Basic Rules to Blackjack – Don’t play if you don’t know how!

21I get so tired of going out to the casino and sitting down to play a good round of blackjack when a fly by (someone who is not intending to stay and play, they just bet a round or two, which throws the whole table off) or a person with no clue how to play.

If you are going to play Blackjack, learn the basic rules.  First off you are always playing against the dealer, not against anyone at your table, in fact you want to help and support the people at your table, because one great move or one bad move can win or ruin the whole hand for everyone. 

First rule – ALWAYS assume that the dealer’s card that you cannot see is a face card/10 pts. (K,Q,J,10)  The dealer always has to hit on anything below a 17.

Also remember that an A is either a 1 or an 11.  It can be played as soft or hard (soft meaning if you have an A + 6 that is a soft 17, A=11, if you were to hit again and you were to get a 10, then you would have a hard 17, A=1, 6, 10).

If the dealer’s card is lower than a 6 (2-6), and your cards are between a 12-21, stand, DO NOT hit.  The reason why you do not hit, even if you only have 12 points, when the dealer has a 6 (or lower), it means the dealer HAS to hit and chances of him getting a face card, or a card to make him bust are greater than not.  Think about it, in one deck, there are 10, J, Q and K’s that are worth 10 pts each, that’s 12 chances to get a face card/10 pts.  Although, if you have anything lower than a 12, then yes, you should hit, but do stand once you hit 12 or higher.

If the dealer has a 7 or higher (7-A), and you have a 16 or lower, hit.  If the dealer has a 7 or higher (7-A) and you have a 17 or higher, stand. 

Always double down on an 11, unless the dealer has an A.  Always double down on a 10, unless the dealer has an A or a 10.

Those are the most basic rules for Blackjack, and if followed by everyone at the table, your chances of winning are high.

The most common misconception about playing blackjack is that you must always try and get 21, that is not true.  You want to stay in the game, so getting anything between a 17-21 is good, because once again, the dealer must hit on anything below a 17 and must stand on a 17 or higher (they do not have a choice to hit again even if they wanted to).

I would try playing blackjack either on line or with friends first before going out to a casino.  Also if you are new to blackjack, and you do go out to the casino, try the $5 (or lower) tables first, you can always bet higher than $5 (or minimum), but you can never bet lower. 

Here is a cheat sheet for you:

Cheat Sheet