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The Rules:
Table of Contents
• The Object of the Game
• Value of the Cards
• Dealing the Cards
• How the Dealer Plays His Hand
• What is a Blackjack
• Your Bank
• Maximum Bet
• Hitting or Standing
• Doubling Down
• Splitting Pairs
• Insurance and Even Money
The Object of the Game
The object of the game is to have a hand value that is closer to 21 than that of the dealer, without going over 21. This is
a single player game, so there are no other hands to consider. The dealer must play by a clear set of rules, so no
decisions are left up to the dealer.
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Value of the Cards
In blackjack, the value of the cards is as follows:
• An Ace can count as either 1 or 11
• The cards from 2 through 9 are valued as indicated
• The 10, Jack, Queen, and King are all valued at 10
• The suits of the cards do not have any meaning in the game
The value of a hand is the sum of the card values in each card hand. For example, a hand containing (4,8,9) has the value
of 21. The Ace can be counted as either 1 or 11. It's assumed to always have the value that makes the best hand. Here's
an example: Suppose that you have the beginning hand (Ace, 7). This hand can be either 8 or 18. If you stop there, it
will be 18. If you draw another card and it is a 7, you now have (Ace, 7, 3). Your total hand is now 21, counting the Ace
as 11. If you had drawn a third card which was an 8, your hand is now (Ace, 7, 8) which totals 16. Now the Ace must be
counted as only 1 to avoid going over 21.
A hand that contains an Ace is called a "soft" total if the Ace can be counted as either 1 or 11 without the total going
over 21. For example (Ace, 6) is a soft 17. The description stems from the fact that the player can always draw another
card to a soft total with no danger of "busting" by going over 21. The hand (Ace,7,9) on the other hand is a "hard" 17,
since now the Ace must be counted as only 1, again because counting it as 11 would make the hand go over 21.
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Dealing the Cards
Once you place your bet, the dealer will deal the cards. The dealer will flip one of his cards over, exposing its value.
Once the cards are dealt, play proceeds. After the cards are dealt, you indicate to the dealer how you wish to play the
hand. After you have finished, the dealer will complete his hand, and then pay or collect your bet.
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How the Dealer Plays His Hand
The dealer must play his hand in by the rules mentioned below.
Dealer stands on all 17s. This means the dealer must take cards ("hit") until his total is 17 or greater. An Ace in the
dealer's hand is always counted as 11 if possible without the dealer going over 21. For example, (Ace,9) would be 20 and
the dealer would stop drawing cards ("stand"). Also, (Ace,6) is 17 and again the dealer would have to stand. (Ace,5) is
only 16, so the dealer must hit. He will continue to draw cards until the hand's value is 17 or more. For example,
(Ace,5,7) is only 13 so he hits again. (Ace,5,7,6) makes 17 so the dealer would stop ("stand").
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Again, the dealer must follow the rules stated above. The dealer has no choices to make. The dealer cannot split pairs,
but must instead simply hit until he reaches at least 17 or busts by going over 21.
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What is a Blackjack
A blackjack, or natural, is a total of 21 in your first two cards. Simply stated a blackjack is an Ace and any card with a
value of ten. If you split a pair of Aces for example, and then draw a ten-valued card on one of the Aces, it is not a
blackjack, but rather a total of 21. The distinction is important, because in some games winning blackjack pays the player
odds of 3 to 2. A bet of $10 wins $15 if the player makes a blackjack. A player blackjack beats any dealer total other
than a dealer's blackjack, including a dealer's regular 21. If both a player and the dealer make blackjack, the hand is a
tie or push.
The dealer will pay your winning blackjack bet immediately.
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Your Bank
You will be starting with $1,000.
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Maximum Bet
The maximum bet in this game is $999.
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Hitting or Standing
The most common decision a player must make during the game is whether to draw another card to the hand ("hit"), or stop at
the current total ("stand").
