BlackJack Rules and Blackjack payouts
Posted on November 26, 2007
Filed Under Blackjack, Blackjack Rules
Blackjack is often considered one of the world’s most popular casino table games.
Object of the Game
The object of the game is to achieve a higher card count than the dealer without exceeding 21.
How to Play
This version of Blackjack uses eight decks of cards. The deck is shuffled after each hand. The Bets. Select an initial bet amount and click Deal to begin the game. There is a minimum bet of $5 and a maximum bet of $100. The Cards. Aces may be considered 1 or 11. Face cards have a value of 10 and all other cards are counted as their face value. The Deal. A card is dealt face up to the player followed by one to the dealer. A second card is then dealt face up to the player, and a second card face down to the dealer. At this point, the player may choose to stand or draw one or more cards to improve their hand total. The dealer takes additional cards only after the player has completed his or her hand(s), following specific rules (see Dealer Strategy below). The player’s hand is completed when the player:
Draws Blackjack (a natural 21 consisting of an Ace and a 10 or face card)
Chooses to stand
Busts (the hand count exceeds 21).
The winner is determined by which hand’s total is closest to 21. A Blackjack beats all other hands totaling 21 (this applies to the dealer as well). If both the dealer and the player draw a Blackjack, it is a considered a push (tie) and neither hand wins nor loses.
Players Options
The player is initially dealt two cards. After these cards are dealt, the player has the option of making the following additional wagers: Splitting Pairs. This option is available to the player when the two original cards are of the same value (6’s, 8’s, etc). The player splits the cards into two hands and plays each hand individually. Additional pairs can not be split again. A pair of Aces may be split but each Ace receives only one additional card. Except when splitting Aces, the player has the option to double down (see below) after splitting. In all cases, the player must wager an additional amount equal to the original bet when splitting. Double Down. If the first two cards do not total 21, the player has the option to double down. Should the player feel that he or she can win with only one additional card, the player may double the original bet and receive one more card. The player may also double down after splitting a pair unless the pair consists of Aces. In this case the player is only entitled to receive one card after splitting. Insurance. If the dealer’s first visible card is an Ace, the player has the option of buying insurance. Insurance is a wager equal to one-half the player’s original bet which pays two to one if the dealer draws a Blackjack. If the dealer does not draw Blackjack, the player loses his or her insurance.
Dealer Strategy
The dealer must:
Be hit on a count of 16 or less
Stand on Soft 17
Stand on a Hard 17 or more
Soft Hand: A hand where an Ace may be counted as either 1 or 11 without the total exceeding 21. Hard Hand: A hand with no Aces or one where the Ace must count as one so as to not exceed 21.
Blackjack Payoffs
A Blackjack pays 3:2 as long as the dealer does not draw a Blackjack as well. A Blackjack also beats any three-or-more-card 21. A two-card 21 is not considered a Blackjack for split hands.
All other winning bets are paid even money (1:1).
If the dealer draws a Blackjack, the player only loses his or her original bet when the player has doubled down or split.
When both the dealer and player’s hand totals are equal, it is called a standoff or push; neither wins nor loses.
If the player’s hand total exceeds 21, he or she busts and loses his or her bet.
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