Blackjack Rules Guide: Terms, Hands, Bets

Whether you are a fan of casino entertainment or just want to get closer to this activity, you will hardly miss the game that has been conquering the world of gambling for decades. It’s blackjack, the one you have definitely heard about on TV or have even tried to play. But when you know blackjack rules and understand how to minimize the house edge via using the working strategies, the result will be even more astonishing.

So here comes an article to explain how to play blackjack (beginners will find all they need to know) and what features you should avoid (yes, not all the strategies are efficient).

About the Game: Where It Comes From

This entertainment came to America in the early 1800-s, while French and British players have met it a bit earlier, in the middle of the 1700-s. In fact, it’s just one of the banking games that all belong to one Spanish «ancestor» - Twenty-One. Perhaps, you could also hear about Pontoon or Vingt-et-un, the British and European «brothers» of the game.  

Interesting to know: in 1959, in the Journal of the ASA readers have met «The Optimum Strategy in Blackjack», one of the first projects that has paved the way to understand the strategy as well as help players to beat the dealer.

Famous Players and Their Achievements

While some players try to understand casino blackjack rules, others come further and devote their free time and resources to develop the best strategy, compete with other players and even devote their life to the game (within reasonable limits, of course). Here are the names of these enthusiasts as well as their achievements in the gambling area.

1. Lawrence Revere.
   An interesting thing about this guy is that he used to work at the casino before exchanging it for making his living playing blackjack professionally and writing about it. «Playing Blackjack as a Business» is his project that highlights both the cards counting systems he has invented and the achievements of other outstanding players.
2. Tommy Hyland.
   This man is famous as a «blackjack activist», so he has been struggling for the rights of players for years. Before Utson, another activist who has managed to break the borders as for legal card counting, Tommy used to be banned at most casinos and even had to dress up in a Santa’s costume to enter one of the establishments.
3. Don Johnson.
   He has been strong both in strategy development and in lucky playing. Perhaps, these qualities have helped him to win 80 000 dollars at one hand. Though the sum of his total winnings is much more - it’s over 15 million dollars.

As these guys are real professionals and are really famous for that, they often share the knowledge of the game’s details in their books. Their guides include both simple blackjack rules and tips more experienced gamblers can use.

Blackjack Rules: How to Play the Game

Enough theory, let’s come closer to the general rules of the game. So, how to play blackjack for beginners? Actually, it’s a simple matter, so the game session is quick, while the rules are easy to understand and remember. Of course, you can delve into details that can complicate the process, but now it’s the basic rules time.

Doesn’t matter where you start playing: at a real-life casino or online. Your main goal is to beat the dealer. So you play against the croupier, not against other players as you do in many other card games (like poker). 

This game is played with one or several 52-card decks. A player is dealt 2 cards as well as his (or her) opponent is. But while the dealer doesn’t see the cards of the player, the cards of the croupier are one face up and one face down. So you can decide what to do after getting the cards by relying both on your blackjack hands and your opponent’s cards.

Hand Ranking: How to Count Your Cards

In fact, basic blackjack rules are based on the value of the cards (hand ranking) and on the things you can do with them. So let’s learn about the hands you can get.

Counting the value of your combination is a really straightforward case.

• 2-10 bring the points according to their order - 2 for a two, 8 for an eight. 
• Face cards (J, Q, K) bring 10 points.
• Ace in blackjack has an interesting position, so it can bring both 1 and 11 points (always the winning for a player positions), making soft combinations.
• The suit doesn’t matter in this game.

When a gambler gets 10-K and an Ace as the first two cards, it’s a blackjack, the combination that brings an instant winning. And as for the Jack value in blackjack, it’s 10 - nothing special, though this card brings this game its name. When both a player and a dealer stop taking new cards (stand), the value of cards of each is compared. The one who has more points wins.

In order to get more points, players can get additional cards (hit), but it’s important not to get over 21, so it means busting = losing. In blackjack, 14, 15 and 16 hands are the most «dangerous» for that reason. And the fact that Ace is high in blackjack and can also be counted as 1 is a good news for players.

Pay attention: blackjack Ace value is the thing that makes this card so interesting. It can bring players both 1 and 11 points - depends on what a gambler needs. That’s why there are soft (with A) and hard (without an A) combinations.

What to Do After Getting the Cards

Well, your first two cards are dealt and now you think what to do then. Of course, you can rely on your fortune, but maths is what influences the game a lot.

Remember: blackjack is a math game as well as a game of luck, so you always have to think about the numbers (the value of your cards) and count a lot.

So now it’s time to find out what actions are available in blackjack, when to hit and when to stand. 

Rules as for the Dealer

Not only players follow certain conditions in blackjack: the dealer rules also take place. First of all, the croupier’s task is to deal the cards. Besides, he (or she) has to put one of the cards face up, and another one - face down. As well as players, dealers have to decide whether to hit or stand. But when it comes to getting 17 points, the dealer must stand. An interesting fact is that the kind of this 17 depends on the rules of the game you choose (while some casinos require dealers to stand when having hard 17, others require to stand at soft 17 that is a more winning position for the player).

