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Blackjack Rules
Basic Strategy for Blackjack
The object of the game of Blackjack is to take cards from the dealer so that their value adds up to 21 or less. Aces are worth 1 or 11, whichever is better for you, face cards are worth 10 (Jacks, Queens, and Kings) and the other cards are worth their number value.
Your first step is to place a beat or a wager. To win you need to beat the dealer without breaking 21, or busting as it is called. If your cards total more than 21 you busted. The dealer also has to take cards and if the dealer busts you automatically win.
The dealer will deal two cards face down, or face up in online Blackjack, and will deal itself one card face down and one card face up. You will have the opportunity to take more cards to reach 21 or to stay with the cards you have. You can take as many cards as you want without going over 21 and stay at any time. Once you stay the dealer will deal cards to itself until it reaches a value of 17 or over.
Really the object of the game is to come closer to 21 than the dealer without busting or breaking.
If you make 21 with the first two cards (a ten, a face card and an Ace) you have achieved Blackjack. If the dealer does not get Blackjack you automatically win and receive one and one half times the amount of your wager.
Here are things every player should know about blackjack. It is helpful to read if you are already familiar with basic blackjack strategies such as splitting and doubling down.
Blackjack Dealers bust
Dealer busing is the essence of blackjack strategy. The moves you make: ie whether to hit or hold, are all based on the probability of the dealer busting, taking into consideration the upcards the blackjack dealer has. For examble, when the dealer is showing low cards, such as 4, 5, or 6, they have the greatest probablitiy of a bust. With such "bust cards" showing, the player assumes that the down card has a value of 10 and the dealer must take another card. Furthermore, the card the dealer draws has a good probability of being of either busting the hand, or leaving the dealer in another draw situation.
Therefore, if the deal's up cards are the "dealer bust cards" outlined above (4, 5 or 6), the blackjack player may want to spit or double down, even with cards they normally wouldn't split or double down.
Splitting a pair in Blackjack
The basic rule of splitting in blackjack is this: Always split 8's and aces.
The strategy behind slitting 8's is the high probability of getting two hands worth 18, which is a much better bet than the two 8's worth 16 originally dealt to you.
Splitting Aces is an obvious choice: The odds of getting at least one hand worth 21 is high - and the odds of getting two hands worth 21 isn't so bad, either.
Doubling down in blackjack
when your initial card is looking pretty good to you - ie, you have a card whose value is 9, 10 or 11, doubling down (doubling the size of your bet) is the path to take. If the dealer is showing a "dealer busting card", it's a no brainer. If not, the player should double down at his/her discretion.
