How to Play Blackjack

Number cards count at face value, tens and face cards count as 10, and an ace counts as 1 or 11—whichever produces the strongest legal total. A two-card 21 is a blackjack, which normally pays 3:2.

You are not trying to reach exactly 21 every hand. You win by making a higher legal total than the dealer, receiving a blackjack when the dealer does not, or allowing the dealer to bust.

After wagers close, each player receives two cards and the dealer receives an upcard plus a hole card. Players act first. When every player has finished, the dealer reveals the hole card and follows the table's fixed drawing rule.

Common player actions are Hit, Stand, Double Down, and Split. Some tables also offer surrender. Insurance is a separate wager offered against a dealer ace; it is generally poor value unless you are using advanced card-counting information.

Use a basic-strategy chart matched to the table rules instead of playing by instinct. Strategy changes with your total, whether it is hard or soft, pairs, the dealer upcard, deck count, and whether the dealer hits soft 17.

Table selection matters before the first card is dealt. Prefer blackjack paying 3:2, dealer standing on soft 17, and rules allowing double after split. Avoid 6:5 blackjack and high-edge side bets.

The dealer controls the dealing order, protects the hole card, announces blackjacks and busts, completes the dealer hand according to the posted rule, and settles wagers in the proper order. Dealer decisions are procedural—the dealer does not choose strategy.