Blackjack Rules Explained

Blackjack Rules Basics

  • The game objective is to beat the house without exceeding 21;
  • If you exceed 21 – you lose, regardless of what’s on the dealer hand;
  • Each player (maximum 7) starts to play with two cards;
  • One of the dealer’s card is located face-down;
  • If you get Ace and 10/J/Q/K combination from the beginning – 
 congratulations it’s a blackjack! The pay outs depend on the casino;
  • Blackjack is played at a semicircular table;
  • When the game starts – players make their bets and place them in the 
 “betting box”;
  • The player who sits in front of the “betting box” is a controlling one
 (dealer consults him regarding play decisions);
  • One person can’t play on more than one table simultaneously or make
 multiple bets within the single box;
  • Mostly there’re from 2 to 8 decks, which may be dealt from – dealer’s
 hands, shoe or shuffling machine.

Blackjack rules options

This just means you can have one more card without increasing a bet.

This option simply allows you to stay with your hand without asking for any additional cards.

It’s an opportunity to double the bet. But if you do so – you have to take one more card. Of course, in order to go with this option – you have to be quite sure about your odds.

If you have two identic cards (regardless of the suit), you can split them into 2 hands. But you have to remember that in split hands 10/J/Q/K + Ace combination doesn’t count for a blackjack!

This option is sometimes offered by the casinos. The whole point is if you don’t like the hand, you can refuse from the further play. In this case, you’ll get a half of your bet back. But it’s better to have at least a half of the money back than loosing everything.

Simply to say, insurance is a bet you can make if the dealer has an Ace as a face up card. You win it if a dealer has a blackjack. It’s not recommended to go with it, unless you’re counting cards.

Now you know the rules of how to play blackjack and you might get interested in reading about how to win at blackjack and learn more about card counting.