Blackjack rules, end to end, with the bits that actually move the edge.
Everything you need to sit down at a real table. Read it once, then drill the chart until the right play is automatic.
Beat the dealer without going over 21.
Blackjack is you versus the dealer. You both try to build a hand that totals as close to 21 as possible without going over (busting). You win if your total is higher than the dealer's, or if the dealer busts. Other players at the table don't affect your hand. Every seat plays a private duel against the dealer.
Numbers count themselves, faces are 10, aces are 1 or 11.
Suits don't matter in blackjack, only the rank. Aces are soft: they count as 11 unless that would bust you, in which case they slip down to 1.
Bet, deal, decide, dealer, settle.
- You place a bet on the betting spot in front of your seat.
- Cards are dealt. Two face-up to you, one face-up and one face-down (the “hole card”) to the dealer.
- You play your hand, choosing one of the actions below until you stand or bust.
- The dealer plays, flipping the hole card and drawing by a fixed rule (covered below).
- Bets settle: higher total wins, ties push, busts lose.
Five buttons, one decision per hand.
On every turn you pick one action. The right pick depends on your total and the dealer's upcard. That's exactly what the basic-strategy chart tells you.
Hit
Take another card. You can hit as many times as you like, until you choose to stand or your total exceeds 21 (busting).
Stand
Keep your current total and end your turn. The dealer plays next. Usually correct on totals of hard 17+ or when the dealer shows a weak upcard (2–6) and you have any pat hand.
Double down
Double your bet, draw exactly one more card, and automatically stand. The classic spot is a hard 11 against a weak dealer. You take maximum money out when the math is most in your favor.
Split
When your two cards are the same rank, you can split them into two separate hands, each receiving a fresh second card and an equal-size bet. Splitting 8s and Aces is almost always correct; splitting 10s or 5s almost never is.
Surrender
Forfeit half your bet and end the hand immediately. Available only on the first two cards, and only at tables that offer it. The textbook spots are hard 16 vs. 9/10/A and hard 15 vs. 10.
The dealer can’t think. That’s your edge.
The dealer doesn't make choices. They flip the hole card and draw by a fixed rule:
- Hit on 16 or less.
- Stand on 17 or more, except at some tables, where the dealer must hit a soft 17 (a 17 containing an ace counted as 11).
The soft-17 rule matters. “H17” tables cost the player ~0.22% in expected value vs. “S17”, and flip a handful of chart cells. Always check the sign on the felt.
Ace + ten = blackjack. Get paid more.
If your first two cards are an ace and a ten-value card, you have a natural blackjack: an unbeatable 21 on the deal. You get paid immediately.
- 3:2 payout. Historical standard. A $10 bet wins $15.
- 6:5 payout. Increasingly common, costs the player ~1.4% in EV. A $10 bet wins only $12. Walk away from these tables when you can.
- If the dealer also has blackjack, it's a push (tie). You get your bet back.
A side bet you should usually decline.
When the dealer shows an ace, you're offered insurance: stake up to half your wager that the hole card is a ten. Pays 2:1.
Under basic strategy, insurance is a losing bet. The dealer makes blackjack ~30.8% of the time on an ace, and you'd need over 33.3% for the side bet to break even. Card counters take it only when the deck is rich in tens (true count ≥ +3).
Most tables also peek: when the dealer shows an ace or ten, they check the hole card for blackjack before you act, so you never lose extra money on doubles or splits to a hidden blackjack.
Rules learned. Now build the reflex.
The basic-strategy chart turns every hand into a known-correct decision. Drill it against real shoes with a coach that flags deviations instantly.