How to Play Blackjack | Blackjack Rules for Beginners Explained

Blackjack, or Twenty-One, is one of the most popular card games for casino players, and it’s easy to understand why. With rather simple blackjack rules, the game is easy to take up even for beginners, and its combination of strategic play and luck further makes it the enjoyable game everyone knows it to be.

Sounds like a good fit for you? Let’s start learning how to play blackjack!

🔑 Key Takeaways

Find out the rules of blackjack.
Learn the commonly used terms in the game.
Discover what the value of each card represents in blackjack.

Online Blackjack Rules

The main objective of online blackjack is that players must draw a hand value higher than the dealer’s, but not over the value of 21. Here’s an easy overview:

You lose:

Your hand value exceeds 21, which is known as “busting.”
The dealer’s hand is closer to 21 than yours without exceeding 21.

You win:

Your hand value is closer to 21 than the dealer’s without exceeding 21.
The dealer busts by exceeding a hand value of 21.

So as you may have noticed, you are playing against the dealer in blackjack, and not other players.

Blackjack Gameplay

Playing blackjack is fairly easy, here’s a typical blackjack gameplay for a further explanation of how the game works:

Step 1: Join the Blackjack Table

First, you’d want to make sure that the table limits are aligned with your casino bankroll. Once you’ve done that then join the blackjack table and place your bets. Then, wait for the dealer to deal the cards and receive yours.

Step 2: Dealer Deals the Cards

The dealer will then deal you two cards (both faced up) and two cards to themselves (one faced up, and one faced down). So both you and the dealer will be able to see both of your cards, and only one of the dealer’s cards.

Step 3: Check Your Cards

Check the value of your cards and decide how you would like to proceed. If the first cards you were dealt were a ten-value card and an Ace, you got a Blackjack—you win! Unless the dealer also ends up having a blackjack, in which case no one wins.

Step 4: Choose to Hit or Stand

If you decide the best action to be adding another card then tell the dealer to “hit” you. Otherwise, tell the dealer you want to “stand.”

Step 5: Check your New Hand Value

If you chose to hit then you need to check your new hand value: anything that falls to a value of 21 or less means you remain in the game.

Step 6: Repeat Until Both Players No Longer Want to Hit, or One Goes Bust

You can choose to keep hitting until you no longer want to add another card, or until either you or the dealer goes bust.

Step 7: Final Result

You win the round if your hand is the closest to 21. However, if the dealer’s cards add up to 21 or a figure closer to 21, then the dealer wins the round.

Blackjack Cards Value

Now that you know the general blackjack rules, it’s only fair to know what values the cards hold:

Ace = 1 or 11
2-10 = face values
Jack = 10
Queen = 10
King = 10

Example:

4 + 10 = 14
Ace + 6 = 17
5 + 9 + 7 = 21 → Blackjack!
9 + 10 + Ace = 20 → In this case, Ace would represent 1 and not 11, so the value doesn’t surpass 21.

Understanding the Blackjack Table

The blackjack game is always played on a semicircle table, which makes it easier for the dealer to deal cards to everyone. Typically, the table accommodates 5–12 players simultaneously, depending on the game variation, while the dealer stands behind.

At the start of the game, the dealer uses a card shoe or shuffling machine to deal the cards. Moreover, the dealer may choose to shuffle and deal the card manually, depending on the game. Once this has been done, players are dealt their cards, and then the game begins.

Common Terms in Blackjack

There’s no better way to learn how to play blackjack at home than by knowing the different terminologies in the game. Here are some common blackjack terms:

Ace Poor or Ace Rich: Ace Poor means fewer aces are dealt than expected. Ace Rich means there are more aces dealt than expected.
Back Counting: A situation when cards are counted from behind the table to escape negative counts.
Burn Card: This is the very first card on the shuffle deck
Bust: This term is used when the dealer or player’s hand surpasses the total value of 21.
Chipping Down or Up: Chipping down means lowering your wager amount from what you did in the previous round. While chipping up means increasing from the previous round.
Double Down: After receiving your first two cards, you have the option to double your initial bet and commit to taking exactly one more card to try to improve your hand. This move is typically used when you have a strong starting hand, such as a total of 9, 10, or 11, and you believe one more card can lead to a winning hand.
Insurance: Insurance refers to the type of bet that a player makes if the dealer’s up-card is an ace. Once the bet is placed, the dealer checks the face-down card to confirm, and if it’s a ten as the player predicted, they win the bet and receive double the amount of their bet.
Split: If your first two cards have the same denomination, you can split them into two separate hands. Then, you request a “hit” for each of your hands so you can get extra cards for both hands.
Stand-Off: This is when you have the same hand value as the dealer. In this situation, you’ll be given your initial bet back.
Stiff: This is when your hand is almost over 21, and you could go bust if you take another card.
Surrendering: If your hand is especially bad, you can surrender to the dealer and accept the 50% deduction on your bet. Starting with a bad hand will likely lead to losing all your bets.
Switch: This is where players with two hands can switch out the second card in each hand to change the combination.

So, Will You Play Blackjack Tonight?

Now that you’ve begun learning how to play blackjack online, we hope this article goes a long way toward helping you enjoy this simple, yet entertaining game.

Once you understand the basic rules we’ve discussed, you’ll discover that blackjack is relatively easy to play. Next, it’s time to learn how to win in blackjack! Do you have what it takes?