BlackJack Rules and Strategy

Blackjack! The face cards (Jack, Queen, and King) count as 10 points, and the Ace counts as 1 or 11.

Blackjack, also known as twenty-one and pontoon in British English , is one of the most popular casino card games in the world. Its precursor was "vingt-et-un" which originated in French casinos around 1700, and which did not offer the 3:2 bonus for a two-card 21. When the game was first introduced in the United States, it wasn't very popular so gambling houses tried various bonus payouts to get the players to the tables. One such bonus was a 10-to-1 payout if the player's hand consisted of the Ace of Spades and a black Jack (either the Jack of Clubs of the Jack of Spades). This was called a "blackjack" for obvious reasons and the name stuck even though the bonus payout was soon abolished. Much of blackjack's popularity is due to the mix of chance with elements of skill and decision making, and the publicity that surrounds the practice of card counting, a skill with which players can turn the odds of the game in their favor by making betting decisions based on the values of the cards known to remain in the deck.

Rules

Blackjack hands are scored by their point total. The hand with the highest total wins as long as it doesn't go over 21, which is called a bust. Cards 2 through 10 are worth their face value, and face cards (jack, queen, king) are also worth 10. An ace counts as 11 unless it would bust a hand, in which case it counts as 1.

The goal of each player is to beat the dealer, by having the higher, unbusted hand. Note that if the player busts, he loses, even if the dealer also busts. If the player's and the dealer's hands have the same point value, this is known as a "push", and neither player nor dealer wins the hand.

After initial bets are placed, the dealer deals the cards, either from one or two hand-held decks of cards, known as a "pitch" game, or more commonly from a shoe containing four or more decks. The dealer gives two cards to each player, including himself. One of the dealer's two cards is face-up so all the players can see it, and the other is face down. (The face-down card is known as the "hole card". In European blackjack, the hole card is not actually dealt until the players all play their hands.) The cards are dealt face up from a shoe, or face down if it is a pitch game.

A two-card hand of 21 (an ace plus a ten-value card) is called a "blackjack" or a "natural", and is an automatic winner. A player with a natural is usually paid 3:2 on his bet, although in 2003 some casinos started paying only 6:5 on blackjacks, a move decried by longtime blackjack players.

This is the summary of how the play proceeds after the deal.

• If the dealer has a blackjack and the player doesn't, the dealer wins automatically.
• If the player has a blackjack and the dealer doesn't, the player wins automatically.
• If the player and dealer both have blackjack, it's a tie (push).
• If neither side has a blackjack, then the first player completely plays out his hand, followed by the next player, and so on.
• When all the players have finished the dealer plays his hand.

The player's options for playing his hand are:

• Hit (take another card)
• Stand (take no more cards)
• Double down (double the wager, take exactly one more card, and then stand)
• Split (when the player has identical value cards, such as 8,8, place an additional wager and have each card be the first card in a new hand)
• Surrender (forfeit half his bet and give up his hand. Surrender is not offered at most casinos.)

The player's turn is over after any of the following happens:

• He decides to stand.
• He busts. (in which case he loses even if the dealer subsequently busts, this is the source of the house advantage)
• He doubles down and receives exactly one more card.

After all the players have finished making their decisions, the dealer then reveals the hidden hole card and plays his hand. House rules say that the dealer must hit until he has at least 17, regardless of what the players have. In most casinos a dealer must also hit a soft 17 (such as an Ace and a 6). The table felt will indicate whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17.

If the dealer busts then all remaining players win. Bets are normally paid out at the odds of 1:1.

Some common rules variations

• one card split aces: one card is dealt on each ace, players turn is over.
• early surrender: player has the option to surrender before dealer checks for Blackjack.
• late surrender: player has the option to surrender after dealer checks for Blackjack.
• double-down restrictions: double-down allowed only on certain combinations.
• dealer hits a soft seventeen (ace-six, which can play as seven or seventeen)
• European No-Hole-Card Rule: the dealer receives only one card, dealt face-up, and does not a second card (and thus does not check for blackjack) until players have acted. This means players lose not only their original bet, but also any additional money invested from splitting and doubling down.

There are more than a few blackjack variations which can be found in the casinos, each has its own set of rules, strategies and odds. it is advised to take a look at theblackjack rules of the specific variation before playing.

Insurance

If the dealer's upcard is an Ace, the player is offered the option of taking Insurance before the dealer checks his 'hole card'.

The player who wishes to take Insurance can bet an amount up to half his original bet. The Insurance bet is placed separately on a special portion of the table, which usually carries the words Insurance Pays 2:1.

The player who is taking Insurance is betting that the dealer's 'hole card' is a 10-value card, i.e. a 10, a Jack, a Queen or a King. Because the dealer's upcard is an Ace, this means that the player who takes Insurance is essentially betting that the dealer was dealt a natural, i.e. a two-card 21, a blackjack.

Insurance is a side-bet that pays off 2:1 if it wins.

Example: The player originally bets $10 and the dealer shows an Ace. The player takes Insurance by betting an additional amount of $5. Suppose the player's hand is 19. The dealer turns up his 'hole card' after the Insurance betting period is over -- and it's a 10-valued card. The player loses his $10 bet. But the Insurance bet wins, so the player gets 2:1 on his $5 Insurance wager and receives $10 (on top of the $5 which are returned to him). Note that the player came out even (i.e. did not lose any money) on that round.

Conversely, a player may win his original bet and lose his Insurance bet.

