When it comes to casino games there are few as classic as Blackjack. This popular card game has been a staple of casinos for centuries now, in no small part thanks to its simple gameplay and straightforward ruleset.
There aren’t many rules to memorise when it comes to playing Blackjack in an online casino. In our comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know when it comes to this classic game and its rules.
How does a game of Blackjack work?
The basic premise of Blackjack is simple, hinted at by the game’s former name of Vingt-et-Un, or 21. Players aim to get the value of their hand as close to 21 as possible while trying to avoid going over that number, as any higher hand value means they go bust.
Number cards are all worth their face value while the Jack, Queen and King are each worth ten points. Aces are variable in value, counting either as one or 11 depending on the value of the player’s hand.
Typically, the game uses between one and eight decks of standard playing cards, with a higher deck count reducing the need for the dealer to reshuffle and making it harder to count cards. But when it comes to online Blackjack games this is somewhat moot, as the deck can be instantly reshuffled at any point.
Blackjack’s gameplay flow
To begin, the dealer will deal out two cards to each player as well as two to themselves. Generally, player cards are dealt face up for the entire table to see, while the dealer has one card face up and their second card face down.
Depending on the cards they’ve been dealt as well as the dealer’s visible card, players will decide how they want to proceed with the game.
Firstly, they can choose to hit and request another card for their hand. Players are more likely to hit when their hand value is on the lower end, with extra cards giving them the potential to edge closer to 21.
A player can hit as many times as they want until they either go bust – exceeding 21 – or choose to stand. Standing is when a player opts to keep their hand at its current value, ending their turn.
Two other actions potentially available to the player are to double down, doubling their initial wager for just one extra card, or to split, which is only an option if the player’s first two cards are the same in value. In the case of a split, the player can play two separate hands.
Once every player has finished their turn, the dealer will reveal their face down card, establishing the value of their hand. If the value is less than 17 then the dealer must hit until they reach at least that value, giving them the potential to go bust.
If the dealer doesn’t go bust then they will compare their hand with each player, paying out to whichever players have a hand with a higher value.
Variant rules
Blackjack’s base rules see some variations in order to change up the classic game, many of which involve the actions of the dealer. In some games, the dealer will not receive their second card until after all players have taken their turns, while in others change whether or not the dealer is required to hit on a soft 17 hand value.
Understanding the rules of Blackjack makes it simpler to grasp the gameplay of this casino classic.
