The goal
You are not playing against the other people at the table. Each player plays alone against the dealer. You win if your hand is closer to 21 than the dealer's without going over, or if the dealer goes over 21 (a bust) and you have not. If you bust, you lose right away, even if the dealer would have busted later.
Card values
- Cards 2 to 10 count their number.
- Jacks, queens and kings count 10.
- An ace counts 1 or 11, whichever is better for the hand.
A hand with an ace counted as 11 is soft (for example ace and 6 is a soft 17), because one more card cannot bust it. Every other hand is hard. An ace plus a ten-value card as your first two cards is a blackjack, which beats any other 21.
How a round goes
- Bet. Put your chips in the betting circle before any cards are dealt. Each table has a minimum and maximum bet, shown on its sign.
- The deal. You and the dealer each get two cards. One of the dealer's cards is face up (the up-card) and one is face down (the hole card).
- The dealer checks. If the up-card is an ace or a ten, the dealer looks at the hole card for blackjack first. If they have it, the round ends at once and you lose your first bet only.
- Your turn. You choose your moves until you stand or bust.
- The dealer's turn. The dealer turns over the hole card and must hit on 16 or less and stand on 17 or more. The dealer has no choices.
- The payout. Hands are compared and bets are paid or collected.
Your moves
- Hit: take another card.
- Stand: keep your hand as it is.
- Double down: on your first two cards, add a bet equal to your first and receive exactly one more card.
- Split: if your first two cards have the same rank, make a second bet equal to your first and play them as two separate hands. Most tables allow up to four hands. Split aces get one card each.
- Surrender: where the table allows it, give up your hand on your first move and lose half your bet instead of playing on.
- Insurance: when the dealer shows an ace, a side bet that the dealer has blackjack. It loses money over time, so basic strategy never takes it.
What each result pays
- A win pays 1 to 1: bet 10, win 10.
- A blackjack pays 3 to 2 at a good table: bet 10, win 15.
- A push returns your bet.
- A loss or a bust loses your bet.
One round, start to finish
You bet 10. You are dealt a 5 and a 6, which is 11. The dealer shows a 6. An 11 against a weak dealer card is a good time to double, so you add a second 10 and get one card: a 9, for a hard 20. The dealer turns over a 10 for 16, must hit, draws an 8 and busts with 24. You win 20 on your 20 bet, so you collect 40 in total.
Where to go next
Knowing the moves is step one; knowing which move is best is step two. Basic strategy explained shows how to choose, and the strategy chart lists the best move for every hand. The table rules page settles questions about doubling, splitting and etiquette, and the lessons walk through each idea with a visual.