BlackJack Rules

Knowing all the rules is a must for any player. There might be slight variations between different casinos but the basic rules are the same.

In Blackjack the player tries to obtain a hand of cards that its sum is higher than the dealer's sum. That sum must not exceed 21! The game can be played with one up to seven players, each one playing against the dealer.

From one to eight decks can be used (this has a deep influence on strategic playing). Each card has the value of its index excluding the ace and the royal family cards. The royals are counted as 10 and The tace value is chosen by the player - it can be 1 or 11.

The dealer deals the cards in a clockwise direction. Each player is dealt two cards, face up or face down according to the house rules. The dealer gets two cards as well, one face up and one face down. In a face up game the players do not touch the cards. In a face down game the players hold their cards.

The best possible hand is a "Blackjack". An ace and a 10-valued card are called "Blackjack" if they are received as the first two cards.

After the first cards are dealt the players can take action on their hands if the dealer does not have a blackjack:

"Hit": A request for another card. You do this either by scratching the surface of the felt with your fingers (In a face up game) or by scratching the felt with your cards (in a face down game).

"Stand": A notification of "no more cards please". You would do this by waving your hand with your palm down (in face up games) or by placing your cards under your bet (in a face down game).

"Doubling down": A player can double the amount of his initial bet after seeing his first two cards. In a face up games you double down by placing the additional bet in the betting circle and announcing "double down". In a face down game you do that, and also turn your first cards over. After doubling you can receive only one additional card. There might be restrictions on the card hands allowed for doubling down (according to the house rules) - if you are not sure you should check this out with the dealer.

"Splitting": If a player's first two cards have identical value, he can split them. He does so by betting an amount equal to his original bet on the second card. Now he draws additional cards on each of the pairs, playing one hand after the other as if he was two players. Most casinos place a limit on the number of times a hand may be split, usually from 1 to 4. When aces are split, a player is normally permitted to draw only one additional card on each ace.

"Surrender": In some casinos you can surrender immediately after receiving your first two cards. This means that you lose half of your bet without playing further.

After all the players acted on their hands, the dealer acts on his - he exposes his face down (hole) card over and draws cards until he has a total of 17 or above.

Insurance: If the dealer's exposed card (upcard) is an ace, the players can make an insurance bet. The insurance bet is half the size of the initial bet. The insurance is taken for the possibility that the dealer will hit a blackjack, in this case the players will be paid 2 to 1 on their insurance bet. In any other case the insurance bet is lost.

Results - "Bust": when a player's hand total is higher than 21. This means he has lost the hand no matter what the dealer's hand is. After busting, the dealer collects the players cards and bet.

"Push" Whenever a player and the dealer tie, in this case the player gets his bet back - nothing gained and nothing lost. One exception to this rule is that a blackjack always beats a total value of 21 (at is not a blackjack).

In any other case the player either wins or loses relative to the dealers hand. His bet is either taken or payed off accordingly.

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