Blackjack rules: card values and how to play

Card values and the objective

Number cards keep their value. Jacks, queens and kings count as 10. An ace is 1 or 11, whichever keeps the hand usable. Beat the dealer without going above 21.

A round of blackjack

Players and dealer receive two cards; one dealer card is face up. After any blackjack check, players act in order. The dealer then completes the hand according to the posted rules. A busted player hand has already lost.

The dealer’s side follows fixed rules, explained step by step in blackjack dealer rules and dealing order.

Your available actions

Hit takes another card. Stand keeps the total. Double adds a matching stake and normally allows one final card. Split separates an eligible pair into two hands. Late surrender returns half the initial stake when permitted.

Which action to choose for each hand is what the blackjack chart shows.

Blackjack, pushes and payouts

A natural blackjack is an ace plus a ten-value card in the initial deal. A standard winning hand normally pays 1:1. A tie normally returns the stake. Check whether a natural pays 3:2 or 6:5, and see the difference on the blackjack payout chart.

Rules that vary by table

Confirm S17 or H17, double restrictions, double after split, resplitting and split-ace rules, surrender and the blackjack payout. This site’s charts do not cover every variant.

When to bet and how many cards you receive

Place the initial wager in your betting circle before the deal and within the table’s limits. You receive two cards to start. After that, a permitted split or double adds a stake; an ordinary hit adds a card without increasing the original wager. The blackjack table layout explains the betting areas.

There is no general five-card or seven-card automatic win in the standard game described here. Extra-card bonuses and Charlie rules belong to specific variants. You may normally keep hitting while the hand is live, but a double normally allows only one more card and split aces often have stricter limits.

Best hands, weak hands and ties

An initial ace with a ten-value card is a natural blackjack and beats an ordinary three-card 21. A hard 20 is strong, but it can still lose to 21. Hard 16 is awkward because many hits bust and standing may still lose; there is no single worst hand without specifying the dealer’s card and the rules.

If player and dealer finish with the same ordinary total, the result is a push and the original stake returns. Two naturals also push under these standard rules. A player who has already busted loses even if the dealer later busts. Use hard-total strategy for decisions rather than ranking hands alone.

Strategy and the table layout

The blackjack table layout guide identifies the main wager, dealer area and rule labels. For the risk of going over 21, compare player and dealer bust probabilities under their stated assumptions.