Blackjack Game Rules

The goal of blackjack is to beat the dealer's hand without going over 21. If you hand is more than 21 it said to bust. Cards 2 through 10 have a numeric value indicated by the number on that card, and face cards (jack, queen, king) are all worth 10. The value of an Ace is 11 unless this would cause the player to bust, in which case it is worth 1. The plater may take as many cards as he wishes until he stands or busts.

Each player's goal is to beat the dealer by having the higher, unbusted hand. Note that if the player busts they automatically lose the hand, even if the dealer also busts. The player also loses if the dealer's hand is closer to 21 than the player's hand. When both the dealer and the player have exactly the same point value, it is called a "push", and neither player wins the hand. If the player's hand or the dealer's initial two cards add up to exactly 21 it is called blackjack. Blackjack beats any other hand, including any other form of 21, and it pushes the dealers blackjack.

Example of a blackjack game

After the initial bets are placed, the dealer starts by dealing two cards to each player and to himself. One of the dealer's two cards is dealt face up so all the players can see it, while the other is dealt face down. If the dealer's face-up card is an ace or face-card, the dealer checks the face down card to see if they have a blackjack. If the dealer has blackjack, the player loses the investment. If the dealer doesn't have 21 the player can either hit or stand.