Blackjack 101: The Basics

[Tammy]

blackjack (sometimes called 21) is one casino game where the House has the smallest edge out of other games (besides poker, but that's another story and game entirely). It's an easy game to learn, easy to play, and super fun! There are plenty of strategies and math involved to help narrow that house edge, and for you to maximize your outcome at the tables. But first things first - you'll need to tackle the basics if you are new to the game. Blackjack happens to be my favorite non-poker casino game, so I wanted to give you a leg up by teaching you some of the basics, and then later diving into some of the finer strategies of this fun (and dynamic) table game!

Click the Subscribe button at the top of this thread so you'll know when new links/lessons are added! Let's dive in...

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Blackjack Game Play: Step-by-Step

Blackjack is a fast-paced card game, usually found under "table games" in your online casino menu. You can find a ton of FREE online Blackjack games right here. In Blackjack you play against the dealer, not the other players at the table. Though, how those players (and you) play their hands could affect the outcome of the hand for everyone (more on that later).

🥇Objective (How to Win):

• Have a hand value closer to 21 than the dealer. Don't go over 21 though - going over 21 means you've "gone bust" or "busted", and instantly lose.
• Achieve a "Natural Blackjack": when your first two cards dealt are an Ace and a 10 or face card, this is called "Blackjack" (21) . Getting a natural blackjack usually pays out a larger percentage of your bet: usually 3:2, depending on the casino (more on what that means later).
• The Dealer busting. If the Dealer is forced to continue hitting to the point their card values goes over 21, they bust and everyone at the table who stayed in the hand without busting wins!
• Push (tie): If both you and the dealer have the same total card value, it's a "push" (tie), and you keep your bet. You can also push if both you and the dealer gets a natural blackjack (21) with the first two cards dealt.

♠️ Let's break down how a hand works:

• Place your bets! Each player (not the dealer) places their bet before the hand starts.
• Deal the cards. Everyone is dealt two cards to start, with the deal starting on the dealer's left, and going around the table. Whether players' hands are dealt face up or face down is dependent on the casino or game interface, and doesn't really matter one way or the other. When playing LIVE, it is important to NOT lift your cards up off the table - this could result in a penalty.
• What's in the window? Dealer displays one of their two cards face-up (known as the "up-card" or "window"), and one card face-down.
• Anyone being dealt a natural 21 (Blackjack), will get paid out immediately, unless the dealer is showing an Ace in the "window" (up-card), in which case players at the table will be offered Insurance. (More on Insurance in a later thread.) If playing live, you should turn your blackjack over immediately for payout.

Get to 21: Play goes around the table, with each player playing trying to get their card values as close to 21 as possible by "hitting" (getting dealt another card) until they decide to stand, surrender, or they bust (go over 21).

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♥️ Play Your Hand
After you get your initial two cards, you'll choose how to play your hand based on your card total and the dealer’s up-card. First, let's talk about card values:

🧮 Card Values
You add the face value of each of your cards to make your hand, with the goal of getting 21 or as close to 21 as possible without going over. Cards are valued like this:

• 2 through 10 are worth their face value.
• Face cards (Jack, Queen, King) are worth 10.
• Aces can be worth 1 or 11, depending on what’s best for your hand.
  • Example: An Ace + 7 can be 8 or 18 — this is called a soft 18.

When It's Your Turn
These are your play options when it's your turn to play your hand:

• Hit – Take another card. You can take as many cards as you want/need to get as close to 21 as possible without going over. When playing LIVE, you can indicate you want to "Hit" by gently tapping the table near your cards.
• Stand – Stay where you are and end your turn (game play moves on to the next player). When playing LIVE, you can indicate you want to Stand (or Stay) by waving your hand, or simply holding your hand up (as if to say "Stop") - 🖐️
• Double Down – Double your bet, take one more card only, and then stand.
  • ➡️️Pro-Tip - When to Double Down? When your initial hand totals 9, 10, or 11, and the dealer's up-card is relatively weak (e.g., 2-6 for a 9, 2-9 for a 10, or any card for an 11). Additionally, doubling down on soft hands (containing an Ace) like 16, 17, or 18 can be beneficial when the dealer shows a lower card.
• Split – If you have two cards of the same value (like 8-8 or 2-2), you can split them into two separate hands (with an additional bet). You can hit as many times on your splits as you wish, as long as you don't bust. It's like playing two hands.
  • ➡️️Pro-Tip - "Never Split a Winner". This means, don't split a hand that has a good chance of winning on its own, like two 10s, or two face cards.
• Surrender (if allowed) – Forfeit half your bet and end the hand immediately. This is only available at some tables and must be done before you hit. It is very rare for this to happen at the table.

