Online Blackjack Rules

Blackjack is one of those casino games where a player’s decisions can have a great effect on the chances of winning. No other casino game offers this level of strategic thought. In fact, a skilled blackjack player can actually gain odds in his favor. Blackjack is a very attractive, dynamic, and interesting game and by far one of the most popular of casino table games.

Premise

Blackjack, also known as 21 in many countries, is an easy game to learn and play. It has a simple set of game rules that all players, and dealer alike, must follow. The object of the game is for players to get a hand with a value as close to 21 as possible, without going over and beating the dealer’s hand value.

Unlike poker, players sitting together at the blackjack table do not play against each other. Instead they all play against the dealer. In a bricks and mortar casino, this could even mean that they follow the same card calling strategy to ensure that the dealer goes bust.

Card Values

In Blackjack, the cards have the following value:

- Cards from 2 through 9 are valued at their face value

- 10, Jack, Queen, and King are all valued at 10

- An Ace can count as either 1 or 11

The respective suits of the cards have no effect in the outcome of this game.

Actions

In a game, players have the following options:

- BET – To start playing Blackjack players have to place their bets before any card is dealt to them. To place bets online, players must click on the chip value that they wish to wager.

- DEAL- To get the game started, players will get two cards face up. The dealer gets two cards, but only one card facing up.

Once all cards have been dealt, players can choose to do any of the following actions:

- HIT - Players request another card to be dealt. “Hitting” is possible as many times as players wants, as long as their hand is not over 21.

- STAND- Players are happy to have a showdown with the dealer with the cards they received. When a player’s cards reach a value of 21, the game will automatically stand.

- SPLIT - If player has 2 cards of the same value, they can be split into two separate hands (with one stake each).

Once all players at the table have completed their round, the dealer must hit until a total of 17 or more is reached for the house. The rule in all casinos is that the dealer stands at 17.

Other options

- DOUBLE DOWN – This option is like HIT, but the initial bet is doubled and the player will receive only one card, effectively forfeiting the option to call more cards. This option usually is recommended when the initial two cards received have a total face value of 10 or 11, and the chance of landing a 21 are higher.

- INSURANCE - If the dealer has an Ace, the players will be offered the insurance bet. With the insurance bet, players have to stake half of their original bet. Buying insurance is effectively betting that the dealer will have blackjack.