Example: The player originally bets $10 and the dealer shows an Ace. The player takes Insurance by betting an additional amount of $5. Suppose the player's hand is 19. The dealer turns up his 'hole card' after the Insurance betting period is over -- and it's not a 10-valued card. Suppose the 'hole card' is a 7. The player instantly loses his $5 Insurance wager. (All Insurance wagers are settled as soon as the dealer turns over his 'hole card', before all else.) But the player wins his $10 bet. Note that the player made a net profit on that round.

Of course, a player may lose both his original bet and his Insurance bet.

Insurance is considered a bad bet for the player who has no direct knowledge nor estimation (e.g. through card counting) of the dealer's 'hole card' because Insurance is a bet with negative expected value for the player. It is a bad bet even for a strict follower of Basic Strategy.

Insurance is a bad bet even for the player who has been dealt a natural (a two-card 21) to take Insurance. In such a case, the dealer usually asks the player "Even money?" This means that instead of 3:2, the player with the natural accepts to be paid off at 2:2. Which is exactly the same thing as betting on Insurance, losing the Insurance bet and getting paid 3:2 on the natural -- all at the same time. (If the player with the natural refuses to be paid "Even money", and the dealer turns over a natural, it is a tie.)

The reason Insurance is a bad bet for the player is that by paying 2:1 when his bet wins, the casino is underpaying the Insurance bettor.

Basic strategy

As in all casino games, the house has a statistical advantage over the players that will play itself out in the long run. But because blackjack, unlike other games, has an element of player choice, players can actually reduce the casino advantage to a small percentage by playing what is known as basic strategy. This strategy determines when to hit and when to stand, and also determines when doubling down or splitting is the correct action. Basic strategy is based on the player's point total and the dealer's visible card. There are slight variations in basic strategy depending on the exact house rules and the number of decks used. Under the most favorable conditions (single deck, downtown Las Vegas rules), the house advantage over a basic strategy player can be as low as 0.16%. Indeed, casinos offering special rules like surrender and double-after-split may actually be offering a positive expectation to basic strategy players; they are counting on players making mistakes to make money.

The following rules are beneficial to the skilled player:

1. Doubles are permitted on any two-card hand except a blackjack.
2. Doubles are permitted after splitting.
3. Early surrender; the ability to forfeit half your wager against a face or ace before the dealer checks for blackjack.
4. Normal (aka "late") surrender.
5. Resplitting Aces.
6. Drawing more than one card against a split Ace.
7. Five or more cards with the total still no more than 21 as an automatic win (a "Charlie")

The following rules are detrimental to the skilled player:

1. Less than 3:2 payout on blackjacks (as is the case with Las Vegas Strip single-deck blackjack, paying out 6:5)
2. Dealer hits on soft seventeen (ace, six)
3. Splitting a maximum of once (to two hands)
4. Double down restricted to certain totals, such as 9-11 or 10,11
5. Aces may not be resplit
6. No-Peek (European) blackjack-player loses splits and doubles to a dealer blackjack
7. Player losing ties

Basic Black Jack strategy tables

The above is a basic strategy table for the most common 6- to 8-deck, Las Vegas Strip rules. Specifically: dealer hits on soft 17, double after split allowed, multiple split aces, one card to split aces, blackjack pays 3:2, and (optionally) late surrender.

Key:

S = Stand

H = Hit

D = Double

SP = SPlit

Rh = suRrender if allowed, otherwise hit

Rs = suRrender if allowed, otherwise Stand

Rsp = suRrender if allowed, otherwise SPlit

In some LV Strip casinos you may still be able to find the older version of the multi-deck shoe game, where dealer stands on soft 17; those are usually high minimum ($50 or more) tables. This version is much more advantageous to the player, but requires a slightly modified basic strategy table.

Shuffle tracking

There exist techniques other than card counting that can swing the advantage of casino 21 towards the player, at least in theory. (It must be noted, however, that almost all of these techniques are based on the value of the cards to the player and the casino, as originally conceived by Edward O. Thorp.) One such technique, mainly applicable in multi-deck games (aka shoes), involves tracking groups of cards (aka slugs, clumps, packs) during the play of the shoe, following them through the shuffle and then playing and betting accordingly when those cards come into play from the new shoe. This technique, which is admittedly much more difficult than straight card counting and requires excellent eyesight and powers of visual estimation, has the additional benefit of fooling the casino people who are monitoring the player's actions and the count, since the shuffle tracker could be, at times, betting and/or playing opposite to how a straightforward card counter would.

Arnold Snyder's articles in Blackjack Forum magazine were the first to bring Shuffle Tracking to the general public.

Variants

Spanish 21 provides players with many liberal blackjack rules, such as doubling down any number of cards (with the option to 'rescue', or surrender only one wager to the house), payout bonuses for five or more card 21's, 6-7-8 21's, 7-7-7 21's, late surrender, and player blackjacks always winning and player 21's always winning, at the cost of having no 10 cards in the deck (though there are jacks, queens, and kings). With correct basic strategy, a Spanish 21 game has a lower house edge than a comparable blackjack game.

Certain rules changes are employed to create new variant games. These changes, while attracting the novice player, actually increase the house edge in these games. Double Exposure Blackjack is a variant in which the dealer's cards are both face-up. This game increases house edge by paying even-money on blackjacks and players losing ties. Double Attack Blackjack has very liberal blackjack rules and the option of increasing one's wager after seeing the dealer's up card. This game is dealt from a Spanish shoe, and blackjacks only pay even money.

Other casino games with opportunities

Casino games in which a player can get an advantage with sufficiently skilled play and game selection include poker tables, video poker machines, and a few video slot machines. For other games, such as roulette and craps, it can be mathematically proven that no advantageous betting strategies exist (however, experts have claimed that both games are beatable - roulette through the use of "bias tracking" and craps through dice influencing or dice control).