Basic Blackjack Rules
Online blackjack is played sort of as a one- on-one game with each player and the dealer, but each person's "luck" will depend on the other players' actions. In Blackjack, the player and the dealer (the computer) are dealt two cards to start. The objective of online blackjack is the same as regular blackjack, to accumulate cards that add up closer to 21 than that of the dealer's cards, without going over 21.
Online Blackjack is played with eight fifty- two card decks. These are cards that are dealt are random, with no specific order. After each game has been played, the used cards are shuffled back into the deck. All face cards are valued at ten and the cards from 2-10 are valued as indicated.
Cards are worth their face value with the exception of Kings, Queens, and Jacks which are each worth 10 and Aces which are worth either 1 or 11. Aces in online blackjack can be valued at either one or eleven, which helps if counting the ace as eleven would put the hand over twenty-one, the ace can automatically be counted as a one instead. In online poker, the player does not need to specify which value the Ace has as it's always assumed to have the value that makes the best hand. In blackjack, the value of a hand is the sum of the values of the individual cards. For example, a hand containing a Jack, 3, and 4 has a value of 17.
In blackjack, if the value of the players hand is closer to 21 than that of the dealer, the player wins. If the value of the dealer's hand is higher than the person playing blackjack, the player loses. If the hands are of equal value, the deal is a push, and the player's money is returned. In the even that the player has a total of 22 or higher (a busted hand), then they lose regardless of whether the dealer also busts.
A hand of online blackjack begins by placing a bet on the table. The player will then receive two cards face up. The dealer will receive one card face up and one face down. Once the player has been dealt two cards (and based on the nature of these cards) there are several options that the player has.
When a player chooses to hit, they are requesting another card. They keep the cards in their hand, but add on to the sum. A blackjack online player can request a hit as many times as they like, but if the total goes over twenty-one, they will bust and lose the hand, no matter what the dealer has. When a player requests that they receive no more cards, they are choosing to stand. The hand as it currently stands will be judged against the dealers. If a player has two cards of the same denomination in online blackjack, a split button will appear. The player can split their blackjack cards into two hands and play each hand separately. This means that the original bet will be duplicated for the new hand. Each hand will be played out as usual blackjack rules, except when splitting Aces, where only one additional card per hand is dealt. The split option can only be used once per hand; the player may not split part of a split hand. Any winning 21 obtained after splitting a pair is paid 1-to-1.
Should a player in online blackjack choose to double down, two things will happen: they will get exactly one more card, their turn will end, and their bet will be doubled.
If the player wins the blackjack hand, they will get back their original bet plus the same amount in profit. A hand that consists of an Ace and any ten value card is called a natural twenty-one, or a natural blackjack (except in the case of a Split hand).
