How do you play Blackjack?
Knowing how to play Blackjack is a bit more complicated than, for example, learning everything related to roulette or slots. And this is because the user has all the options on the table.
Card value
Before you know how to play Blackjack you need to memorize the value of all the cards in play, as these will define whether you win or lose. Don’t worry, these values never change.
The values of the Blackjack cards are:
- AS: 1 or 11.
- J, Q, and K: 10.
- From 2 to 10: They keep their value.
For example, a hand with a J, an AS, and a 2 is worth 13 points. Why? Because the AS was worth 11, you would exceed the limit of 21, which automatically translates into a victory for the bench.
Goal of 21
To win at Blackjack you need to get a better score than the dealer without exceeding 21 points. It does not matter how low it is, as long as it exceeds the dealer’s (when it is tied, the bet is recovered).
Let’s now see the steps to learn how to play 21:
- A bet is made.
- The dealer deals two cards face up to the player.
- He also deals two to himself, but one of them face down.
- The player decides which move to make and the turn ends.
- The dealer shows his second card.
- Hands are compared to see who wins.
In case the player goes over 21, the round ends automatically and the bet is lost. For his part, the dealer is obliged to ask for an extra card if his score is equal to or less than 16.
According to the rules of 21, a Blackjack is the sum of an ACE and a card worth ten points. Unless there is a tie, this combination of cards guarantees the victory of whoever has it.
What are the accepted plays in the Blackjack rules?
The most important part of the rules of Blackjack 21 is the plays that the player can make to try to beat the dealer, as it is practically unique compared to other games.
Stand up
The first thing you’ll learn in knowing how to play 21 cards is that you have the option to stand if you’re happy with the score in your hands. That is to say: standing is equivalent to ending your turn.
It’s generally a good idea to stand if you have a high risk of going over the 21 point limit or if the dealer’s hand is pretty bad. It is probably the most common play of all.
Ask for
Another very important part of knowing how to play Blackjack is understanding that you have the option of hitting an additional card to increase your hand’s score and thus defeat the dealer.
Technically you are free to ask for all the cards you want, however, unless you have a score lower than 12 points, there will always be the risk of exceeding the limit of 21 and “Go Bust”.
Bend
Anyone who knows how to play 21 on cards should understand that doubling their initial bet also receives an additional card and immediately afterward their turn is closed.
This is the reason why it is always recommended to double when you have an 11, since the chances of receiving a 10 are quite high and, except for a tie, there is no way to lose with this score.
It is not possible to ask for more cards after doubling down!
Divide
If you have two of the same cards in your hand, you will be presented with the option to separate them to play with two hands at the same time. Note that this also means that you will need to place an extra bet.
These are the basic Blackjack rules that you should learn before sitting down to play in a casino of any kind, be it online or land-based. And, fortunately, the rules never change, so once you know them you will never have to study them thoroughly again.
What are the side bets on 21?
One of the 21 most interesting card game rules that there are, but not everyone knows, is the possibility of making side bets to have an extra channel through which to make a profit. There are many types of side bets, but here are the most important ones:
Sure
When they explain how to play Blackjack, usually the topic of “insurance” comes up, which is nothing more than a side bet that tries to predict if the dealer will have a Blackjack (AS + 10) with his first two cards.
The only time you will be allowed to request insurance at the casino is when the dealer’s face-up card is an ACE. If you decide to do so, you will have to bet half of the original bet.
The payoff for hitting the insurance is 2: 1 what you bet. However, experts recommend never doing this, as you could only reduce your losses if the dealer has a Blackjack.
On the other hand, if the dealer does not have a Blackjack, you will lose the insurance side bet and continue the game, which you could lose. That is to say: you will only be able to increase what you lost if you have bad luck!
Perfect pairs
Another side bet allowed in the BlackJack rules is that of perfect pairs. That is, you are betting that you will get two cards of the same value when they are dealt with at the beginning of the game.
There are three types of pairs:
Available pairs | What cards do they accept? | Payment | Example |
---|---|---|---|
Mixed | Two of the same number | 5: 1 | 4 ♦ + 4 ♠ |
Colour | Two of the same number and color | 12: 1 | 5 ♥ + 5 ♦ |
Perfect | Two of the same number, color, and suit | 25: 1 | 9 ♠ + 9 ♠ |
Keep in mind that the payouts and the odds of landing a perfect pair may vary depending on the number of lows at stake, so don’t hesitate to take a look at this information.
21 + 3
Finally, we have the 21 + 3 bet, which takes into account the player’s two cards and the one that is face-up in the dealer’s hand. This time it is about trying to guess if there will be a specific combination.
