In Blackjack every player plays against the , not against each other. Your cards add up to a total. Finish closer to 21 than the dealer, without going over, and you win your bet.
Play for chips, matches or buttons. The game is just as good.
Use a standard 52-card deck without jokers. One person is the dealer, also called the bank. One to six others play against the dealer.
Give every player the same pile of chips. In this example West, you and East each bet 2 chips a hand, and North deals.
Casinos shuffle several decks together. At home one deck is fine: reshuffle when it runs low.
| 2 to 10 | face value |
| Jack, queen, king | 10 |
| Ace | 1 or 11, whichever suits you |
Suits don’t matter. A hand where the ace counts as 11 is : the ace of diamonds and 6 of spades make a soft 17. One more card can’t bust it, because the ace can drop back to 1.
Before the deal, every player puts out a bet. Then the dealer deals clockwise: two cards face up to each player, and two to the dealer, one face up and one face down.
The dealer shows the 9 of spades. You have the 6 of hearts and 5 of clubs: 11.
Players take their turns one at a time, starting on the dealer’s left. to take another card, as often as you like. to keep your total and end your turn.
East has the 10 of clubs and 2 of diamonds: 12. East hits and gets the 5 of hearts: 17, and stands.
On your first two cards you may : put in a second bet equal to the first, take exactly one more card, and stand.
With 11 you double: 2 more chips, and one card, the 9 of diamonds. You stand on 20.
Eleven loves a double.
If your first two cards have the same rank, you may them into two hands. Put in a second bet equal to the first. Each hand gets its own cards and is played in turn.
West splits two 8s. The first hand gets the 3 of diamonds (11), hits again and draws the king of clubs: 21. West stands.
Split aces usually get just one more card each. An ace and a 10-card after a split counts as 21, not as blackjack.
Go over 21 and you are . You lose your bet at once, even if the dealer busts later.
West’s second hand is the 8 of hearts and 6 of clubs: 14. West hits and draws the queen of diamonds: 24. The dealer takes those 2 chips straight away.
An ace with a 10, jack, queen or king as your first two cards is a , or natural. It beats every other hand, even 21 made with three cards, and pays 3 to 2: bet 2 chips, win 3.
If the dealer has blackjack too, it is a : you keep your bet. A dealer’s blackjack beats every player who doesn’t have one, so many tables have the dealer check the face-down card right after the deal when the face-up card is an ace or a 10-card.
When the dealer shows an ace, some tables offer : an optional side bet of up to half your bet that pays 2 to 1 if the dealer has blackjack.
When all players are done, the dealer turns the face-down card up and follows a fixed rule: hit on 16 or less, stand on 17 or more.
9 of spades and 7 of diamonds: 16, so the dealer must hit. The 2 of clubs makes 18, and the dealer stands. Had the dealer gone bust, every player still in the hand would win.
Soft 17 varies: at some tables the dealer also hits a soft 17, such as ace and 6. Agree before you start.
No choices, no feelings.
| Higher than the dealer | win your bet, 1 to 1 |
| Blackjack | win 3 to 2 |
| Same total | push: keep your bet |
| Lower, or bust | lose your bet |
Against the dealer’s 18: East’s 17 loses 2 chips. Your 20 wins your doubled bet: +4. West’s 21 wins 2 and the busted hand lost 2, so West is even.
Blackjack has no fixed end. Gather the cards, deal the next hand, and take turns being the dealer, for example passing the deal to the left every few hands.
Stop whenever you like and count the chips: the biggest pile wins.
Point at a dot to see why it matters
The dealer must hit on 16 or less and stand on 17 or more. Some tables make the dealer hit a soft 17 (a 17 that counts an ace as 11).
3 to 2: a bet of 2 wins 3. If the dealer also has blackjack, it is a push and you keep your bet.
Either. It counts as 11 unless that would take your hand over 21, then it counts as 1.
Both only on your first two cards. Doubling adds an equal bet for exactly one more card; splitting turns a pair of the same rank into two hands, with a second equal bet.
It is a push: nobody wins and you keep your bet.
The classic
The deck most people picture. Poker size, standard faces, shuffles well. If you buy one deck, make it this.
Lasts for years
Two 100% plastic decks in a hard case. Washable and hard to bend, and a double deck is what Canasta and Spider need.
Easy to read
Extra-large numbers and suits. Readable across the table, for kids learning their first game and grandparents alike.
The British classic
The pack found in British homes for generations. Paper cards with a linen finish that fan and shuffle smoothly.
The gift
A luxury deck with a navy and gold tuck box. The one to give, or to bring out when the good whisky is poured.
The one-player classic: build four piles from ace to king.
1 player · 10 min · 7+Match the pile, play an 8 when stuck, empty your hand first.
2 to 5 players · 15 min · 6+Ask for cards and collect sets of four.
2 to 6 players · 15 min · 4+