Blackjack Rules, Odds, History. The First Rule is to Learn the Rules

The game of Blackjack (or "21" as it is sometimes called) is one of the most popular casino games and fairly easy to play once you know the rules. If you can remember these very simple Blackjack rules, you have a fighting chance of winning - something that the casinos don't give in many games.

In the "Blackjack for Everyone" beginner's section, you need only remember four simple Blackjack rules for hitting or standing to play better than the average player and keep yourself out of trouble.

Contrary to what you may think, the number one Blackjack rule is not to get a card count as close to 21 as possible. The object is to get a card count that is closer to 21 than the dealer's hand, without going over. The goal is to beat the dealer. See the section on Intermediate Strategy for an explanation of how this subtle but important difference should dictate how you play.

The Basic Blackjack Rules

CARD VALUES

Tens and face cards count as 10, aces count as either 1 or 11 (your option), and all other cards have a count equal to their face value.

THE PLAY

Special Note: these Blackjack rules presume the dealer holds the deck of cards when dealing, which is the traditional way that Blackjack is dealt. However, many - if not most - Blackjack games in casinos today are dealt from a "shoe". The Blackjack rules are the same, but how the cards are handled by the dealer and the players is slightly different. This is explained more fully in the Casino Blackjack section.

Each player places their bet in the circle on the table in front of them.

All players play against the dealer, not against one another. The dealer starts out by dealing two cards face down to each player and two cards to himself. The dealer deals his second card face up for all players to see.

After the initial two card deal, the dealer starts with the player on his left, who has the choice of standing (not drawing any more cards) or being dealt additional cards, one at a time. Play continues until that player "stands" (chooses to not take additional cards) or "busts" (gets a card count that totals more than 21).

To indicate you want an additional card, simply brush the bottom of your two cards lightly against the surface of the table. To stand, simply slide your initial two cards underneath your bet, face down. When a player busts, he must turn over his cards and the dealer collects his bet immediately. Play then continues with the next player until all players have completed their turn.

After all players are done, the dealer then turns over his down card and proceeds to draw or stand based on pre-set rules. The Blackjack rules used in some casinos say that the dealer must draw if he has less than 17 and stand if he has more than 17 (with either a soft or hard hand). In a growing number of casinos, the Blackjack rules are that the dealer hit a "soft" 17. Once the dealer reaches a total of 17 - 21, the game is over and you must have a card count higher than the dealer to win. If your count is the same as the dealer count, you tie and keep your bet - this is called a "push". If your count is less than the dealer's count, you lose.

Winning bets are paid even money. If your count ties the dealer, it's a "push" and you neither win nor lose but simply keep your original bet.

THE "BLACKJACK" HAND - AN AUTOMATIC WINNER

The best two card deal you can get is an Ace and a face card or a ten. This is called a "blackjack" and is an automatic winner. You simply turn your two cards over and the dealer will pay you three for two (one and one half times your bet), unless the dealer also has a blackjack and then it's a push - you keep your original bet.

SPECIAL BETS

Blackjack rules allow for three additional betting situations that can arise: "Doubling Down", "Splitting Pairs" and "Insurance."

Doubling Down

Doubling down means you can double your original bet after you receive your first two cards. You do this by turning your first two cards face up and placing another bet right beside your original bet. When you do this, you then receive one - and only one - additional card. If you win, you are paid even money for both bets. If you lose, you lose both bets.

It's important to note that the Blackjack rules used in some casinos will allow you to double down on any two cards, while others only permit it if your two card count is 10 or 11. Be sure to note the rules before you sit down to play.

Splitting Pairs

When you receive any pair on your first two cards, Blackjack rules allow you the option of splitting them into two separate hands and play each one independently. To split a pair, turn them both face up, spread them apart and place an additional bet equal to your original bet on the second card. You then draw additional cards to each hand, one at a time. To indicate you want an additional card, tap the table. When you want to stand, wave your hand, palm down, over your cards. This tells the dealer you don't want any more cards for that hand. You may win both, lose both, or win one and lose one.

Special Note: The Blackjack rules in all cases specify that if you split aces, you are only allowed one additional card for each ace. The dealer will simply deal one additional card face down by each ace and go on to the next player. If either hand is a blackjack, you are paid even money rather than three for two.

If the first card you draw to in either hand results in another pair, you may split that pair also, with an additional bet of course. The one exception is that you cannot re-split aces.

Insurance

Blackjack rules allow for one additional bet that you can make whenever the dealer's up card is an ace, and this is called an "insurance" bet. With an insurance bet, you can wager an additional amount equal to half of your original bet on the "insurance line" on the table whenever the dealer's up card is an ace. If the dealer has a blackjack, you lose your original bet, but your insurance bet is paid at 2 to 1, so you break even. But if the dealer does not have a blackjack, you lost your insurance bet and then play your original hand with your original bet.

