Beat the dealer by finishing closer to 21 than they do — without going over. Simple in shape, deep in choice.
Card Values
Number cards (2–10) are worth their printed value. Jacks, Queens, and Kings are each worth 10. The Ace is worth either 1 or 11 — whichever helps your hand most at any given moment.
A hand containing an Ace counted as 11 is called a soft hand. A hand with no Ace, or with an Ace forced to count as 1 to avoid busting, is a hard hand. The distinction matters because soft hands can never bust on a single hit.
The Deal
You place your bet, then the deal begins. You receive two cards face up. The dealer takes one card face up and one face down — the second is called the hole card. You act first, then the dealer reveals their hole card and plays out the hand.
If your first two cards total 21 (an Ace plus any 10-value card), that's a natural blackjack and you win immediately, unless the dealer also has one — in which case the hand is a push.
Your Actions
| Action | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Hit | Take another card. You may continue hitting until you stand or bust. |
| Stand | Take no more cards and end your turn with the total you have. |
| Double Down | Double your original bet, take exactly one more card, and end your turn. Available on your first decision. |
| Split | If your two starting cards are the same rank, split them into two separate hands with a matching bet on the second. Each hand is then played independently. Re-splitting is allowed. |
| Insurance | Offered only when the dealer's upcard is an Ace. A side bet of half your original wager that the dealer has blackjack. Pays 2:1 if they do. Generally a poor bet long-term. |
The Dealer
The dealer plays a fixed mechanical strategy with no choices. They draw cards until reaching a total of 17 or higher.
At this table, the dealer stands on all 17s — including soft 17 (Ace + 6). This is the player-friendlier of the two common variants.
If the dealer busts, every remaining player wins. Otherwise, hands are compared by total.
How a Hand Resolves
| Outcome | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Win | You finish higher than the dealer without busting, or the dealer busts. |
| Loss | You bust, or the dealer's total beats yours. |
| Push | You and the dealer finish on the same total. Your bet is returned. |
| Blackjack | A natural 21 (two cards) beats every other 21 made from three or more cards. |
Payouts
| Result | Pays |
|---|---|
| Standard win | 1 to 1 — a $10 bet returns your $10 plus $10 in winnings |
| Natural blackjack | 3 to 2 — a $10 bet returns your $10 plus $15 in winnings |
| Insurance win | 2 to 1 on the side bet only |
| Push | Bet returned, no winnings |
House Variations in Play
Every blackjack table is its own small ruleset. The defaults at this table:
- ·Dealer on 17 — stands on all 17s, including soft 17
- ·Blackjack pays — 3:2
- ·Double after split — allowed
- ·Re-split — allowed on matching pairs
- ·Surrender — not offered