Blackjack Basics: Rules, Card Values and Table Etiquette

Blackjack is the only mainstream table game where skill measurably reduces the house edge. Here is how the hand works, what the dealer must do and how to play your first session.

Card values and the target

Numbered cards count at face value, face cards count as ten, and an ace counts as either one or eleven. Your goal is to reach 21 without going over, and to beat the dealer's total. Holding an ace counted as eleven is a 'soft' hand; once the ace must drop to one, the hand is 'hard'.

A two-card 21 is a natural blackjack and normally pays 3:2. Any other 21 is simply a 21 and pays even money. The difference is why the 3:2 payout is one of the first things to check on a table's felt – a 6:5 game is dramatically worse for the player.

How a hand unfolds

You are dealt two cards face up and the dealer takes one face up and one face down. You choose to hit, stand, double down, split or, where allowed, surrender. The dealer then reveals the hole card and must follow a fixed rule – most commonly standing on all totals of 17 or more.

Doubling down doubles your bet in exchange for exactly one more card, and is profitable whenever you hold a strong starting total against a weak dealer card. Splitting turns a pair into two separate hands, each played with its own additional bet.

The decisions that matter most

Basic strategy is a chart of the mathematically best action for every combination of your hand and the dealer's upcard. Following it exactly reduces the house edge to roughly 0.5%, among the lowest of any casino game. The biggest gains come from three habits: never take insurance, always split aces and eights, and never stand on a total of 11 or less when the dealer shows a strong card.

Insurance is a side bet that the dealer has a blackjack. It is priced so that it loses money over time for a non-card-counting player, which is virtually everyone.

Frequently asked questions