How to Play Blackjack Online
The game of blackjack comes in many shapes and sizes: Classic blackjack, European blackjack, Vegas Strip blackjack, and many more. The many variations on the game make blackjack interesting and exciting, and help ensure that you will find an
online blackjack game that is just right for you.
The Basic Rules of Blackjack
On the other hand, you might worry that all these blackjack games will create too much confusion. How, you might be asking, can I possibly learn all the rules of all these games? In truth, there is no need to worry. The rules of all these online black jack games are 90 percent the same; the differences are only in the details.
On this page, you will learn the
basic rules of how to play online blackjack. Once you understand these basic rules of blackjack, you will find it easy to learn the specific blackjack rules of any particular blackjack game.
The Blackjack Cards
The goal in online blackjack is to beat the dealer by getting a hand that is closer to 21 than the dealer's hand, but without going over. If your hand goes over 21, you
"bust" and automatically lose.
Blackjack online is played with anywhere from one to eight decks of cards. These are standard 52-card decks; there are no jokers. The 2 through 10 cards each have a value equal to their normal face value. Face cards (jacks, queens, and kings) have a value of 10.
An ace can be worth either 1 or 11, whichever is more advantageous. A hand with an ace valued at 11 is called a
"soft hand"; thus, a hand comprising a 2, 4, and ace is a "soft 17." A hand with an ace valued at 1 is a
"hard hand"; a hand made up of 7, 9, and ace is a "hard 17."
Starting the Blackjack Game
To start playing a game of black jack online, you first place your bet on the virtual blackjack table. You are then dealt two cards, both face up. The dealer is dealt one card face up, known as the dealer's
"up card". In some blackjack variations he is also dealt a second card, this one face down, known as the
"hole card"; in other variations he does not receive a second card until after you have finished playing your hand.
If your two cards are an ace and a 10-value card — congratulations! You have
blackjack! Blackjack automatically wins, and it pays off at odds of 3 to 2. (Unless the dealer also has blackjack, in which case the hand is a tie, known as a "
push.")
If you do not have blackjack with your first two cards, then it is time to play your hand.
Playing Your Blackjack Hand
After examining your cards and the dealer's up card, you play your hand by taking one of the following actions:
- Stand: You take no more cards, and the action passes to the dealer to play his hand.
- Hit: You ask for another card. You may continue to hit and continue receiving more cards until you decide to stand, or until you "bust" (go over 21).
- Double Down: You double your bet, receive one (and only one) more card, and then stand.
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- Split: If your first two cards are the same denomination, you may split the hand. Each of the two identical cards becomes the first card in a new hand, the amount of your original bet is placed on each of the resulting hands (effectively doubling your bet), each of your two hands receives a second card, and you play each hand separately pursuant to the regular blackjack rules.
- Insurance: If the dealer's up card is an ace, you may take out insurance against the dealer's having blackjack. The insurance bet is equal to half of your regular bet. If the dealer does have blackjack, your insurance bet pays out 2 to 1; if the dealer does not have blackjack, you lose the insurance bet and continue playing your hand with your regular bet.
- Surrender: In some blackjack games, if you think you are likely to lose the hand, you may surrender the hand and lose only half of your bet.
The Dealer's Blackjack Hand
If you received blackjack and the dealer did not, you win the hand. If you surrender or bust, you lose and the hand is over. Otherwise, after you have finished playing your hand, it is the dealer's turn to play his hand.
Depending on which particular online blackjack game you are playing, the dealer will either turn over his hole card or else receive his second card at this point. In either event, the dealer, like you, starts his blackjack play with two cards, But unlike you, the dealer has no discretion in how to play his hand. His moves are strictly determined by the rules of blackjack. These are the rules by which the dealer is bound:
- Hit: If the value of the dealer's hand is 16 or less, the dealer must hit.
- Stand: With a hard 17, or with 18 or more, the dealer must stand.
- Soft 17: Soft 17 is where the rules differ between different blackjack games. In some games, the dealer must hit on soft 17; in others he must stand. The rule pertaining to your particular game will be printed on the felt of the blackjack table.
Winning at Blackjack
There are several different ways to
win at blackjack.
A
blackjack, also known as a
natural, is a hand consisting of an ace and a 10-value card as your first two cards. If you get a blackjack and the dealer does not, you win a payout of 3 to 2. All other wins in blackjack pay out at a normal rate of 1 to 1.
If you stand without busting, and the dealer busts, you win the hand.
If neither you nor the dealer busts, the hand with the higher value (in other words, the hand closest to 21) wins.
If your hand and the dealer's hand have the same value, the hand is a tie, known as a "
push." You neither gain nor lose any money.
Different Blackjack Rules for Different Online Blackjack Variations
Most blackjack variations — such as Classic blackjack, Atlantic City blackjack, and European blackjack — follow the rules described on this page. The differences are in the fine points of the particular blackjack game. Different blackjack games use different numbers of decks. Some blackjack games allow surrender or resplitting; others do not. Some blackjack games allow doubling down on any two cards; some only on certain combinations. In some games, the dealer stands on soft 17; in others, he hits. So read
Rules for Various Blackjack Games for the exact rules of each of these online blackjack variations.
Unusual Blackjack Games Have Unusual Blackjack Rules
The blackjack games described above can all be called standard blackjack games, and they all follow some variation of the standard blackjack rules. But there are also some more unusual blackjack variations that have more unusual blackjack rules. In Double Exposure Blackjack, for example, both of the dealer's cards are dealt face up. Bonus Blackjack has special bonus payouts of up to 50-to-1 for certain two-card combinations, while Triple 7s Blackjack pays a huge progressive jackpot for three diamond 7s. For the rules of these and other off-the-beaten-path blackjack games, please see
Blackjack Variations.
Play Blackjack Online
Blackjack is one of the most popular games in the online casino. Now that you know the basics of how to play blackjack, give it a try and experience the excitement of online blackjack for yourself. Good luck, and have fun
playing blackjack online!
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