How to play blackjack: the rules of a hand
Learn card values, what happens on your turn, how the dealer finishes a hand and what the different payouts mean.
The aim and the cards
Your aim is to beat the dealer without your hand going over 21. You win if your total is higher than the dealer’s without busting, or if the dealer busts while you do not. A tie is normally a push: your original stake is returned.
Number cards count at face value; jacks, queens and kings count as 10. An ace counts as 1 or 11, whichever gives the hand a usable total. Ace-six is a soft 17 because the ace currently counts as 11. Ten-six is a hard 16. A two-card ace plus a ten-value card is a natural blackjack; three cards adding up to 21 are not.
What happens during a round
First, place a bet within the table’s limits. You receive two cards. The dealer also receives cards, but the way the second card is dealt or revealed varies by game; the dealer’s visible up-card is the one you use to make your decision.
Players act before the dealer finishes their hand. If you bust, that stake loses even if the dealer later busts. Once the remaining players are finished, the dealer draws or stands according to the posted rule, usually drawing until at least 17. Check whether the dealer stands on soft 17 or hits it: that rule can affect both the odds and basic strategy.
Your choices on the first two cards
Hit takes another card; stand keeps your total. Double down adds a second stake equal to your first, takes exactly one more card and then ends your turn. Split, where allowed, separates an eligible pair such as two eights into two hands, with a second stake for the new hand. The rules may restrict doubling after a split, re-splitting or drawing to split aces.
Some games offer late surrender on the initial two cards: you give up half the original stake rather than play the hand. Insurance is a separate wager offered when the dealer shows an ace; it is not part of deciding whether to hit or stand. Not every table offers every option, and a hit may remove your chance to double, split or surrender.
How a £10 hand is settled
At even money, a £10 winning hand earns £10 profit and returns your £10 stake. A losing hand costs that stake; a push returns it without profit. If you doubled for a total of £20 at risk, an even-money win earns £20 profit and a loss costs £20.
A natural blackjack has its own payout. At 3:2, a £10 natural earns £15 profit; at 6:5, it earns £12. If both you and the dealer have a natural, the hand normally pushes. Read the payout before playing—“blackjack” on the table does not tell you whether it pays 3:2 or 6:5.
Learn the rules before the strategy chart
A chart answers what to do with a particular hand against the dealer’s up-card, but only for the rules printed beside it. Start by recognising hard totals, soft totals and pairs. For example, hard 12 against a dealer 6 stands in the multi-deck, dealer-stands-soft-17 rules used by this site; against a dealer 10, it hits.
Before using our blackjack strategy chart or blackjack strategy calculator, check the blackjack payout, deck count, soft-17 rule, doubling and splitting restrictions, and whether surrender is available. The basic blackjack strategy guide explains the decision process; the UK blackjack strategy guide covers no-hole-card tables. A different table can change close decisions.
Frequently asked questions
Is an ace always worth 11 in blackjack?
No. It can count as 1 or 11. In ace-six the ace counts as 11 for soft 17; if another card would take the total over 21, the ace can count as 1 instead.
Does any 21 count as blackjack?
No. A natural blackjack is an ace and a ten-value card in the first two cards. A 21 made with three or more cards is an ordinary 21 and does not receive the natural’s special payout.
What happens if the player and dealer both have blackjack?
The hand normally pushes, so the original stake is returned without a blackjack payout. Check the table rules for any variation.
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