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Blackjack Rules
Blackjack rules - Overview
Blackjack rules - Gameplay
Blackjack rules - Game controls & terms
Blackjack Rules - Overview
In general, the object of most Blackjack games is to beat the Dealer's hand by getting as close to 21 without going over ("bust"). We offer a number of Blackjack variations which share a common set of basic rules with a few subtle differences. The next few sections describe general Blackjack rules and features.
Card values
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Aces count as 1 point or 11 points, whichever yields the highest total score without going bust.
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Kings, Queens, Jacks, and 10s each count as 10 points.
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All other cards count at their face value (i.e. 2 through 9 points).
Hand Scoring
A player has "Blackjack" when the first two cards dealt to a hand are an Ace and a 10-point card (in other words a score of 21 points from just two cards). Blackjack hands pay 3-to-2 immediately, unless the Dealer also has Blackjack, in which case it's a push (bet neither paid nor taken).
In general, a tie hand is a push. However, a Blackjack hand will beat a point total of "21" from a hand with 3 or more cards. For example, an Ace-Jack will beat a King-5-6 hand. Even though both hands total 21 points, the Blackjack hand wins.
All other winning hands are paid even money (1-to-1).
A score of 22 or higher is a bust (i.e. a losing hand). When a player's hand busts, the wager is immediately paid to the house. If all player hands bust, the Dealer wins outright and does not draw any cards, regardless of the Dealer's hand score.
Some of our Blackjack games offer a 7-Card Charlie or a variation from it with special bonus payouts. They are all automatic winners. Please see rules section for each individual game for more details on the type of Charlie offered.
Blackjack Rules - Game Play
Betting – Players may place wagers in the betting circle for each hand they wish to play. Many of our Blackjack games offer multi-hand play, where players can choose to play from 1 to 3 hands simultaneously against the Dealer, others are single-hand play. When at least one qualifying bet is placed (i.e. meets the minimum bet requirement), the Deal button will become active.
Dealing – When the Deal button is clicked, the Dealer will deal two face-up cards to each Player hand that has a qualified bet, then one card (in European Blackjack and Single-Deck Blackjack) or two cards (all other rule variations) to the Dealer's hand. For the Dealer's hand, the first card is face up and the second, when allowed, is face down.
Checking for Blackjack – If the Dealer's hand has two cards with an Ace showing, the Dealer will offer insurance. The Player may decline or accept insurance for each hand in play by clicking either Pass (decline) or Insure (accept, which places an additional wager equal to half the original wager for that hand). Then the Dealer will peek at the down card to check for Blackjack. If the Dealer has Blackjack, insurance wagers pay 2-to-1 and all original hand wagers lose (unless the player also has Blackjack, in which case that hand's wager is a push). If the Dealer does not have Blackjack, insurance wagers lose and play starts with the first player hand on the right.
In games where the Dealer starts with only one card, there is no checking for Blackjack and play starts with the first player hand on the right.
Surrender Option – Some games offer a "surrender" option after the Dealer peeks and does not have Blackjack. If surrender is allowed, player may concede a hand before playing it, forfeiting just half the wager for that hand.
Player's Hand – A Player with a hand not having Blackjack and not surrendered may draw additional cards attempting to total as close to 21 as possible without exceeding 21. Player is free to stand at any point total or to ask for another card (a "hit") at any point total under 21. Player may double, split, double-after-splitting or re-split according to the rules variation in play. When all player hands have played out and if at least one player hand stands at a point total of 21 or less, then play proceeds to the Dealer's hand.
Dealer's Hand – The dealer reveals the face-down card or draws a second card and examines the point score to determine Dealer's play. Dealer must hit on all point totals of 16 or less. In general, the Dealer must stand on all totals of 17 or more, although some rules variations require the Dealer to hit on a Soft 17.
If Dealer busts, then any player hands still standing win and pay 1-to-1 on the wager. If Dealer stands on a point total, then Dealer point total is compared to each standing player hand, starting on the right, and all outstanding bets are resolved as either win, lose or push.
Blackjack Rules - Game Controls & Terms
BET Place a number of chips in a betting circle as a wager. Left-click in the circle to place chips, right-click to remove chips. Click on the chip icons to change cursor-chip value.
RE-BET This button clears all cards from the table, moves all bet and payout chip stacks to player account balance, then repeats the same starting bet from the previous game for each hand in play.
DEAL Play a hand of Blackjack for the wager placed in each betting circle. Clicking "DEAL" starts the game and commits all wagers to the outcome.
HIT Request an additional card from the deck for the hand in play.
STAND Take no additional cards for the hand in play.
SPLIT Player will match the original wager and split the first two cards into two separate hands, each of which will automatically draw a second card before hand-play returns to the player. The two cards of the hand to be split must be of the same point value (for example: a pair of 8s, or a King and a Queen, etc.)
For split hands, an Ace with a ten-point card equals 21 points but is not Blackjack. In other words, the hand won't pay 3-to-2, but it will beat a Dealer hand that has 20 points or less.
Most games allow splitting an original hand up to 3 times for a total of 4 hands, but some restrict it to 2 hands (a single split). Also, most games do not allow the player to hit split aces or to re-split aces.
DOUBLE The "DOUBLE" button will become active after the first two cards have been dealt to each hand. Players who feel confident that they are going to win this hand can "Double Down" to earn twice as much if they do win by clicking DOUBLE. Their original bet amount will be doubled automatically and they will receive exactly one additional card for the hand in play.
Double Down wagering is not permitted on a Blackjack hand. Some games may allow Double after splitting a hand.
INSURE When the dealer's up card is an Ace, Players have an opportunity to buy "insurance", an additional amount equal to half of that Player's original wager, before any further play begins. A Player may purchase insurance when he/she believes that the dealer's down card is a ten value card. If the Dealer has Blackjack, the insurance wager pays 2-to-1. If the dealer does not have Blackjack, the insurance wager loses and the game continues as usual.
INSURE ALL Insures all hands with qualified bets.
PASS Player does not accept the insurance offered on this hand. If Pass is clicked and the Dealer has Blackjack, the player loses his original wager and play ends for this hand (unless Player also has Blackjack, in which case it's a push). If Dealer does not have Blackjack, play for this hand continues as normal.
PASS ALL Declines insurance on all hands.
SURRENDER When available, this button concedes the hand in play to the Dealer. Player forfeits half the wager but retains the other half.
DOUBLE DOWN RESCUE You can give up half of your total bet amount after you have doubled down for the privilege of surrendering and not playing out the hand.
SOFT 17 A hand is known as a soft 17 when a hand that equals 17 contains an Ace that is counted as 11. The following hands are examples of soft 17’s: An Ace and a 6. An Ace, 2 and a 4.
CLEAR Clears all bets from the Blackjack table or Clears a finished hand.
7-CARD CHARLIE A player hand that gets seven cards without going over 21 is an automatic winner, regardless of the Dealer hand score. Some games such as Barcelona 21 Blackjack offer different variations of the original 7-Card Charlie. Please see rules section for each individual game for more details on the type of Charlie offered.
SWAP Swap the top two cards of your two hands. This button only applies to the Blackjack Swap games.
CONTINUE Pressing the Continue button tells the dealer the player does not want to continue swapping cards and wants to move on the main game play. This button is only available in the Blackjack Swap game.
