BlackJack

Rules

Blackjack hands are scored by their point total. The closest to 21, but not exceeding, wins. Higher than 21 is said to 'bust'. Cards 2 - 10 are worth face value, with face cards (king, queen, jack) all being worth 10. An ace is counted as having a value of 11, unless this causes the player to bust, in which case it is worth 1. A hand where the ace's value is 11 is called a soft hand, as the player cannot bust if they draw another card.

The goal of each player is to beat the dealer by having a higher hand without busting. If the player busts he loses, even if the dealer also busts (hence Blackjack favours the dealer). If the player and dealer have the same point worth, this is called a "push", and neither wins the hand. Each player at a table has a separate game with the dealer, so it is possible for the dealer to lose to one player, but still beat other players in the same round.

Play format:
Dealer has blackjack and the player does not, player loses automatically.
Player has blackjack and the dealer does not, player wins automatically.
If the player and dealer have blackjack then it is a push.
If no one has blackjack, then each player plays out their hand, one at a time.
After all players have finished, the dealer plays their hand.

The player's options when playing their hand:

• Hit: Take another card.
• Stand: Take no more cards.
• Double down: Double the bet, take one more card, and then stand.
• Split: Double the bet and split the two cards in to two seperate hands (another card is drawn for each), if they have the same value.

Basic strategy

As in all casino and online casino games, the house generally has an advantage, that will play itself out in the long run. But as blackjack has an element of choice, players can reduce casino advantage to a smaller percentage by playing basic strategy. This strategy determines the correct option to play (hit/stand/double down/split) depending on the players point total and dealer visible card. There are variations in basic strategy depending on the house rules and number of decks being used. Under favorable conditions (single deck, downtown Las Vegas rules), the house advantage can be quite low (0.16%).

Basic strategy can be shown simply in a blackjack strategy chart.