Blackjack might be one of the most popular casino games in modern times, but its simplicity has lent itself to the game being fashionable for almost five hundred years by now. Compared to other casino games, blackjack is easy to learn and fun to master.

The first records of blackjack date back to 1601, when Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes described a card game called ‘Veintiuno’ (Spanish for "twenty-one") where players have to reach 21 without going over and ace cards could be valued at either 1 or 11. Sounds familiar, right? The UK would record the same game under the name ‘Vingt-un’ in the 1770s and would bring it to the US, where the first set of rules would be printed in 1825.

Since then, blackjack has been a staple at family gatherings and casinos all around the world. Whether you’re playing in your local land-based casino or you’re trying one of the new US online casinos, the rules and strategies for blackjack will always be the same.

What is blackjack?

Blackjack is a card game played against a dealer in a casino. A maximum of ten people can play, but generally, games are played with two to seven players at once. The dealer will give each player two cards and the aim of the game is getting as close to a numerical total of 21 without going over.

What are the rules of blackjack?

Unlike other popular casino games, the rules of blackjack are simple: Don’t go over 21.

The only thing you need to worry about as a beginner blackjack player is placing your bets and when to stand. Standing? As in, standing up from the table? No, we’ll explain how to play blackjack in the next section, but we also have a full list of blackjack terms and slang available here.

Before you learn the steps of how to play blackjack, there is some additional information you need to learn first.

The card numbers will be added together to make the total. So if you have a 2 and a 7, your total is currently 9.

Face cards (Jack, Queen and King) all count as 10. If you have a King and a 3, your total is 13.

Aces can be classed as 1 or 11 and this can change throughout the hand to suit you.

How to play blackjack

Now that you’ve got some of the basics of the game, we’ll take you through the steps of how to play blackjack in a US casino, along with some winning blackjack strategies.

1. You pick a table, buy chips from the dealer and sit down

If you’re a beginner, then it’s advised that you find a quiet or empty table so it’s just you playing against the dealer. This way, if you need to take a bit longer to act or ask any questions, then you have the dealer’s full attention (and aren’t holding up the rest of the table!).

Once you’ve selected your table of choice, you can sit down and exchange cash for chips straight from the dealer. Place the money on the felt (don’t hand it straight to the dealer), they’ll count it out then give you a stack of chips in return.

2. Place your bets

Before receiving your cards, you’ll need to place a wager by putting chips in the betting circle. This lets the croupier know who to deal to that round and most tables in the US require a minimum wager of $5 - but this will change from table to table. Don’t be afraid to ask the dealers what the minimum and maximum wagers are, as they’ll be able to point you to a table more suitable for you and your bankroll. For tips on how to create and manage a sustainable bankroll, we also have a guide for that available here.

3. The croupier will deal the first cards

Once the bets have been placed, the croupier will deal one card face up for everyone, then one face down for themselves. They’ll then deal everyone a second card face up, before giving themselves a face up card too. The two cards in front of you are your starting hand.

4. Play your hand

This is the part of the game you’ve been waiting for, where you’ll decide whether you want to hit or stand. There’s a lot of strategy and winning schemes in play here, so we’ll keep it simple for now.

The following are the actions you can take while playing blackjack:

Stand: You ask for no more cards

Hit: You get one more card, but risk going bust (getting over 21 and therefore lose your bet)

Double: You can double your wager and get one more card

Split: If you have two cards of equal value, such as 7 & 7, then you can ‘split’ the hand in two and receive two more cards on each

Surrender: Reject the hand and receive half of your wager back

Things to be careful of

Just as with poker, blackjack is played with different hand motions, so be VERY careful with how you act at the table. Something as small as tapping the felt can count as Hitting while hovering your hand over your cards can count as Standing. If you’re just starting out, it’s probably best to keep your hands off the table while you play.

5. Dealer plays hand

Once you’ve finished with your hand, the dealer will then play their hand. Most casinos will have the dealer stand on 17, but some will do this on 16 too.

Payouts

If the dealer busts, then they’ll pay 1:1 to each wager on the table.

If the dealer doesn’t bust, then they’ll compare their hands to the rest of the players' hands.

If you get closer to 21 than the dealer, you get paid 1:1, but if the dealer wins then you lose your wager.

If the player gets blackjack (a total of 21 made up from an Ace and a 10 value card) then you’ll get paid 3:2.

Winning blackjack strategies

Now that you know the process of how to play blackjack, it’s time to learn some of the best blackjack strategies for both online and in-person games.

Less decks

Blackjack is traditionally played with six or eight decks at once. This is to make it difficult for people to ‘track’ cards, or to card count and therefore remove any player advantage.

If you manage to find a table that uses six decks, it’ll be easier to predict which cards can (or can not) come out.

Double on 11

This is statistically your best starting hard and is impossible to bust on, so one of the most popular blackjack strategies is to double down on 11. The only time you definitely shouldn’t do this is if you have a total of 11 which could also total 21 (Ace and 10 card).

Split eights and aces

These are both nice hands to start with, but relatively useless when paired up like this. If you split eights or aces, you give yourself a nice foundation for better second cards for them.

Act depending on the dealer’s face up card

If you’re getting overwhelmed with the different odds or strategies involved with blackjack, then the following table is a fairly safe way to play the game.