Blackjack Rules : What are the rules you need to know to play blackjack ?

Blackjack is a very well known card game that first appeared in the late 18th century under the name "21". Since then it has become very popular in casinos, and even more so nowadays on online casino sites. It is very popular among players in online casinos, as its payout rate is 99.29%. When playing a hand of blackjack we can, therefore, call it a coinflip with a slight advantage for the dealer.

The value of cards in blackjack

• The value of the cards varies between 2 and 10 depending on their face value

• Cards with a face value (jacks, queens and kings) take 10 for value

• The Ace, which is a separate card, is worth 1 or 11 depending on what the player decides

Here's our top 5 online casinos for playing blackjack

1. Casino Extra

2. Cresus Casino

3. Tortuga

4. Fatboss

5. Lucky8

The rules of blackjack and how the game is played

During a game of blackjack, all players at the table are against the dealer. The object of the game is simple, you must score more points than the dealer, never more than 21. The ultimate goal is to get 21 in two cards, this combination is called "blackjack". There is no combination stronger than this one, except another blackjack.

Betting and dealing cards

• At the beginning of the game, the dealer asks all players to place a bet on the table

• Then he draws cards for all the players: from the first player to his left of the dealer to him through the last player to his right, twice. The players end up with two cards which, when added together, give a value. Except for the dealer who has his second card face down.

If there's blackjack, what happens?

When all players at the table have received their cards, it is likely that a player will get blackjack. Blackjack is the combination of an Ace and a card of value equal to 10. When the player gets this game, he sees his hand as the winner, and his initial bet multiplied by 2.5 automatically.

There are, however, special cases concerning "blackjack" that do not win the player in the first place :

• When the dealer has a card of value equal to 10: In this situation, it is possible that the dealer has an Ace as a second card. To find this out, you will have to wait until all players at the table have played their hand. If the dealer has an Ace face down, he also has blackjack, and the player who also has blackjack will have his hand refunded.

• When the dealer has an Ace: In this case, you don't have to wait until the end of the players' turn to find out whether or not he has a blackjack. If the dealer has a card of value equal to 10 face down, it will be announced before the players' turn. In the event that the dealer does not have blackjack, the player who has had blackjack sees his winning hand.

When it's up to the players to play

Each player in turn makes a decision based on their initial hand to build the best possible combination of cards to beat the dealer. If a player goes over 21, that player is out of the race to beat the dealer and loses his bet.Draw a card (hit)

• Stay

• Insurance

• The split

• The double down

• The side bets

Draw a card (hit)

Depending on his starting hand, the player may decide to draw cards until he is satisfied, equals or exceeds the score of 21.

Stay

When the player has decided to stop drawing cards or if the initial score of his starting hand suits him, he can decide to stand to receive no more cards and thus save his score.

Blackjack insurance

When the dealer gets an Ace as the first card, insurance is offered to the player. This insurance covers the player if the dealer has blackjack, to begin with. The price to be paid, if the player takes this insurance, is half of the initial bet.

• If the dealer calls blackjack the player gets his original bet back, so he will have amortised his loss through insurance.

• If the dealer does not come out of blackjack the game continues and the player continues to play his hand. The player may be a bit of a winner if he wins his hand (his bet + his winnings - insurance).

• Conversely, if he loses his hand, he will lose his bet + the price of his insurance, so the player will lose more than if he hadn't taken out insurance.

Conversely, if he loses his hand, he will lose his bet + the price of his insurance, so the player will lose more than if he hadn't taken out insurance.

The split in blackjack

This action allows the player to separate his two starting cards if they are of the same value. This has the effect of doubling the starting bet. The player who has split his hand will end up with two hands instead of one. This method can be very profitable as well as devastating to the player's dealer roll.

• If the player wins both hands, his winnings are doubled compared to a classic hand.

• If the player wins only one of his two hands, it will have the same effect as a push with the dealer.

• If the player loses both hands, his loss will be doubled.

This decision is a double-edged sword, it is important to use it in favorable cases that favor the player against the dealer.

There is a special case to consider when talking about splitting a hand. If the player splits two Aces, the dealer will deal only one card per Ace. The player will not be able to draw any more cards from both hands.

Double down in blackjack

This action allows the player to double his bet after receiving his first two cards by taking the risk of receiving only one card from the dealer. Like the split, it is important to use this action on a case-by-case basis. The player must not double down at all costs, otherwise he will break very quickly.

The side bets

Side bets are bets apart from the initial bet that the player can add at the beginning of the game. There are two types of side bets :

• Perfect Pair: Takes into consideration the firsts two cards dealt to the player

• 21+3: Takes into consideration the firsts two cards dealt to the player as well as the dealer's first card

Depend on his bet, the player gets a different win. Depend on the provider, the odds are different. For example, this one comes from Evolution Gaming.

When it's the dealer's turn to play

When the players have finished their turn, then comes the dealer's turn. The dealer turns over his card face down and draws cards as long as he totals less than 17.

Conclusion of the hand

• If the dealer scores more than 21, all remaining players win.

• If the dealer's total is between 17 and 21, all players who have a higher total than the dealer's total, win.

• If the dealer gets the same card value as a player, the player makes a push with the dealer and is refunded his original bet. Even for blackjack.

Before taking up online blackjack, we advise you to familiarize yourself with this game with the First Person version that we have made available on our site.

FAQ: Most frequently asked questions about blackjack

Is it profitable to play blackjack?

No, blackjack is a mathematically winning game for the casino. This game has a payout rate for players of 99.29 %. This figure may seem insignificant, but it is real in the long run.

When to take the insurance in blackjack?

As mentioned above, we advise you to never take out insurance except in one case; when you have blackjack. This allows you to win your hand as if it were a classic hand and it doesn't matter if the dealer has blackjack or not.

Is it possible to play blackjack online?

Yes, in general, all casinos offer online blackjack (except some that have decided not to integrate it).