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🧑‍⚖️Dealer's Turn & Rules

Once all players have finished their turns, the dealer reveals their face-down card and plays their hand according to strict house rules:

• Dealer must hit until they reach 17 or higher.
• At many tables, the dealer must hit on a soft 17 (Ace + 6) — this increases the house edge slightly.
• The dealer cannot double down, split, or make decisions — they follow fixed rules every hand.
• If the dealer has an ace showing in the window, players will be offered Insurance before any hands are played.

You win if the Dealer's final hand is less than your hand, or if the Dealer busts (goes over 21).

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🪙A Word About Insurance

Insurance is a side bet offered when the dealer’s up-card is an Ace. You’re betting that their face-down card is a 10, meaning they have blackjack.

• The bet costs half your original wager.
• If the dealer does have blackjack, insurance pays 2:1, so you break even overall.
• If not, you lose the insurance bet — even if you win the hand.

Should You Take It?
Almost never. Statistically, insurance is a bad bet for most players. It's only profitable if you're counting cards and know the deck is rich in 10s. Otherwise, it just increases the house edge. Take a line from Professional Blackjack Player Matt Blake's Top 10 Tips on How to Win at Blackjack:

Tip #9: Ignore the Insurance Bet
Online casinos know new blackjack players love side bets, and bank on them taking insurance whenever it’s offered. Unless you can count cards, this is the worst side bet to make. The odds of a dealer making blackjack are 9:4 yet the payout for insurance bet is only 2:1. Combined with a 7.4% house edge in six-deck blackjack games, insurance bets only pay out disappointment. Copy blackjack pros and avoid this side bet at (almost) all costs.

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Want to learn more? 📝

• Subscribe to our Beginner's Guide to Casino Games thread! We'll explore a variety of top casino game strategies, tips, and how-to's, and keep them all catalogued in the Guide.
• Take the courses in the Casino.us Blackjack Academy and earn Casino VIP Chip Awards! See here for more info: Introducing Casino VIP Chip Awards!
• CardsChat members get 5 Casino VIP Chips for their first quality to reply to each of our Beginner's Guide threads!

 

[Ruslan L]

Great. Useful and interesting information that will help members of the CardsChat community make money

 

[Tero]

Deal the cards. Everyone is dealt two cards to start, with the deal starting on the dealer's left, and going around the table. Whether players' hands are dealt face up or face down is dependent on the casino or game interface, and doesn't really matter one way or the other.

Once all players have finished their turns, the dealer reveals their face-down card and plays their hand according to strict house rules:

So in live tables players cards are visible or hidden but the House keeps them always hidden until the end?

The thing that was not explained was possible multipliers. Does winning a hand have always (excluding insurance) the same return (the multiplier) and what that is, or can it be changed/chosen?

What I've seen in the movies tells me that a dealer can have multiple decks of cards on the pile where the cards are drawn to make calculating cards more difficult. Is this true, and are those decks shuffled with each other? If so, then it's possible to even have three same cards (say 3 x Th) on the table at the same time?

 

[Marcwantstowin]

So in live tables players cards are visible or hidden but the House keeps them always hidden until the end?

The thing that was not explained was possible multipliers. Does winning a hand have always (excluding insurance) the same return (the multiplier) and what that is, or can it be changed/chosen?

What I've seen in the movies tells me that a dealer can have multiple decks of cards on the pile where the cards are drawn to make calculating cards more difficult. Is this true, and are those decks shuffled with each other? If so, then it's possible to even have three same cards (say 3 x Th) on the table at the same time?

Hi @Tero

Yes, a normal deal is started with either 4, 6 or 8 decks of cards, which are held in the "shoe" from which the dealer deals the cards.

You must remember the idea is that the cards get shuffled less the more decks of cards they use. This makes it quicker for the dealer to deal cards. If there were only 1 deck of cards and you saw 3 aces out in the 1st set of hands, it is easy for you to work out how many aces are left.

