The rules of the game:

• The rules of Blackjack are simple. The goal of the game is to get a hand with a value as close to 21 as possible, without going over. However, in order for the player to win, his/her final hand must be closer to 21 than the dealer's final hand.
• Suits have no meaning - it is the numbers that are important. Number cards have the value of their numbers and all face cards (Jacks, Queens and Kings) are worth 10. Ace can be worth either 1 or 11, depending on what is best for the player's and dealer's hand.
• All players play against the dealer, not against one another.
• All bets must be placed before the dealer starts to deal the cards. The dealer deals one card to each player at the time, until they all have two cards. There are two different variation of dealing the cards. In a so called London Deal, the players' cards are dealt face up and the dealer gives himself one card face up. In a Nevada Deal game, the players´ cards are dealt face down and the dealer deals himself one card face up and one card face down.
• When all the cards are dealt, each player has to decide if he wants to "stand" or "hit". If a player "stands", he does not want any more cards dealt to him and the dealer moves on to the next player. If a player "hits", he/she requests more cards in order to get closer to 21 to be able to beat the dealer. If during the game, a player gets more than 21, he/she is "bust", loses his bet and is out of that game round. The dealer does not move on to the next player until the previous one has chosen to "stand" or has gone "bust".
• When all players have made their plays, it is the dealer's turn. In a London game, the dealer deals himself a second card while in a game of Nevada Deal the dealer just reveals his/her second card. It is important to note that:
  - If the dealer's total is 16 or less, the dealer does not have a choice - he/she must hit.
  - If the dealer's total is 17 or higher, he/she does not have a choice - he/she must stand.

Who wins when and how much?

- If the dealer does not go over 21, the dealers hand is compared to the players´ hands. When a player is closer to 21 than the dealer, he/she doubles his/her bet.

- If the hand of a player and the dealer is tied (both has for example 19) the player neither wins nor loses his/her money - in other words, the player can keep the money he bet in the round. A tie between a player and the dealer is called "push".

- If the dealer's total gets over 21, the dealer is bust and all players still in the game (the once that did not go bust) win.

- If a player or the dealer gets the combination of an Ace and another card worth 10 (Kings, Queens, Jacks or 10s) with his/her first two cards - he/she has gotten a Blackjack. When a player gets Blackjack, he/she wins 1.5 times the money he/she bet. If the dealer gets a Blackjack, all players lose. If both a player and the dealer get Blackjack, they tie and the player can keep his/her original bet, but does not win anything.



To Hit or not to Hit, that's the question.

Since you play against the dealer in Blackjack, it is always important to compare your cards against the dealer's. Here are a few guidelines on how to play the game:

• If your hand is 11 or less, you should always hit! With a hand of 11 or less you can never go bust, only come closer to 21.
• If your hand is 17 or greater, and the dealer's hand is 6 or less, you should never hit! The risk of going bust is too big.
• When the dealer has a 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, there is a quite big chance that he/she goes bust. In fact, a 5 and a 6 are the cards that most often lead to a bust for the dealer. In this case, you should not take a big risk in order to get closer to 21. You should only avoid getting bust. However, if the dealer has a 2 or a 3 and you have 12, the best thing to do could be to hit!
• When the dealer has a 7 or higher, he/she has a good chance of making an 18, 19, 20, or 21. If you have a lower hand than 18, you can try to get a better hand - even though there of course is a big risk that you'll go bust. If your hand is 16 or less, you should absolutely hit!
• If your hand includes an Ace, you might want to take more risks. For instance, if you have an Ace and a 6, you have either 7 or 17. If the dealer has a 7 or higher, it might be worth to hit, since there is no risk for you to get bust anyway (while there is a big chance that the dealer would get 18 or higher).

More alternatives for the clever players.

Blackjack also provides the players with a few other options, in order to maximize the winnings or in some cases minimize the losses:

Doubling Down: After the initial deal, a player is allowed to double the amount of his original bet. However, the player must now take ONE and only ONE additional card. If the player wins, he gets paid 2-to-1, but if he loses he loses both his initial and additional bets.

Split Hands or Splitting: When the player gets a pair as his opening cards, he can split them into two different hands. The player must now place another bet behind his second hand. The bet must be the same amount as the initial bet on the first initial hand. The hands are now played independently. Hands that are the result of a split can not become a Blackjack, even though an Ace and a card with the value of ten make up the hand. It just counts like 21 but not in the Blackjack sense. Pairs that are worth splitting are the ones that have the value of ten, that is: a pair of 10s, a pair of Jacks, a pair of Queens and a pair of Kings. Some casinos allow a split hand to get split further, if for instance the second hand becomes a pair.

Doubling after Splitting: In some casinos, a player is allowed to double down on one or more split hands.

Insurance: When a dealer has an Ace, the players can buy something called an insurance. By doing that, they are betting on the fact that the dealer has a Blackjack. If the dealer has a Blackjack, the player is paid 2-to-1 on the insurance bet (a bet that can only be up to 50% of the player's initial bet). The player has now salvaged some, or all, of his lost bet.

Late Surrender: Once the dealer has shown that he/she does not have a Blackjack, some casinos allow the player to surrender. If a player surrenders, he gets half of his bet back. Some hands, such as 16 versus the dealer's 10, are so bad that surrender often is less costly than playing the hand. This is not allowed in all casinos. Also called just "Surrender".

Early Surrender: When a player surrenders before the dealer has shown his/her cards. If a player surrender, he gets half of his bet back. This is not allowed in all casinos.