Blackjack is one of the most popular casino card games, and the rules take only minutes to learn. The aim is to finish closer to 21 than the dealer without going over. This guide covers the rules of blackjack, from card values and dealer rules to every decision you can make – the same basics apply whether you play online at an RNG table or in a live studio.
Unlike roulette, your decisions in blackjack affect the result, so it pays to know the rules that change the maths too, above all the blackjack payout and what the dealer does on soft 17.
A hand where the ace counts as 11 is soft: ace and six is a soft 17, and one more card cannot bust it because the ace can drop to 1. A hard hand has no ace or an ace that must count as 1, such as ten, six and ace, a hard 17. Suits play no part in blackjack.
Players bet, then each receives two cards face up. The dealer gets one card face up and, depending on the game, a second card face down. An ace plus a ten-value card as your first two cards is a blackjack, which beats an ordinary 21. Otherwise you make your decisions in turn, and the dealer then plays the hand by fixed rules. A hand that goes over 21 busts and loses at once, even if the dealer busts later – which is where most of the house edge comes from. A normal win pays 1:1 and a tie, or push, returns your stake.
The dealer has no choices: they must draw until the hand is 17 or more and then stand. The key difference between tables is whether the dealer stands or hits on soft 17. When the dealer stands on soft 17, the house edge is about 0.2 percentage points lower. At some tables the dealer takes a second card only after the players have acted; if that card makes a blackjack, the table rules decide whether you lose only your original bet or your double and split bets too.
A blackjack traditionally pays 3:2, so a 10-unit bet wins 15 units. Some tables pay only 6:5, which turns the same hand into a 12-unit win. That adds about 1.4 percentage points to the house edge, far more than any other common rule change, so check the payout on the table layout or in the game help first.
Insurance is a bet that the dealer's hidden card is worth ten. In a multi-deck game fewer than a third of the remaining cards are, yet the bet pays only 2:1, which gives it a house edge of about 7%. Even money, offered when you hold blackjack against a dealer ace, is the same bet under another name.
Online blackjack is played either at an RNG table, where software shuffles the deck and deals using a random number generator, or at a live table, where a real dealer deals the cards in a studio. At an RNG table the round moves at your own pace and the deck is typically reshuffled after every hand. At a live table the dealer sets the pace and several players can share the table. Live tables typically use several decks, and details such as doubling limits and side bets vary from game to game. Some versions have special rules of their own. They are always given in the game's instructions and are worth reading before your first hand.
Blackjack has a high return to player compared with other casino games: with basic strategy and ordinary rules it is about 99.5%, a house edge of about 0.5%. The figure depends on the table rules. A 6:5 payout, the dealer hitting soft 17 or doubling restrictions lower it, while a 3:2 payout and surrender improve it. It also assumes perfect basic strategy, so every mistake lowers your real return. No strategy removes the house edge completely.
To compare tables, check the blackjack payout and the soft 17 rule first. The main basic strategy rules are in our strategy guide, and card counting has a guide of its own.
Finish closer to 21 than the dealer without going over. Picture cards count 10, aces 1 or 11 and other cards their face value. The dealer draws until reaching at least 17.
Traditionally 3:2, with ordinary wins paying 1:1. Some tables pay only 6:5 for a blackjack, which raises the house edge by about 1.4 percentage points.
A hand worth 17 with an ace counted as 11, such as ace and six. The table rules say whether the dealer stands or hits on it.
Generally not. Insurance carries a house edge of about 7%, many times that of the main game.
About 99.5% with basic strategy and ordinary rules. It varies with the table rules: a 6:5 payout, for example, lowers it clearly.
Cards 2 to 10 count at face value, jack, queen and king count 10 each, and an ace counts 1 or 11, whichever is better for the hand. Suits do not matter.