The more decks of cards, the bigger the edge for the house (the casino).

 

[Tammy]

So in live tables players cards are visible or hidden but the House keeps them always hidden until the end?

The thing that was not explained was possible multipliers. Does winning a hand have always (excluding insurance) the same return (the multiplier) and what that is, or can it be changed/chosen?

What I've seen in the movies tells me that a dealer can have multiple decks of cards on the pile where the cards are drawn to make calculating cards more difficult. Is this true, and are those decks shuffled with each other? If so, then it's possible to even have three same cards (say 3 x Th) on the table at the same time?

To add to Marc's response, it depend on the casino, but in most cases players' cards are dealt face up. Especially if a multi-deck shoe is used. The only exception I've seen where player cards are dealt face down, is at single deck or two-deck tables.

Most casinos now have automatic shufflers built into the table. Usually one deck (or shoe, depending on what kind of table you're playing) will go down into the shuffler, and another will come out to commence play. This helps make game place faster, and more hands played.

 

[Tero]

To add to Marc's response, it depend on the casino, but in most cases players' cards are dealt face up.

The question was more on the House. Are House cards always down regardless of players cards? And neither of you said anything about the ROI? Is it always some fixed multiplier?

 

[Marcwantstowin]

The question was more on the House. Are House cards always down regardless of players cards? And neither of you said anything about the ROI? Is it always some fixed multiplier?

No, the dealer's cards are dealt 1 face up and 1 face down. Or you would know what you have to beat before you do anything.

 

[najisami]

The question was more on the House. Are House cards always down regardless of players cards? And neither of you said anything about the ROI? Is it always some fixed multiplier?

What you can consider as close as possible to a "Multiplier" is when the dealer is showing a weak card (Usually a 4, 5 or a 6) and you have a total of 9, 10 or especially 11 (7 and 4, 9 and 2 or 6 and 5 ..) in which case you double down by adding the same amount to your original bet (Hoping that the dealer will bust and you win double).

The 2nd scenario is when the dealer's up-card is weak and you got dealt a pair, like 77, 88, or 99. In which case you're allowed to split by adding the same amount again as your original bet, therefore playing 2 hands instead of 1. You can also split AA, but you'll only receive one card on each. It's not recommended to split 2 tens or 2 face cards, hands that already have a huge potential to win with a value of 20.

There are more details to mention, but this would become too long. The best thing to do is to take the newly added course here:

The Blackjack Academy - Learn Blackjack Free From a Pro

Learn blackjack in 70 video lessons from professional blackjack player Mr Blackjack with Casino.us's Blackjack Academy.

www.casino.us

 

[YLAN]

Card counting is not illegal. Are the casinos concerned on card counting? What do they do if one is suspected of card counting?

 

[lcid86]

Avoid 6-5 blackjack payouts and tables where dealer hits soft 17.

 

[Sunz of Beaches]

Great, I always want to learn about blackjack and how to count cards and how to profitable play this beautiful game. I heard many people actually won money in the casino playing against a dealer of the house.

So if you go over 21 in this game you always lose there is no exception?

 

[Tammy]

Card counting is not illegal. Are the casinos concerned on card counting? What do they do if one is suspected of card counting?

It's not illegal, you're right. But if casinos suspect you are doing it, they often ban the player (they have the right to do that). I think it's BS, but they're interested in protecting their $$$.

Avoid 6-5 blackjack payouts and tables where dealer hits soft 17.

I've never seen a table where dealer does not hit soft 17.

Great, I always want to learn about blackjack and how to count cards and how to profitable play this beautiful game. I heard many people actually won money in the casino playing against a dealer of the house.

So if you go over 21 in this game you always lose there is no exception?

That's correct. Over 21 is a "bust".

 

[najisami]

I've never seen a table where dealer does not hit soft 17.

There's a lot of them Tammy. Sometimes, in the same casino, you find tables where the dealer cannot hit the soft 17, and tables where he must do so. That's why it's important to pay attention to what's written on the felt before sitting at any table.

 

[Tammy]

There's a lot of them Tammy. Sometimes, in the same casino, you find tables where the dealer cannot hit the soft 17, and tables where he must do so. That's why it's important to pay attention to what's written on the felt before sitting at any table.