However, just because the Blackjack rules allow it doesn't mean you should do it. We're going to make this very easy: never take insurance. It's almost always a bet in favor of the house. The one exception is if you are card counting. If you are a card counter, there are certain conditions under which insurance can be favorable.

Surrender

The "surrender" option means that if you do not like your first two cards, you can surrender them, at a cost of one half of your bet, in order to not play out the remainder of the hand. Not all casinos use Blackjack rules that permit surrender.

"Early surrender" means you can surrender even if the dealer has a blackjack (this rule is so favorable that it is almost never offered anymore). The more common "late surrender" means you can't surrender if the dealer has a blackjack - you automatically lose like always.

The surrender option reduces the house edge slightly and thus is not offered too frequently.

Blackjack Odds

But just how heavily are the Blackjack odds weighed in favor of the house? If you're a smart player, not as great as you might think - and certainly not insurmountable. Let's start with some basic facts about Blackjack odds with the most common Blackjack rules.

The house's advantage - also known as the house edge - comes from the fact that the dealer's hand is played last. All players that bust (go over 21) lose immediately. Then, the dealer plays its hand and if the dealer busts, players that don't bust are paid. The casino makes its profit from the fact that players who bust lose immediately, even if the dealer subsequently busts. Regardless of how favorable the Blackjack rules might be in a particular casino, this one aspect always gives the house an edge.

If you, the player, use the same strategy as the dealer, standing on 17 or higher and hitting on 16 and less, you will bust approximately 29% of the time and the dealer will bust 29% of the time. This would seemingly make the odds even.

Ah, but remember: Blackjack rules say that the dealer wins the bets of all players that bust, even if the dealer busts. This puts the house's edge against you at about 8% or so. However, since you are paid three for two when you get a blackjack dealt to you, so this reduces the house edge down to just under 6%.

If you follow all the Blackjack rules and play perfect basic strategy (explained in our Intermediate Strategy section), which includes doubling down and splitting pairs when indicated, the house edge is reduced to about .5%. This is the best odds you will find in the casino and this is why learning to play the game correctly is so important. Casinos make hundreds of millions of dollars each year on Blackjack simply because so many people do not learn to play correctly.

If you are willing to put in the effort and practice required to become a card counting expert (explained in our Advanced Strategy section), you can even reverse the odds and play with a one percent edge in your favor under certain circumstances. But even without card counting, the Blackjack odds can be extremely low and will give you a fighting chance against the house.

If you don't have much experience playing Blackjack, we recommend that you start with our "Beginners Strategy" section (after learning the Blackjack rules, of course!)and learn how you reduce the house odds to around 1.5% by using just four simple rules.

Good luck, gamble responsibly and always remember that it's just a game - so have fun!

History of Blackjack

Most gambling historians believe Blackjack dates back to the 1700s and first surfaced in French casinos as a spin-off of games such as Chemin de Fer. It was first called "vingt- et-un", which is French for Twenty-and-one. It then became known popularly as "blackjack" because in the original rules a player was paid extra for being dealt an Ace of spades and a Jack of spades. Both cards are black and thus the name Blackjack!

Gambling was legal in the Wild West from about 1850 to 1910, when Nevada - of all places! - outlawed gambling. In an attempt to pull itself out of the Depression, Nevada then did an about face and became the first state to legalize casino gambling. And the rest, as they say, is history. Blackjack was one of the main games offered in casinos and its popularity has grown ever since.

The history of Blackjack took a major change in direction in 1962. This was the year that an unknown IBM computer programmer named Edward O. Thorp published a book titled "Beat the Dealer", which shook the casino industry to its very foundations.

Thorp's book took some earlier works on probability statistics and applied them to the game of Blackjack, to create a method of beating a Blackjack game called "card counting" It became wildly popular, reaching the New York Times bestseller list and sent the casino industry into a panic.

In response, many casinos changed their Blackjack rules to be even more in their favor, to offset the advantage they felt Thorp's book gave to the player. Players quickly figured this out and voted with their pocketbooks - they stopped playing Blackjack. With one of their main cash cows drying up, the casinos quickly relented and changed back to the original Blackjack rules.

After all the panic by the casinos, card counting ended up being much ado about nothing. In fact, Thorp's book actually increased both the business and the profits of the casinos, as thousands of people flooded the blackjack tables, convinced they could "Beat the Dealer" by card counting.

However, when played incorrectly, card counting can be disastrous. Thorp's system was difficult to master and required massive practice to gain even rudimentary proficiency. As a result, most people gave it a superficial effort and, like lambs to the slaughter, sat down at Blackjack tables where they promptly lost at an even greater rate than previously.

Nevertheless, a very small number of card counting experts did take the time and effort to learn and apply card counting and were successful enough that dozens of more books and Blackjack systems were developed and continue to sell well.

Casinos were legalized in New Jersey in 1978 and Blackjack can now be played in about 20 other states in smaller "card room" casinos. In addition, over 90 Native American Indian reservations now operate full blown casinos and Blackjack is as popular there as it is elsewhere.