What are the rules of blackjack?

The rules in one paragraph

Blackjack pits you against the dealer. You each build a hand from a shoe of standard 52-card decks. Number cards score their pip value, tens and face cards (J, Q, K) count as 10, and Aces count as 1 or 11. The target is to finish with a total closer to 21 than the dealer without exceeding 21 (a bust). You act first; the dealer acts under a fixed rule (hit until 17, then stand). A two-card 21 is a blackjack and pays 3:2. Everything else pays 1:1. Ties push.

Card values

A hand containing an Ace counted as 11 is a soft hand (soft 17 = Ace + 6). If drawing another card would bust it, the Ace flips to 1 and the hand becomes hard. This is why "soft 17" is a distinct concept — you can hit it with zero bust risk.

The round, from bet to payout

1. Players place bets.
2. Dealer deals two face-up cards to each player.
3. Dealer deals themselves one face-up card (the up-card) and one face-down card (the hole card).
4. If the up-card is an Ace, dealer offers insurance — a side bet paying 2:1 if the hole card is a ten.
5. If the up-card is an Ace or ten, dealer peeks at the hole card. If they have blackjack, the hand ends immediately (this is the peek rule and it saves you from doubling or splitting into a dealer blackjack).
6. Each player acts in turn: hit, stand, double, split, or surrender.
7. Dealer reveals the hole card and plays out their hand under the house rule.
8. Payouts settle.

Player actions

• Hit — take another card.
• Stand — end your turn.
• Double down — double the bet, take exactly one more card, then stand. First action only.
• Split — with a pair, post a second bet equal to the first and play each card as a separate hand. Rules on re-splitting and splitting Aces vary by house.
• Surrender — where offered, forfeit half your bet before drawing. "Late surrender" happens after the dealer peeks for blackjack; "early surrender" (rare) is before the peek.

Dealer rules — the part that never changes

The dealer has no choices. Their play is dictated by the table:

• S17 — dealer stands on all 17s, including soft 17. Slightly better for the player.
• H17 — dealer hits soft 17, stands on hard 17+. Adds roughly 0.2% to the house edge because a soft 17 that would push against your 17 or 18 gets another chance to improve.

Both variants share the same core: dealer draws to 16 or lower, stops at 17 or higher (with the soft-17 exception above). Our fantasy league uses H17 because it matches the majority of shoe games in modern casinos and is the standard basic-strategy target.

Payouts

Why 6:5 blackjack is a trap. A 3:2 blackjack pays 150 on a 100 bet. A 6:5 blackjack pays 120. That single change adds about 1.4% to the house edge and turns a beatable game into a losing one for the average player. If the felt says 6:5, walk to another table.

Common rule variations that change the math

• Number of decks. Single deck < double deck < 6-deck < 8-deck for the player. More decks means fewer natural blackjacks per hand dealt.
• Double after split (DAS). Some tables let you double on the first card dealt to a split hand. DAS is better for the player.
• Re-split Aces (RSA). Most houses give one card to each split Ace and stop. Tables that allow re-splitting Aces are rare and player-friendly.
• Surrender. Late surrender is worth about 0.1% to the player; early surrender is worth much more but hardly exists anymore.
• Peek. European-style "no-peek" rules (dealer takes the hole card only after all players act) mean you can lose a doubled or split bet to a dealer blackjack. US-style peek is standard in most large casinos.

What "the house edge" actually is

The house edge is the long-run percentage of your total wagered dollars that the casino keeps if you play the game correctly. Under a common Vegas rule set (6 decks, H17, DAS, no surrender, 3:2 blackjack), perfect basic strategy gives the house about 0.55%. A player who eyeballs decisions and never doubles or splits typically bleeds 2–3%. That's the entire reason basic strategy exists — it's the mathematically optimal response to every combination of your hand and the dealer's up-card.

Practise the rules until they're automatic

Rules memorised on paper vanish the moment real chips are on the felt. The only fix is repetition on a table that enforces the same rules a casino does.

• Play a free hand right now — H17, 3:2 blackjack, no signup. See the rules in motion.
• Basic strategy trainer — every rule above, drilled as decisions.
• How to play blackjack, step by step — the beginner's walkthrough.

Frequently asked

Does the dealer always have to hit 16? Yes. The dealer has no discretion. Any hard 16 gets a card.

What happens if we both get 21? Push. Bet returned.

Is a two-card 21 different from a drawn 21? Yes. A two-card blackjack pays 3:2 and beats a drawn 21. A drawn 21 pays 1:1 and pushes against a dealer's drawn 21.

Can I touch the cards? In a face-up shoe game, no. In a hand-held pitch game (usually single or double deck), yes — one hand, no lifting off the felt. In this app it doesn't matter; the interface handles it.

Do side bets like Perfect Pairs count as blackjack? No. Side bets are separate wagers with their own (much higher) house edges. The base game is what basic strategy solves.

Do I keep my original bet on a blackjack? Yes — you get 1× your bet back plus a 1.5× profit (3:2 tables). Bet 100, collect 250 total off the felt.