Aim of the Game
Blackjack is a card-based gambling game played over multiple rounds. In each round, the aim is to beat the dealer by collecting a hand of cards that sum to as close to 21 as possible without exceeding it.
Card Values
Numbered cards are worth their printed values and 'face cards' (jack, queen, king) are worth 10. Aces can be worth 1 or 11: normally they're worth 11, unless this would result in a hand value over 21, in which case they're worth 1.
Betting
Before each round is dealt, you must place a bet on the round's outcome. The maximum bet is $500.
Shuffling and Dealing
A standard 52-card deck is used, which will be shuffled at the start of each round. During the initial deal you'll be dealt two cards face up, while the dealer will receive one face up and one face down.
Blackjack
If your first two cards are an ace and a '10-card' (a ten or a face card), resulting in a hand value of 21, this is a 'blackjack'. Unless the dealer has a face-up ace (see 'Even Money' below), you'll win the round and the dealer will pay out on your bet at a rate of 3-to-2 (e.g. a bet of $100 would yield a return of the $100 staked + $150 profit = $250 total).*
Your Play
After the initial deal, you must decide whether to 'hit' (request another card in order to get closer to 21) or 'stand' (receive no further cards). You may continue to hit until either you decide to stand or you go 'bust' (have a hand value over 21). A combination of an ace and a non-10 card is known as a 'soft hand', because the ace can count as 1 or 11. If hitting on a soft hand takes your hand value over 21, the ace will be counted as 1 and you can continue to play.
The Dealer's Play
After you've decided to stand or gone bust, the dealer's face-down card will be revealed. If the dealer's hand value is 17 or higher, the dealer will stand, irrespective of your score. If the dealer's hand value is below 17, the dealer will draw cards until reaching at least 17. The dealer will stand on 'soft-17' (when counting an ace as 11 results in a hand value of 17).
Settlement
If you go bust, you'll lose the hand and the bet associated with it will be collected by the dealer, even if the dealer also subsequently goes bust. However, if the dealer goes bust and you've stood on a hand value of 21 or less, the dealer will pay out on your bet at a rate of 1-to-1 (e.g. a bet of $100 would yield a return of the $100 staked + $100 profit = $200 total). If the dealer stands on a total of 21 or less, the dealer will pay out if you have a higher hand value (and avoided going bust) or collect the bet if you have a lower hand value. In the event of a draw (also known as a 'push', where your hand value is the same as the dealer's), your bet will be returned with no additional payout.
Splitting
If your first two cards are of equal value (e.g. two sixes or two 10-cards), you can choose to 'split' and play them as two separate hands. Your original bet will remain on the first hand and a second, equal bet will be placed on the second hand. You'll then play each hand in turn, not starting the second hand until you've either stood or gone bust on the first. The two hands will be settled separately, meaning it's possible to win one hand and lose the other. Split hands may be resplit if another card of the same value (e.g. a third six) is dealt. Resplitting is possible up to four hands. If a pair of aces are split, only one additional card will be dealt to each hand and resplitting will not be possible if further aces are dealt. Furthermore, if the additional card is a 10-card, the hand won't be considered a blackjack and will be paid out at the normal rate of 1-to-1 if it wins. Similarly, if an ace is dealt as the second card after splitting a pair of 10-cards, this isn't considered a blackjack either.
Doubling Down
If your first two cards sum to 9, 10 or 11, you can choose to 'double down'. The bet staked on the hand will be doubled and you'll be dealt one additional card, after which you must stand, irrespective of your new hand value.
Insurance
If the dealer's face-up card is an ace, you can make a side-bet of half your original bet that the dealer's face-down card is a 10-card (i.e. that the dealer has a blackjack). If this is the case, the face-down card will be revealed and your side-bet will be paid out at a rate of 2-to-1 (e.g. a side-bet of $50 would yield a return of the $50 staked + $100 profit = $150 total). This 'insures' the loss of your original bet, preventing a net loss in the round. If the dealer doesn't have a blackjack, the dealer will collect your lost side-bet, but your original bet will remain and you can continue to play.†
Even Money
In the rare event that you have a blackjack but the dealer's face-up card is an ace, you'll be offered 'even money'. If you accept, your bet will be paid out at the normal rate of 1-to-1 before the dealer's face-down card is revealed and irrespective of the outcome. If you reject the offer, the dealer's card will be revealed and the round will be resolved as normal: if the dealer doesn't have a blackjack, your bet will be paid out at the blackjack rate of 3-to-2, but if the dealer does have a blackjack, the result is a push and your bet will be returned with no additional payout. The offer of even money can therefore be considered an insurance of your blackjack.
* Odd bets are paid out at $0.5 less than 3-to-2. Bets of $1 are therefore only paid out at 1-to-1.
† Insurance for odd bets costs $0.5 more than half your original bet and is paid out at $1 less than 2-to-1 (i.e. exactly making up for the loss of your original bet). Insurance will not be offered for bets of $1.
Cash out?
Insurance pays 2-to-1
BLACKJACK PAYS 3-TO-2
BLACKJACK
NO BLACKJACK
BUST
$100
$900
1
10
100
