 9, 10 or 11), etc.

The player wins if his total is higher than the dealer’s total or if the dealer goes bust. It is important to remember that blackjack rules can vary from casino to casino, especially when dealing with online blackjack.