Guide to Playing Blackjack

Blackjack is another classic table casino game popular worldwide. This casino favorite is thought to have originated in the 17th century, and there have been many variations created over time, including 21. Blackjack is played with a standard pack of 52 cards, both online and offline.

Online blackjack is now a hit among players, and every online casino website worth its salt has this game in its inventory. Unlike other casino table games where players compete, blackjack players aim to beat the dealer without taking the points over 21.

Rules of Blackjack & Card Values

• Number cards are worth their face value
• Ace cards are either 1 or 11 as determined by the player.
• When a player ‘Hits,’ it asks for a new card, while ‘Stand’ holds the total to end the turn.
• Face cards – King, Queen, and Jack are worth 10 points
• If a player’s point crosses 21 points, the dealer wins that blackjack game.
• When a player is dealt a 21 card – an ace and a 10 card, it is a blackjack
• Hitting a blackjack pays 1.5x the amount of the player’s bet, but the winning amount can also vary from one casino to the other.

How to Play Blackjack

Step 1: Buy the chips/online credits

Casinos that accept cash as payment for blackjack are almost none, so you need to buy the chips first before you can play. To do so, you approach the dealer and place the amount of cash you want to wager on the table.

After the pit boss checks and verifies the amount, the dealer will exchange it for equal denominations in chips.

Note: Dealers will not accept cash or any item directly from the player’s hand due to security reasons. Once the dealer pushes the chips towards you, you are ready to start wagering.

If playing at sites online, you can make secure online paymnets to buy chips with debit cards, e-wallets, vouchers, or crypto currency.

Step 2: Place a wager

The betting limits range from $2 to $500 and are set before the dealer cuts the card deck, but the limit can range from one casino to another.

Blackjack tables typically indicate the minimum and maximum wagering limits on one corner of the table. Depending on the casino, players place this bet in the betting circle, a logo, or a square.

Step 3: Dealing the cards

The dealer will shuffle the card deck and ask one of the blackjack players to cut the deck. Typically, the bottom cards below the plastic insert are not used while dealing with the cards.

Next, every player and the dealer get a card face up starting from the dealer’s left side. The dealer also deals the second round of cards, and the players keep it face up, but the dealer’s second card is always placed face down.

Step 4: Decide which hand you want to play

Players on the dealer’s left start the game with which hand they want to play. If you hit blackjack with an ace and a ten-value face card, you get paid 1.5 times your wager, and you don’t have to continue the round. If the dealer also hits a blackjack, it results in a ‘push,” so you won’t win any money, but you won’t lose your wager either.

However, if neither the first player nor the dealer has a blackjack, each dealer will play a hand, and the dealer usually signals to the players one after the other. At online gambling, dealers typically do not respond to verbal responses from the players, because cameras need to pick up and record the hand signals of the players for security reasons.

Blackjack Game Options

Hit

You do a hit when you need more than 2 cards to improve your hand. Tapping the table with one finger is the most common and preferred hand signal for offline blackjack. Unless the total of the cards goes over 21, there is no limit to the number of hits you can make.

Stand

If you or any player is happy with the total of the first two cards dealt, you can stand so that the dealer will go on to the next player. To stand, wave an open palm over your cards on the table. An open palm over the cards will also suffice, depending on the casino.

Double down

If the total of the 2 cards appears favorable to you, you can double down and double your initial wager. Take the right number of chips, put them next to the initial wager, and point with one finger; the dealer will give you an additional card. Depending on the casino, you might be forced to take a stand regardless of your card total when you double down.

Split

In an instance where the initial two cards are exactly the same, you can choose to split. To do so, take the right amount of chips as your initial wager and place them next to each other, and proceed to make a V or a peace sign with your fingers.

The dealer will split your cards and deal another pair of cards to complete the hand. Most online casinos allow only up to four hands until you can no longer choose to split your cards.

Surrender

Online casinos that allow a blackjack player to surrender are rare nowadays. However, depending on the casino, you can choose to surrender your hand if the total of the 2 cards is not satisfactory to you.

To surrender, draw a line on the table behind your cards and say surrender to the dealer. If you surrender your hand in a blackjack game, you get half of your initial wager in payment. Note: For online blackjack, no hand signals are necessary. Some software providers don’t offer surrender in their blackjack games online.

Where to Play Live Blackjack in 2024

Many top casinos have live games of blackjack in their inventory, which is open to players globally, including in the US. Several versions of live blackjack are also available in these casinos, including infinite blackjack and quantum blackjack.

The live dealer blackjack is typically from top software studios, such as Evolution Gaming, Lucky Streak, Playtech, and Visionary iGaming, so you get a realistic gaming experience.