How to Play Blackjack

While there are a lot of online blackjack rules, the overall basis of the game is pretty simple. You want to form a better hand than the dealer without going over the score of 21 (busting). But in order to accomplish this goal, you’ll need to know a few things about how online blackjack works.

After you’ve made at least the minimum bet, you will be dealt two face-up cards by the dealer. The dealer also receives two cards, with one of the cards being face-up. Once the dealer has their two cards, you can perform one of the following four actions: hit, stand, split or double down.

Hitting is just another word for drawing for an extra card. You can draw for as many cards as you want, until you either go over 21 or choose to stand. Standing means that you are happy with your current score total, and you don’t wish to receive any more cards

Splitting can only be done when you have two cards of equal numerical value (i.e. a pair of 8’s). When you split hands, you must make an additional bet for the second hand, and you play these two hands like normal. Keep in mind that you can’t split any more once you have four hands on the table.

The last action, doubling down, means that you double your original wager, then receive one more card. You can’t hit beyond this single card, so choose your doubling down situations wisely!

Once you’ve chosen to stand on a total, the dealer will reveal their hand, and receive additional cards if necessary. Whoever has the closest score to 21 without going over wins the hand and a 1:1 payout. In the event of a tie, the wager is a push and you’ll receive your original bet back.

As far as scoring goes, all cards from 2-10 are worth their numerical value, face cards are worth 10, and an ace can be worth 1 or 11 based on a player’s score (if 11 makes the player go over 21 and bust, the ace will be worth 1).

Other online blackjack rules you should be aware of include the following:

• If a player receives a score of 21 with their first two cards, they have a natural blackjack and are paid 2:1 on the bet.
• If the dealer has a natural blackjack, all players without a natural blackjack lose their wager without getting a chance to perform any other actions.
• When the dealer has an ace as their upcard, players can take an insurance bet, which pays out at 2:1 in the case of the dealer having a blackjack.