What are the rules of blackjack?

Here’s everything that happens in a round, in order:

1. The dealer uses 1 to 8 decks shuffled into a card shoe.
2. You place your bet before any cards come out.
3. You get two cards face up. The dealer gets one face up and one face down.
4. If the dealer shows an Ace or a 10, he peeks at his hole card. If he has a blackjack the hand ends, and you lose (unless you also have one, what we call a push).
5. On your turn you can hit, stand, double, split, or surrender. More on each below.
6. Go over 21 and you bust. It means you lose your bet, no matter what happens next.
7. When you’re done, the dealer flips his hole card and plays his hand.
8. The dealer must keep hitting until he reaches 17 or higher. He doesn’t get choices.
9. If the dealer busts, every hand still standing wins.
10. If the dealer doesn’t bust, closest to 21 wins.
11. Tie means push. You get your bet back. No win, no loss.
12. Blackjack pays 3 to 2 on most tables. Some tables pay 6 to 5, which costs you. Avoid those.

You get to make 5 main decisions on your turn, plus one optional side bet.

Here’s what each one does and when you can use it.

Hit. Take one more card.

You can hit as many times as you want, as long as you don’t go over 21.

At a live table, tap the table or say “hit”.

Stand. Stop where you are.

Your turn ends and play moves to the next person.

You can wave your hand over the cards or say “stand”.

Double. Double your bet and take exactly one more card, then your turn ends.

You can only do this on your first two cards.

Some tables let you double after a split too.

That’s called Double After Split (DAS) and it’s good for you.

Split. When your first two cards match (two 8s, two Aces, two Kings), splitting turns them into two separate hands.

For that you need to put down a second bet equal to the first, and each card becomes the start of its own hand.

Split Aces usually get one card each and that’s it.

Surrender. Give up half your bet and end the hand right away.

Only available on your first two cards.

Most tables only allow late surrender, which means after the dealer has checked for blackjack.

It helps in the worst spots.

The classic example: your two cards add up to 16 and the dealer is showing a 10.

You’ll usually lose that hand, so giving back half your bet beats losing the whole thing.

Insurance (side bet). When the dealer shows an Ace, the casino offers you an insurance.

It’s a side bet that pays 2 to 1 if the dealer has a blackjack.

But it costs you half your original bet, to get your bet back if the dealer has blackjack.

The math says it’s not worth it to use it, so we recommend avoiding it.

The dealer doesn’t get to think.

Every move he does is locked in by the house rules.

That’s actually good for you because it makes his play predictable.

Here’s what he has to do, no matter what:

Hit until he reaches 17 or more. The dealer takes cards until his hand totals at least 17, then he stops.

He can’t decide to stand on 16 because it looks risky.

He can’t decide to hit on 17 because he wants a better hand.

The number is the number.

Soft 17 rule varies by table. A soft 17 is any 17 that includes an Ace counted as 11 (like A-6 or A-2-4).

Some tables make the dealer hit on soft 17 (called H17, worse for you).

Others make him stand (called S17, better for you).

The rule is usually printed on the table felt.

Peek for blackjack first. If the dealer’s up card is an Ace or a 10, he checks his hole card before you act.

If he has a blackjack the hand ends right there and you lose your bet (unless you also have one, that’s a push).

This stops you from wasting a double or split on a hand that’s already done.

Bust the same way you do. If the dealer hits and goes over 21, every hand still standing wins.

Even if you have a weak 13.

That’s it.

No bluffing, no slow-rolling, no choices.

Just rules.

Every hand ends one of six ways.

Here’s what each costs or pays, assuming you bet $10.

Blackjack. You hit 21 on your first two cards.

If you’re at a table where a blackjack pays 3 to 2, your $10 becomes $25 ($10 bet back plus $15 profit).

If the dealer also has a blackjack, it’s a push.

Win. Your final hand beats the dealer’s without going over 21.

This also happens when the dealer busts: anyone still in the hand wins.

Pays 1 to 1.

Your $10 becomes $20 ($10 back plus $10 profit).

Push. You and the dealer end with the same total (both 18, both 20).

You get your $10 back.

No win, no loss.

Loss. Dealer’s hand beats yours and he didn’t bust.

You lose your $10.

Bust. You went over 21.

You lose your $10 immediately, before the dealer even plays.

This is why busting is the worst outcome.

Surrender. You gave up before playing the hand out.

You lose half your bet.

You get $5 back from the $10 you bet.

Two blackjack tables can look identical at a glance but play out very differently.

Here are the rules to check before you sit down.

Each one shifts the house edge by a fraction of a percent, but they add up and can make a clear difference when you play.

The biggest one on the list is the blackjack payout.

A 6 to 5 table cuts your blackjack win by 33%.

Walk past those.

Run your bet through the blackjack payout calculator to see exactly how much each ratio wins on a natural.

If you want to see the real difference it makes, you can use our house edge calculator before choosing your table to see which one is best for you.

A few spots in blackjack trip people up because the rules feel weird the first time you hit them.

Here are the most common ones.

You split Aces and only get one card each. That’s it.

The dealer gives you one card on top of each Ace and the hand is locked.

You can’t hit again, even if you draw a 2 and want another card.

The casino does this because a pair of Aces is too strong to keep growing, so they cap it.

Insurance loses when the dealer doesn’t have blackjack. Insurance is a side bet that pays if the dealer’s hole card is a 10.

If it isn’t, you lose the insurance money no matter what happens to your main hand.

So you can win the hand and still lose the insurance bet.

That’s why most players skip insurance.

If you and the dealer both have blackjack, it’s a push. You get your bet back, no profit.

Your $10 stays $10.

A natural blackjack only pays the 3 to 2 bonus when the dealer doesn’t also have one.

You can only split matching ranks. A 4 and a 6 add up to 10, but you can’t split them because they’re different cards.

Two 8s, two 7s, two 10s, yes.

A 4 and a 6, no.

The rank has to match.

Now that you know the rules, the next step is putting them to work.

Start with the basic strategy chart to see the right move for every hand.

Then practice on free hands in the simulator where you can build the habits without risking money.

When you’re ready to go deeper, the full blackjack strategy guide walks you through when to deviate and why.