Complete Blackjack Rules
Start with what a turn allows and how the game is won.
- Table
- You and the dealer · six decks
- Dealer
- Stands on every 17, including soft 17
- Blackjack
- An original two-card 21 pays 3:2
What is a soft 17, and does this dealer hit it?
A soft 17 includes an ace counted as 11, such as A + 6. This dealer stands on both soft and hard 17. S17 means stands on soft 17; H17 would mean hitting soft 17.
Can I double after splitting, and how many hands can I have?
Yes, on the first two cards of a split hand when you have enough chips. You can have up to four hands. Split aces are the exception: each gets just one more card, with no further hit, double or resplit.
What does Blackjack insurance mean?
Insurance is a separate bet offered when the dealer shows an ace, costing half your original wager. If the dealer has natural Blackjack, it pays 2:1 profit; otherwise it loses. For a 10-chip original bet, insurance costs 5 and returns 15 including its stake when it wins. Your main hand settles separately.
Does every 21 pay 3:2?
No. Only an original two-card ace plus a ten-value card is natural Blackjack. A 10-chip natural win earns 15 profit and returns 25 including the stake. A 21 after splitting or drawing more cards is an ordinary hand; an ordinary win pays 1:1. Two naturals tie and return the original wager.
- Number cards count at face value; J, Q and K count as 10. An ace counts as 11 when that does not bust the hand, otherwise as 1.
- Deal uses the previous bet, initially 10 chips. Choose bet opens the amount selector. All chips are free and have no cash value.
- Hit adds one card. Stand keeps your total. Going over 21 loses immediately, even if the dealer later busts.
- Double adds an equal wager, gives exactly one more card and ends that hand. It is available on the first two cards, including after a split.
- Split equal-value cards into separate hands with an equal extra wager, up to four hands. Play the highlighted hand first; the next hand receives its second card when its turn begins.
- Split aces receive only one additional card each and cannot be split again. A split-hand 21 is an ordinary win, not a 3:2 Blackjack.
- When the dealer shows an ace, you may decline insurance or pay half your original bet. Insurance returns three times its stake only if the dealer has Blackjack, including the insurance stake.
- The dealer checks for Blackjack before player actions when showing an ace or a ten-value card. Late surrender then returns half your original wager, before hitting, doubling or splitting.
- Ordinary wins return the wager plus an equal win. A tie returns the wager. A natural Blackjack returns the wager plus 1.5 times its value. A dealer Blackjack beats every non-natural 21.
How to Play Blackjack: Your First Game
Use this order of thought to get through a complete game quickly.
- Dismiss the optional invitation to play immediately, or expand Guided introductions at the bottom of the sidebar actions for six short lessons using the real controls. Lessons use a separate table; exiting restores your original cards and chips.
- The gold outline identifies the hand you are currently playing.
- A total marked Soft includes an ace counted as 11; it can fall back to 1 after another card.
- The dealer's displayed total excludes its hidden card until reveal.
- After settlement, Deal starts another round using the previous wager, reduced if your balance is too low. Refill free chips in the sidebar restores the free balance between rounds.
Blackjack Strategy
Move from knowing the rules to playing with a plan.
- Below New session, the sidebar offers Focused practice with six topics, Mistakes & weak spots, and Daily five. Each set uses real table controls and scores decisions rather than hand outcomes.
- First unassisted answers, hints and retries are tracked separately. A review hand needs two independent correct answers in separate runs to leave the queue. Daily hands follow the local calendar date; replaying never replaces the first answers.
- Practice accepts six-deck basic strategy and choices within 2% of the original wager of the model’s best return. This avoids penalizing small approximation differences. Progress stays in this browser; refreshing returns to the normal table and keeps submitted scores.
- Hint recommends the legal action with the highest estimated net return. Why shows the chance of busting on one more card, the win/push/loss chances if you stand, and a comparison of action returns. Estimates use independent draws without tracking card removal, not the exact remaining six-deck shoe. They never read hidden cards and do not guarantee a win.
- Doubling increases the wager but removes the option to draw again: compare the chance of improving with the cost of committing to one final card.
- Surrender returns half the wager immediately. It is a separate alternative to standing, which leaves the full wager exposed to the dealer result.
- Make decisions from your cards and the dealer's exposed card. A strong-looking total can still lose on one round.
- Dealer rules do not change with your balance or recent results. Cards are consumed from one shuffled six-deck shoe until a between-round reshuffle.
Blackjack Winning and Special Rules
Details that are easy to miss but can change the result.
- Your current table is saved locally and restored after refresh, including a hand in progress.
- Six decks, S17, American hole-card checking, doubling after splitting and late surrender are the fixed rules for this table.
- There is no deposit, withdrawal, prize or real-money play; the displayed balance is only for this free practice table.
Common Blackjack Rules Mistakes
The traps new players fall into most often.
- Confusing a split 21 with a natural Blackjack: only an original two-card ace and ten-value card receives the 3:2 bonus.
- Assuming a soft 17 is treated differently by this dealer: it always stands.
- Insurance is a separate wager, not protection against every possible loss.
- The round result shows net change after all wagers, including splits, doubles and insurance.
The Story of Blackjack
Where it came from, and why it turned out this way.
FamilyTwenty-One · player-versus-dealer card games
One number, two risks
The target is familiar: approach 21 without crossing it. Yet standing too early can lose to the dealer, while drawing can lose immediately. Blackjack turns this tension into short, legible decisions.
The ace changes the hand
An ace can count as one or eleven. This makes a soft total fundamentally different from a hard total: another card may change the ace's value instead of busting the hand. The total on this table reflects that change automatically.
Small rules, different decisions
Six decks, a dealer who stands on soft 17, doubling after splitting and late surrender define this particular table. Those details matter when comparing advice or practicing elsewhere; Blackjack is a family of related rules rather than one universal configuration.
A table for unhurried play
A fixed-rule dealer offers a simple opponent. There is no bluffing or negotiation: the interesting choices are yours. Free virtual chips and a locally saved table let you pause, continue and learn the controls without a clock.
- An original ace and ten-value card form Blackjack; the same 21 after a split does not receive the natural bonus.
- A push returns the original wager, so it is neither a win nor a loss.
- The dealer has no difficulty setting: it follows the table's published rules.