In this opening chapter, you’ll learn about: This is the basic to understand and to start the concept about how to play blackjack itself. If the player’s and dealer’s hands total the same (known as a tie or push), the player retains his bet. Players lose their bet when they bust, or when their hand totals less than the dealer’s hand. Players win when their hand totals higher than dealer’s hand, or they have 21 or less when the dealer busts (i.e., exceeds 21). The payoff is 1 to 1 (i.e., even money). The dealer acts last and must hit on 16 or less and stand on 17 through 21. Players must decide whether to stand, hit, surrender, double down, or split. The total of any hand is the sum of the card values in the hand Picture cards count as 10 and the ace can count as either 1 or 11. Blackjack starts with players making bets.ĭealer deals 2 cards to the players and two to himself (1 card face up, the other face down).īlackjack card values: All cards count their face value in blackjack.