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Blackjack is a card game you play against the dealer, not against other players. You try to finish with a hand closer to 21 than the dealer's without going over. Number cards count their face value, J, Q and K count 10, and an ace counts 1 or 11. The dealer has no choices: they must draw until they reach 17 or more. You can learn the rules hands-on with our free Blackjack game, which uses play chips only.

The goal in one sentence

Beat the dealer's total without going over 21, or stay in the hand while the dealer goes over. That's all. You don't need 21 exactly, and you are never competing against anyone else at the table.

Card values

Card	Value
2 to 10	Face value
Jack, Queen, King	10
Ace	1 or 11, whichever helps

Suits don't matter. A hand that contains an ace counted as 11 is called soft: A-6 is "soft 17" because it can't bust on the next card (if you draw a 10, the ace drops to 1 and you have 17). A hand without a flexible ace is hard: 10-7 is "hard 17".

Blackjack rules: how a round plays

1. Bet. Choose your stake before any cards come out. In our game you pick a chip (5, 25, 100 or 500) and press Deal.
2. The deal. You get two cards face up. The dealer gets one face up (the up-card) and one face down (the hole card).
3. The dealer checks for blackjack. If the dealer's up-card is an ace or a ten-value card, they peek at the hole card. If they have blackjack, the round ends at once. If you have blackjack, the round also ends at once and pays 3 to 2 (unless the dealer has one too).
4. Your decisions. You play your hand: hit, stand, double or split (explained below). If you go over 21 you bust and lose straight away, even if the dealer busts later.
5. The dealer plays. The hole card is turned over and the dealer draws by fixed rules.
6. Settle. Higher total wins. Equal totals are a push: you get your bet back.

Your four choices

• Hit: take another card. You can hit as many times as you like until you stand or bust.
• Stand: keep your total and end your turn.
• Double (double down): double your bet, take exactly one more card, and stop. It's a strong move when you have 10 or 11 and the dealer shows a weak card.
• Split: if your first two cards have the same value (two 8s, or a king and a 10), separate them into two hands. Each gets a second card and a bet equal to your first. You then play each hand on its own.

Keyboard shortcuts in our version: H to hit, S to stand, D to double, P to split and Enter to deal.

What the dealer must do

The dealer has no decisions. Casinos print the rule on the table, and the two common versions are:

• Stands on all 17s: the dealer stops at any 17, including soft 17.
• Hits soft 17: the dealer takes another card on A-6.

Our game uses the first: the dealer stands on all 17s and hits 16 or less. So if the dealer shows A-6, that's their final total.

Blackjack and how payouts work

A blackjack (or natural) is an ace plus a ten-value card as your first two cards. It beats any other 21, such as 7-7-7.

Result	What you get back (on a 100-chip bet)
Blackjack	250 (your 100 plus 150, which is 3 to 2)
Normal win	200 (your 100 plus 100, 1 to 1)
Push	100 (your bet back)
Loss or bust	0

If both you and the dealer have blackjack, it's a push. Two cards that make 21 after a split count as an ordinary 21, not a blackjack, so they pay 1 to 1.

Some tables pay blackjack at 6 to 5 instead of 3 to 2, which is worse for the player. Our game always pays 3 to 2.

Splitting and doubling: the fine print

House rules vary from table to table. Here is exactly what our version does:

• Six decks are shuffled together, and the shoe is reshuffled once about three-quarters of it has been dealt.
• Double on any first two cards, including after a split.
• Split up to four hands. Any two ten-value cards can be split (a jack and a queen, for example), though it is rarely a good idea.
• Split aces get one card each and can't be split again or doubled. A split ace plus a ten is 21, not blackjack.
• There is no insurance and no surrender option. Some casino tables offer them; ours keeps the game to the four core choices.

A worked example

You bet 25 chips. You get 6 and 5 (hard 11). The dealer shows a 6.

You double: your bet becomes 50 and you get one card, a 9, for 20. The dealer turns over a 10, giving 16, and must hit. They draw an 8 and bust with 24. You win 50 chips on top of your 50 stake.

Now the same start, but the dealer shows an ace. They peek, have no blackjack, and the hand goes on. Doubling here is riskier, so many players just hit. Which choice is best in each spot is what blackjack basic strategy is about.

Practise without money

The best way to learn is to play a few hundred hands where nothing is at stake. The free Blackjack game gives you 1,000 play chips; if you run out, press the button for 1,000 more. The chips have no value, there's nothing to buy and nothing to win, and your chip count is saved only in your browser.

If you'd rather learn a different card game, see the Texas Hold'em rules or the poker hand rankings.

Deal a hand now

Open the free Blackjack game, pick a 25-chip bet and play ten hands while reading the totals out loud. The rules stick far faster that way than from any chart.