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Blackjack Rules

Blackjack Rules and Strategy Play Chart - How To Play and Rules

Blackjack

Blackjack Rules
The Basics

Each player is playing against the dealer. The aim of blackjack is to have a higher hand then the dealer without going over 21. Each card has a value which are added together to make the total of the hand.
Card values are as follows: Face cards (King, Queen and Jack) are worth 10 and Aces are worth 1 or 11. There is no rule as to when an Ace is 1 or 11 and you do not need to state which it is, it's whatever works best for your hand. All other cards (2 - 10) are worth the same amount as their number. Suits have no meaning in this game.
A hand with an Ace in it has a 'soft total' if the Ace can have the value of 1 or 11 without going over 21. The player can draw another card and use the smaller value for the Ace to avoid busting. If you have to use one value or the other, it is called a 'hard total'.
The game is played with eight decks of cards, shuffled after every hand.

Playing Blackjack

Once bets are down, the player including the dealer is dealt two cards.
The dealer will expose one of his cards over and the other stays face down until the end of the game.
The play starts with the player telling the dealer how they want to play their hand during their turn.
After all the players have finished their hands the dealer will finish his and then pay out or collect on bets.
If you are dealt 21 in your first two cards (Ace & 10), you have a blackjack. Having a blackjack means you win 1.5 the amount of your bet.
If the dealer and player both have blackjack then the hand is a tie.
If your hand totals over 21 you bust and the dealer takes the pot despite his cards.

Optimized Basic Strategy for Playing Blackjack
The chart on the right explains the statistical instances where you should theoretically hit, stand, double or split your hand depending on your hand total and the dealer's visible card value. It is a useful strategy tool and should be consulted when playing blackjack online. This is especially helpful for players new to the game. Please refer to the following for specifics in blackjack strategies:

Surrender

To surrender, is to fold a hand at half the cost of the original bet.
Hands may only be surrendered at the start of game play before taking any other action like hitting, splitting or doubling.
Only surrender a hand if it has 25% or less chance of winning.

Hitting or Standing

Hit is to request another card be dealt and increase the total value of the hand.
Stand is to keep the current hand and end the turn.
For best results, consult the blackjack strategy table to the right.

Splitting Pairs

You have the option to split your hand when you have two of a kind (including any two cards valued at 10) dealt as the first two cards in play, suits do not matter.
Splitting means the pair is split into two separate hands and is often a good strategy unless the cards are both valued at 10. Please see the blackjack strategy table to the right for best cases.
Splitting doubles the bet, because both new hands must have the same value as the original bet.
A player can split additional pairs resulting from the original split up to a maximum 3 splits in one game.
If you are dealt two Aces, you may split them but are allowed only one card to be drawn for each Ace. If you draw a ten, your card will be scored as 21 but this does not count as "Blackjack". In other words, it's paid out as a hand simply totalling 21, not as a 3-2 payoff like a 2-card Blackjack. It is always a good strategy to split Aces.

Doubling Down

Doubling must be done to a two card hand before a third card is drawn.
This is similar to a hit, but the bet can be doubled and only one more card is added to thehand. No cards can be drawn after the third card if a player chooses to double down.
A player can double down the amount of their original bet.
Players can double on a hand resulting from a split.
For best results, consult the blackjack strategy table above.

Insurance

The dealer will offer an insurance bet to the players if his up-card is an Ace, just in case the second card has a value of 10. This is a side bet and does not affect the original amount.
Insurance bets are half of the original bet and are paid at 2 to 1 odds.
If the player has bought insurance and the dealer has blackjack, they will break even.

How the Dealer Plays

The dealer has strict rules on how to play blackjack and cannot deviate from them. He cannot split or double. The Paradise Dealer follows the rule 'Dealer hits soft 17', which works as follows:

The dealer must continue to hit (draw cards) until his hand totals 17 or more at which point he must stand (stop drawing cards).
An Ace in the dealer's hand is always valued at 11 unless it will make the dealer go over 21.
If the dealer has a soft total of 17 (where the Ace could be 1 or 11 without making the hand bust) the dealer will draw more cards and stand on soft 18 or more, or hard 17 or more.

Courtesy of Paradise Poker