Blackjack Rules
If you’re new to the game, you’ll be happy to know that blackjack rules are pretty straightforward. However, as with most table games found at online casinos, there are a few different variants of the game, so make sure that you know which one you’re playing before you start.
With every version of blackjack, you’ll be playing against the banker, and the aim of the game is to get a hand of cards whose value adds up to 21, also known as hitting a blackjack. Cards from two to nine carry their face value, with 10s and picture cards having a value of 10. An ace can be worth either one or 11, making it a valuable card in any blackjack game.
How to play blackjack rules
Whether you’re playing online, in the live casino lobby, or even in a brick-and-mortar casino, the basic rules will be the same. Players’ cards are dealt face up and the dealer’s first two cards are dealt with one face up and one face down. Players then decide whether to ‘stick’ or ‘stand’, meaning that they get no more cards, or ‘twist’ or ‘hit’, meaning that another card is dealt. You can hit as many times as you want, but go over 21 and you lose. If you get closer to 21 than the dealer, you win.
If you get dealt two cards with the same value, you can split them and play two separate hands. You can also decide to double down after your first two cards are dealt, wagering an additional amount of the same or lesser value as the original bet. However, you then only get dealt one more card. If the dealer’s face-up card is an ace, you can make an insurance bet, which is a bet that the dealer has a blackjack.
Rules for the banker in blackjack
While players get to make their own decisions, there are various blackjack banker rules that apply to the dealer’s hand. When the banker has a hand of 16 or under, they must twist. With a hand of 17 or more, the banker must stick. When holding an ace that – counted as 11 – would bring the total to between 17 and 21, it is counted as 11, forcing the banker to stick.
Do blackjack rules change depending on the number of decks used?
It’s common for casinos to use multiple decks of cards in their blackjack games, with up to eight decks in play in some games.
The game is still played in exactly the same way, and the number of decks used won’t impact the rules of a game. It will, however, affect the chances of getting a blackjack. This is reduced when there are more decks, giving a bigger house edge. Casinos also tend to use more decks of cards to prevent players from counting cards to increase their chances of winning.
Splitting in blackjack: rules and tips
Blackjack split rules mean that you can choose to split a hand if you are dealt two cards of the same value. After splitting, you must place a second, and equal, bet on the second hand, and then play each hand independently, with the chance to win either, or both, hands. You can split any matching pair, but if you split two aces, you then get to hit just one more time, so you’ll need a card with a value of 10 to get a blackjack.
How to use an ace in blackjack
The rules for aces in Blackjack are pretty straightforward. Aces are a valuable card in blackjack because they can have a value of either one or 11, and, with a few restrictions, you can switch between the two values at any point, as long as they don’t tally above 21 with the ace counted as one.
For example, you can twist with an ace and a four, and if you get a six, that’s 21 – and a win. However, if you get a seven, you don’t go bust. You just go back to counting the ace as one, and you now have a hand value of 12 and can choose to twist again.
Rules for 21+3 blackjack
21+3 blackjack rules are worth knowing about if you want to liven up your blackjack game. 21+3 is effectively a side bet where you get to play two games in one. A standard blackjack game runs alongside a side game of three-card poker, using the same hand.
If you want to learn more about Blackjack Side Bets, check out our Blackjack Side Bets blogs.
Once the player has their first two cards, the dealer will add another face up card to complete the poker hand. If these three cards total three of a kind, a straight or a flush, then the side bet pays out and the rest of the hand plays out as a standard game of blackjack.
What are the rules for a 5-card trick in blackjack?
Blackjack 5-card rules (or 7-card rules) offer an extra way to win, but only in some games. When playing under certain blackjack rules, 7 cards – or sometimes 5 cards – can win even if they don’t equal 21.
This feature is also known as a five-card Charlie or seven-card Charlie. When 5-card trick blackjack rules (or 7-card rules) are in play, if a player gets to 5 (or 7) cards in a single hand without exceeding 21, that player wins the game. This is not part of standard blackjack game rules, so you won’t find this feature in all games. However, if you’re playing at a casino that offers it, it can add an extra way to win.
Depending on which variant of the game is being played, blackjack power cards rules may apply during these games, meaning that there are cards that can act as power cards. If there’s a power card on the pile, you must play the same number but in any suit. If you can’t, you get extra cards. Some variants can be a bit complicated, so make sure that you know exactly which version of the game you’re playing, and what the rules are, before you start.
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