There are five ways to win this bet:
Combination | What cards do they accept? | Payment | Example |
---|---|---|---|
Colour | Three cards of the same suit | 5: 1 | 8 ♦ + 5 ♦ + Q ♦ |
Stairs | Three consecutive cards | 10: 1 | 3 ♣ + 4 ♠ + 5 ♥ |
Trio | Three cards of the same rank | 30: 1 | 7 ♠ + 7 ♦ + 7 ♥ |
Color ladder | Three consecutive cards of the same suit | 40: 1 | 6 ♠ + 7 ♠ + 8 ♠ |
Perfect threesome | Three equal cards | 100: 1 | 4 ♣ + 4 ♣ + 4 ♣ |
As you can see, the less likely a combination is, the higher it will be to win it. It’s worth it? It depends on each user and how they want to manage their entire budget.
Unfortunately, not all games follow the same Blackjack 21 rules when it comes to side betting, so you won’t always have this option in front of you to add a little extra excitement to the round.
What are soft and hard hands in Blackjack?
A very important part of knowing how to play 21 Blackjack is understanding the difference between soft and hard hands, as this directly affects players’ decisions.
So what is a heavy hand? It is that hand where there is no AS involved; therefore, a soft is one where, on the contrary, there is an AS in play.
An example of a hard hand would be an 8 and a 7, which would add up to a hard 15. And that of a soft would be an AS and a 5, which would add up to a soft 16. In this case, the sticks have nothing to do with it.
The reason they are known in this way is that the AS allows the same hand to have two values: the one that counts the card as a 1 and the one that counts as 11. The previous soft 16 could be a 6, for example.
How does this affect the players? The Blackjack table indicates that, except when having a soft 18 up, the player should always hit an extra card or even double, depending on the dealer’s face-up card.
This is because there is no risk that this play will cause you to go over the 21 point limit, so the only thing you would end up doing would be the better score you have in your hand.
So consider this when trying to create your basic rules-based strategy for the 21st, as it could mean the difference between beating the dealer and being beaten by the dealer.
Payouts according to the rules of the 21 card game
Now that you know how to play BlackJack, it’s time to find out how much you could win if you beat the dealer. And there are several types of payments depending on how the game develops.
Let’s look at the Blackjack paytable:
Outcome | Payment | Example |
---|---|---|
You win with Blackjack | 3: 2 | A ♠ + Q ♦ |
Win without Blackjack | 1: 1 | 8 ♠ + 5 ♣ + 8 ♣ |
In the event of a tie, you will not lose your bets, but you will not win anything either, you will simply get your stake back so that you can put it back into play on your next turn.
There are different variations in terms of payouts according to the rules of online Blackjack; For example, there are many casinos that pay 6: 5, while others have promotions that offer 2: 1.
In addition to this, differences are depending on the versions of Blackjack that you have available, so we recommend that you review the rules of 21 before making a single bet.
What is the Blackjack table?
The Blackjack table is a table showing which are the plays that, theoretically, should offer the best odds of winning the game depending on the cards that are on the table.
This is part of the basic strategy of most players since it is enough to follow it carefully to try to succeed with ease. Of course, the game will continue to be random.
For example, if the player has an 11, he should always double his bet except when the dealer has an AS. On the other hand, from 17 onwards it should be planted no matter what the dealer has since it will almost always end up going over 21.
If you are learning how to play Blackjack you could take advantage of this table to understand how the whole game works. And there is nothing similar in other titles such as roulette, for example.
Be sure to read our strategies page to see the table for yourself and have it at hand during all the games you do! And it is that, when playing online, you will not have any problem.
Practice how to play BlackJack
The 21 Blackjack rules are some of the most comprehensive and complex in the casino, which is why it offers so many opportunities to players. However, you must know them very well.
Therefore, we have compiled several demos of Black Jack so that you can start practicing whenever you want until you become an expert. And without spending a single peso!
Here are some of these demos:
Play | Supplier |
---|---|
Multihand Blackjack | Play N ‘GO |
BlackJack | Real-Time Gaming |
American Blackjack | Pragmatic Play |
Sonya blackjack | Yggdrasil |
Multi-Hand Vegas Single Deck Blackjack | Microgaming |
Just click on one of these titles and start playing for as long as you want. As it does not work with real money, you could try all the strategies without worrying about the final result.
Without a doubt, this is the best option you have to learn how to play Blackjack online perfectly. The best? There is no need to download anything or register to access them.
Put the 21 Blackjack rules into practice
Since you know the Black Jack rules perfectly, the time has come for you to meet some casinos where you can put them to the test by really playing the best games in Chile.
We have explored dozens of platforms for you, so we invite you to review all of our reviews if you want to know more about them. We always update our TOPs with the latest releases!