Various Kinds of the Game

The basic things about this game are similar all over the globe, but still blackjack rules in English kind can be a bit different from the game’s rules in another location. So various kinds of the game exist and here they are.

1. Macau blackjack rules mean that the game is played with 6 decks, the dealer stands both at soft and hard 17, players may double down in the beginning of the game and after splitting.
2. As for blackjack Scratch and Win rules, it’s an instant lottery ticket, so the outcome depends just on your luck.
3. Blackjack Solitaire rules are based on these two famous games at once: you make as many 21 columns as possible and do it for a certain time.
4. Multi hand blackjack rules mean that you can play up to 5 hands at once, so you have more chances.
5. Blackjack exchange game is based on the following rules: 10 cards face down are dealt in the beginning. Then 8 of them make up 4 separate pairs (hands), while the remaining ones go for the dealer. Several rounds then are played the same way.

Strategies That Work and Theories to Avoid

Besides the fortune, the outcome depends on some more factors. And using the right strategy is one of them, even the most important one, in fact. While choosing the wrong theory can lead to big losses. So meet several useful things as well as the ones to avoid.

Chart to Print

Due to the attempts of Ken Uston, the chart with the tips for players is legal at real-life casinos and you can use it not to count cards yourself (though remember that you can’t put it on the dealer’s table).

Of course, it’s not your 100% guarantee, but you can learn about the steps that are considered to be the winning ones according to the maths calculations.

Pay attention: surrender (= give up) option is not available in all casinos.

Strategies to Avoid

As for learning about wrong strategies, that’s easy: just don’t deal with the theories that are not based on Maths or looking at the facts (at the cards, actually). And never buy any «100% winning strategies to hack the casino».

What Stops Players from Winning

When people wonder «how to blackjack», they sometimes don’t even imagine that some common things can distante them from the winnings. For example, these 5 things that gamblers should better avoid.

Patterns Don’t Work

When you see a certain card that has brought you the winning or made you lose at the previous time, you start thinking that the outcome will be the same. This thing forces you to make wrong decisions, so you base on your previous experience, not on facts. And it doesn’t work so in this game.

You Don’t Double Down

Yes, in blackjack betting it’s always a risk when you don’t know exactly how it works. But when you realise how to count the cards and are familiar with the statistics, you also realise that it’s the same risk NOT to double down. So you waste the cases you can benefit from and the house edge is increasing right in this way.

Being Scared of Busting

Certainly, busting is always an unpleasant thing. But according to the statistics, you lose more when stopping at you 12-16 when the dealer’s up card is 7+.

Side Bets

When making side bets (additional bets), casinos have a 3,5-15% advantage. These bets are based on chance and promise big payouts, though they are risky and the outcome is really hard to predict.

Non-Maths Strategies

You should always remember that the blackjack casino game is based on Maths and deep understanding of the theory. Though yes, the matter of luck also takes place. So the strategies when you have to raise the bet after each winning or something of that sort don’t work - only theories that are based on numbers and real facts, you should always see the cards before making a decision. 

Tips to Keep in Mind

As this is a kind of a mini blackjack playbook, here are some more tricks to upgrade your skills. Get acquainted with them briefly, or learn more tips here:

• play responsibly;
• always determine your bankroll;
• play at the reliable casinos (online/real-life);
• find out the details before getting to play at a new place;
• be attentive and don’t relax, so you should always count and be one step ahead.

FAQ: Feel Free to Ask Questions and Find the Answers

Though blackjack in Britain, as well as in any other location, is easy to understand and even the differences in other countries are not complicated, you can definitely face questions when playing for the first time. That’s why the following FAQ is what you need. Let’s get going!

What is blackjack?

It’s a card game that is based on the rules of Twenty-One.

How do you play blackjack?

It’s simple: the player’s goal is to beat the dealer. And players can do that by getting more points that the croupier has (but be careful, so getting over 21 means busting = losing).

How to play blackjack at a casino?

Actually, it doesn't matter whether you play this game at a land-based casino, at home or with friends. The rules are mostly the same (if only the casino doesn’t have its own modifications, so make sure you are aware of them before placing the bets).

What happens if the dealer busts in blackjack?

As well as when the player busts, the dealer loses and that means that the player wins.

How to run a blackjack tournament?

Each participant of the tournaments of this kind usually pays for taking part in this event, making up the prize pool in this way. That’s why dealing with money is an official issue, so you should register the events and get the necessary documents for that. But when it’s about a competition with your friends, just make sure that everyone knows the rules and become a dealer for a time.

How to play blackjack at home?

It’s as easy as a pie, so you learn how to deal in blackjack (just don’t forget to shuffle the cards regularly) and invite your friends.