Ah, good to know! I've really only played blackjack and California and Nevada casinos, so I guess my view is limited.

 

[Poker Orifice]

Great, I always want to learn about blackjack and how to count cards and how to profitable play this beautiful game. I heard many people actually won money in the casino playing against a dealer of the house.

So if you go over 21 in this game you always lose there is no exception?

 

[Poker Orifice]

Great, I always want to learn about blackjack and how to count cards and how to profitable play this beautiful game. I heard many people actually won money in the casino playing against a dealer of the house.

So if you go over 21 in this game you always lose there is no exception?

I played A LOT a long time ago... but I haven't played much ever since. (just a bit here & there for some promos with online poker sites pre 2010)
I much prefer poker... where you can crush bankrolls (< I don't like saying 'souls') as long as you don't get 'unlucky', lol.
BUT... it seems I've just subscribed to this thread and clicked on the link in a post above re: 70 lessons free. Maybe I'll play when I'm at the casino

 

[BillyR23]

Great introduction to Blackjack and very important/ useful tips I like to play occasionally a few casino games and blackjack is my favorite one- I'll probably play a bit this weekend because of this thread 💵

 

[Tammy]

Great introduction to Blackjack and very important/ useful tips I like to play occasionally a few casino games and blackjack is my favorite one- I'll probably play a bit this weekend because of this thread 💵

View attachment 391135

Yeah, I'm definitely getting the itch too!

 

[najisami]

Ah, good to know! I've really only played blackjack and California and Nevada casinos, so I guess my view is limited.

And so is everyone else's. It all depends on where we have been and what we've been doing/playing. That's why CC is awesome, it's not just a poker forum, it's really a kind of learning site. I personally learned so many things from you guys, staff and members alike...

 

[hardongear]

Use to play a lot of blackjack cause my local casino didn't have Holdem or poker when it first opened. So for the first 5+ years mostly all I played was blackjack. My best day was when I brought in for $200 and sat at a 5/10 table and played two squares. Walked out with just over 9k in 5-6 hours. Played most heads up against the deal as it was middle of the afternoon and not very busy. Good times.

Here on the East coast of canada back then they played with 8 deck shoes and they cut about 2 decks. And to play two squares you got double the bet. So that be $20 each square on a $5min bet table.

Cheers!!!

 

[armoko]

Nice simple game to enjoy in your free time. Playing blackjack is exciting because every hand feels fast-paced and strategic. The game is a mix of luck and decision-making. It’s simple to learn but challenging enough to stay fun over time.

 

[MishkaZL]

Hi
I don't have very good experience playing blackjack. Unlike poker, blackjack has mostly brought me losses. But I hope that now, thanks to the new chapter in the community, I will be able to rectify this situation, gain new knowledge and improve my skills.

 

[najisami]

Hi
I don't have very good experience playing blackjack. Unlike poker, blackjack has mostly brought me losses. But I hope that now, thanks to the new chapter in the community, I will be able to rectify this situation, gain new knowledge and improve my skills.

Hi Mishka,
It is true that Blackjack can make you lose a lot of money, but if you learn how to play using the "Basic Strategy Chart", you can significantly minimize the losses and even make some money when a shoe is particularly favorable. Memorizing the chart is ideal, but you're allowed to have it in front of you at the table while playing.

Learning how to count cards (Not very difficult) is also very helpful to get an edge on the house.
Using that chart consistently in combination with some counting will definitely make you a winning player in Blackjack if you are disciplined enough and can control your emotion, just like in poker.

A lot more can be said here, but checking out the newly added Blackjack course will certainly cover almost everything you need to know about the game if you're interested:

The Blackjack Academy - Learn Blackjack Free From a Pro

Learn blackjack in 70 video lessons from professional blackjack player Mr Blackjack with Casino.us's Blackjack Academy.

www.casino.us

 

[S3mper]

The question was more on the House. Are House cards always down regardless of players cards?

A lot of online live casinos use European Blackjack rules where the dealer only takes the up card with no hole card. Avoid these games as normally when the dealer is dealt Blackjack the players lose immediately. With the no hole card rule the players split and double down before the dealer checks and if the dealer has Blackjack all these bets are lost.

 

[Tero]

Let's throw in a stupid question.
Is split possible ONLY with the first two cards?
So getting 8+2+8 can't be turned into split?