Blackjack: The Basic Rules of the Game

The basic nature of blackjack is very simple. The rules of game of blackjack are very few. The basic rules will be discussed here for new blackjack players to get an understanding of the simplicity of the game.

Start of Play: Before the cards are dealt in blackjack, every player must place their wager first on their assigned place on the table. The dealer will then deal two cards for each player including the dealer. One card of the dealer is face up and the other card is face down.

Blackjack: If your initial two cards consist of an Ace and a Ten-value card, you get a blackjack and you win. The payout for a blackjack hand is three to two. But, if the dealer also gets a blackjack, a standoff occurs and it is a push or a tie.

Hit: This blackjack move means that you want to draw an additional card. You can signify that you want to hit through scraping the table with your finger for a face up blackjack game or with your cards for a face down blackjack game. Once you decide to hit and get busted, meaning your total value is greater than 21, you automatically lose.

Stand: When you decide to stop receiving additional cards, that means you stand. You make a hand gesture by moving your hand horizontally over your cards in a face up blackjack game or placing your cards under your bet in a face down blackjack game.

Double Down: You are entitled to double your original bet after the initial two cards are dealt and you are given only one opportunity to hit to enhance your current hand. When you double down, it means that you have an advantage of beating the dealer's hand with just a single additional card.

Splitting Pairs: When the initial two cards are a pair, meaning have the same card value, you can choose to split them into two independent blackjack hands. You need also to make the same amount of bet for each of the separate hand. If Aces are split up, the player will only get one additional card for each Ace. In case an Ace-Ten combination happens after splitting, that hand is not considered as a natural or blackjack.

Insurance: In instances that the dealer's face up card is an Ace, you have a choice to take the insurance, wherein you will make a bet of up to half of your initial bet. If it turns out that the dealer does have a blackjack, you win two to one, if not you lose your insurance bet.

Surrender: If casinos permit it, you may be allowed to give up you initial two cards and only lose half of your initial bet.

Rules of Play for Blackjack Dealer - The dealer's hand draw on 16 and lower and stand on 17 or greater. There are casinos that allow dealer to hit on soft 17.

Knowing these basic rules of blackjack will help you know what is going on in the game that you might have fun while playing.