Blackjack Rules
Once you have mastered the basics of blackjack it is important that you become fully familiar with the blackjack rules. This page shows you the rules of blackjack starting with some overall rules and then going into the details of the many options you will have during the play of an online blackjack hand.
An important rule in blackjack is that you should never touch your cards. Instead your actions should be communicated to the dealer either verbally or by gestures – for example tapping the table to take another card, or placing a bet next to your original stake for splitting. Of course, this rule applies only to live blackjack casino games and not when you play online blackjack.
A second rule in blackjack is that aces can count as either a 1 or and 11. This distinction is usually referred to as a ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ hand. For example an ace and six together total 17, this is called a ‘soft 17’ as a player has the option to take further cards to reach a bigger total. By comparison a king and seven together would be a ‘hard 17’.
You should also make yourself familiar with the rules by which the dealer will play in any blackjack game. The way in which the dealer will hit and stand is pre-determined and will usually be written on the felt. Differences are usually in whether the dealer will hit or stand with a ‘soft’ 17.
During the play of a hand the choices a player has are to ‘Stand’, ‘Hit’, ‘Double Down’, ‘Split’ and in some cases ‘Surrender’. We will take each of these in turn and look at the blackjack rules which apply in each case.
- ‘Stand’: When a player chooses to stand the decision making in the hand is over, you are keeping the total which you currently hold.
- ‘Hit’: Hitting means instructing the dealer to give you another cards. A player may hit at any time, there is no theoretical limit to the number of cards dealt. If your total goes above 21 for any hand then your hand is ‘busted’ and you will lose your bet regardless of whether the dealer also busts.
- ‘Double Down’: If the cards in a players hand total 9, 10 or 11 they will have the option to double-down. This involves doubling the size of the bet before receiving the next card. Only one additional card will be dealt to a player who as doubled. Some casinos will allow players to double down with any cards, in this case it is important to understand the optimal strategy.
- ‘Splitting’: When dealt a pair a player has the option to split the hand into 2 separate hands, a second bet is then placed and an additional card dealt for each hand. The blackjack rules on splitting any subsequent pairs vary depending on the casino, as do the rules for splitting a pair of aces.
- ‘Surrender’: Where this rule is used a player can choose not to play their hand at all. Surrendering involves giving half of your bet to the house and retaining the other half.
- ‘Push’: Where the dealer and the play have the same hand the hand is declared tied and the player’s bet is returned – this is known as a ‘push’.
Becoming thoroughly familiar with the blackjack rules – both the common rules and the individual rules at each casino – is an important aspect of optimal online blackjack play. Knowing the terms associated with online blackjack is also useful, see our blackjack glossary for an explanation of the major terms Once you have mastered the blackjack rules it is time to go one step further, looking at basic blackjack strategy.
