Rules of Blackjack

Your goal as a blackjack player is to end up with a hand total that is closer to 21 than the dealers hand - without going over 21.
If you go over 21 you lose the hand. Learn more about the blackjack rules below.
The Objective of Blackjack
Blackjack Card Values
Blackjack Hands - Soft Hands and Hards Hands
The Cards are Dealt
Continue to Blackjack Rules part 2

The Objective Of Blackjack

Your goal as a blackjack player is to end up with a winning hand.
In Blackjack, a winning hand has the highest total value - without going over 21.
Any hand with a value of more than 21 loose automatically, loosing this way is called a BUST in Blackjack terms.


Blackjack is a game where you are playing your hand against the dealers hand, - and your hand is played first.

When you have been delt your first cards, you can choose to HIT and recieve another card to your hand, or you can choose to STAND and pass the turn on to the dealer.
Once you stand, your current Blackjack hand is locked untill the game-round is over. You should stand when your chance of Busting is too high, or feel that your Blackjack hand is strong enough to beat the dealers hand.

The dealer always plays his hand according to fixed rules - no decision is left up to the dealer. The dealer must always follow the same rules to play his hand.
Normally this mean that the dealer must draw cards until his hand has a value of 17!
Most blackjack tables have this shown in writing on the tables: "Dealer Must Stand On All 17's"
This means that as soon as he get to that total or above he cannot take any more cards.

Blackjack Card Values

2 to 9 - Are valued as indicated.
ACE - Can be either 1 OR 11.
10s & Face cards - all have the value 10.
A Blackjack is a two card hand consisting of an Ace and a card with the value 10.
A Blackjack beats a 3 card hand with the value 21.
The suit of the cards has no meaning in blackjack.

Blackjack hands - Soft Hands & Hard Hands

In Blackjack, an ACE is the closest thing you can come to a joker wild card. The card can represent either the value 1 OR the value 11, -but always represent the value that make up the best hand.

In blackjack, a SOFT HAND is a hand where an Ace can represent both 1 or 11.
Blackjack soft hand example:
A hand consisting of ACE and 8 - can add up to the hand value 9 OR 19, depending on what value you give the ACE. The choice is yours, and you can change it back and forth as you please during the play of your hand.


A HARD hand is a hand with an ACE that has to represent a single of the two possible values in order to prevent a BUST.
Blackjack hard hand example:
A hand consisting of ACE, 9 and 7 force the ACE to represent the value 1. If the ACE would represent the value 11, the value would become 27 and BUST.
In Blackjack a HARD HAND is often refered to as a Stiff hand because it is closer to busting than a close hand is.

The Cards Are Dealt:

Once your bet has been placed, the dealer start out by giving you 2 cards.
Once your two cards are dealt, the dealer also give himself two cards - one of the dealers cards are dealt face-up so that you can se it's value, the other card is dealt face down and you will not see this card before the end of the round - when the dealer starts playing his hand.