Rules to play blackjack card game

There is a permanent dealer. Each player has a designated playing area in front of him where cards are. The betting limits should be clearly posted on a sign on the blackjack table. Normally, some of the most important rules, such as "Blackjack pays 3 to 2" and "Dealer must draw on 16 and stand on all 17's" are printed on the table.

To play blackjack you need chips to bet with, and you typically buy your chips directly from the dealer. When there is a break in the action, you simply put cash on the table and the dealer will change it for an equal value of playing chips.

The standard denominations for casino chips are:. When you play blackjack at home, you should take turns being the dealer, to ensure fairness in the game unless the player who is hosting the game specifically has stated that he or she wants to act as the house the entire game and the other players agree to this.

You can switch dealer every hand, every five hands or whatever you decide. If you're playing with a single deck of cards, the best idea is to re-shuffle after every hand. Of course, you don't need a fancy blackjack table to play the game, but you will need at least one pack of cards and something to bet with - cash, chips or maybe matches. Each player at the blackjack table has a circle or box to place bets in. There will always be a minimum bet and a maximum bet for the table. Each player decides how much to bet on a hand before the deal.

Each hand will result in one of the following events for the player:. Lose - the player's bet is taken by the dealer. Win - the player wins as much as he bet. Blackjack natural - the player wins 1. Push - the hand is a draw. The player keeps his bet, neither winning nor losing money. Although many players may play in a single round of blackjack, it's fundamentally a two-player game. In blackjack, players don't play against each other; and they don't co-operate.

The only competition is the dealer. The aim of the game is to accumulate a higher point total than the dealer, but without going over You compute your score by adding the values of your individual cards. The cards 2 through 10 have their face value, J, Q, and K are worth 10 points each, and the Ace is worth either 1 or 11 points player's choice. At the start of a blackjack game, the players and the dealer receive two cards each.

The players' cards are normally dealt face up, while the dealer has one face down called the hole card and one face up. The best possible blackjack hand is an opening deal of an ace with any ten-point card. This is called a "blackjack", or a natural 21, and the player holding this automatically wins unless the dealer also has a blackjack. If a player and the dealer each have a blackjack, the result is a push for that player. If the dealer has a blackjack, all players not holding a blackjack lose.

After the cards have been dealt, the game goes on with each player taking action - in clockwise order starting to dealer's left. First, the player must declare if he wants to take advantage of the side rules explained below. You can only use the side rules once, when it's your turn to act after the deal. Then the player can keep his hand as it is stand or take more cards from the deck hit , one at a time, until either the player judges that the hand is strong enough to go up against the dealer's hand and stands, or until it goes over 21, in which case the player immediately loses busts.

In most places, players can take as many cards as they like, as long as they don't bust, but some casinos have restrictions regarding this. When all players have finished their actions, either decided to stand or busted, the dealer turns over his hidden hole card. Blackjack is a game of strategy and statistics. A good player will strive to consider all possibilities and choose moves that give the highest statistical chance for the greatest expected return.

The game is played against the dealer, and the object is to get as close a score to 21 as possible without exceeding that number. Kings, queens, and jacks are worth 10 points. Numbered cards retain their face value, meaning a two of clubs is worth two total points. Aces are worth either one point or eleven points depending on what value advantages the player.

The dealer deals to his left. If you win the bet, you receive back double your stake. If you lose, then your stake is gone. The choice of what the player does next depends upon the cards they have already received.

There are ways in which the player may increase his bet if he so wishes, but for the main part they must work out the total of their cards — all cards are worth their denomination; court cards are worth ten and the ace can be worth one or eleven, as chosen by the player. If you score over twenty-one you automatically lose.