To draw another card to your hand, simply select "Hit." The dealer will deal your additional cards and add them to your
total hand value. If you go over 21, you bust. The dealer will collect your bet and you can either choose to continue or
quit.
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Doubling Down
Doubling down can only be done with a two card hand, before another card has been drawn. Doubling down allows you to double
your bet and receive one, and only one, additional card to the hand. A good example of a doubling opportunity is when you
hold a total of 11, say a (7,4) against a dealer's upcard of 5. In this case, you have a good chance of winning the hand by
drawing one additional card, so you might as well double your bet in this situation. The dealer will deal one additional
card to the hand.
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Splitting Pairs
When you are dealt a matching pair of cards (remember, the suits does not matter), you have the option to split the hand
into two separate hands, and play them independently. Let's say you are dealt a pair of eights for a total of sixteen.
Sixteen is the worst possible player hand, since it is unlikely to win as is, but is very likely to bust if you draw to it.
Here's a great chance to improve a bad situation.
If you choose to split, the dealer will separate the two cards, and treat them as two independent hands. You can play the
first hand to completion, at which point the dealer will deal a second card to the second hand, and you can begin making
play decisions on it.
If you get additional pairs (in the first two cards of a hand), you can resplit, making yet another hand. The most common
rule allows a player to split up to 3 times, making 4 separate hands, with 4 separate bets. Another fine point is that you
are allowed to split any 10-valued cards, so you could split a (10, Queen) hand. However, this is usually a bad play: Keep
the 20. It is often referred to as splitting winners. You don't want to split a potential winning hand.
The other complication for pair splits concerns splitting Aces. Splitting Aces is a very strong player move, so the casino
restricts you to drawing only one additional card on each Ace. Also, if you draw a ten-valued card on one of your split
Aces, the hand is not considered a Blackjack, but is instead treated as a normal 21, and therefore does not collect 3:2
odds. in any case, always split pairs of Aces.
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Insurance and Even Money
If the dealer turns an up-card of an Ace, he will offer "Insurance" to the players. The dealer will check to see if he has
a 10-value card underneath his Ace, and if he does have Blackjack, your winning Insurance bet will be paid at odds of 2:1.
You'll lose your original bet of course (unless you also have a Blackjack), so the net effect is that you break even
(assuming you bet the full half bet for insurance.) This is why the bet is described as "insurance", since it seems to
protect your original bet against a dealer blackjack. Of course, if the dealer does not have blackjack, you'll lose the
insurance bet, and still have to play the original bet out.
In the simplest description, Insurance is a side-bet, where you are offered 2:1 odds that the dealer has a 10-valued card
underneath ("in the hole").
The situation is often thought to be different when you have a Blackjack. The dealer is likely to offer you "even money"
instead of the insurance bet. This is just the same old insurance bet with a simplification thrown in. Let's ignore the
"even money" name, and look at what happens when you insure a Blackjack. Let's say you bet $100, and have a Blackjack. You
would normally collect $150 for this, unless the dealer also has a blackjack, in which case you push or tie.
Let's assume that the dealer has an Ace up, and you decide to take insurance for the full amount, or $50. Now, two things
can happen:
1) The dealer has a Blackjack. I tie with the $100, but collect 2:1 on the $50 insurance bet for a total profit of
$100.
2) The dealer does not have Blackjack. I lose the $50, but collect $150 for my BJ. Total profit, again $100.
In either case, once I make the insurance bet, I'm guaranteed a profit of $100, or even money for my original bet.
So, casinos allow me to eliminate the insurance bet altogether, and simply declare that I want even money for my blackjack
when the dealer has an Ace showing.
You're probably thinking that sounds like a pretty good deal. You're guaranteed a profit even if the dealer does have
Blackjack. Just remember that the guaranteed profit comes at a price. You'll win more money in the long run by holding out
for the $15, even though you'll sometimes end up empty-handed. Nonetheless, many players are adamant that they prefer to
take even money when offered. Just be aware that you're costing yourself money when you make that choice.
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