Blackjack

About Blackjack

Blackjack is the casino card game of getting closer to 21 than the dealer without going over. This version is played with play chips only: there is no real money, nothing to buy, and a free refill whenever you run out. Turn on the Coach to learn basic strategy as you play.

Also called: 21, twenty-one, pontoon.

How to play Blackjack

1. You start with 1,000 play chips. Tap the chips to build your bet (10 to 1,000), then press Deal.
2. You and the dealer get two cards each. One of the dealer’s cards stays face down until you’ve played.
3. Hit to take another card, or Stand to keep your total. Go over 21 and you bust, losing the bet.
4. Double on your first two cards to double the bet and take exactly one more card. Split a pair (two cards of the same value) into two hands, each with its own bet.
5. When you stand, the dealer turns over the hole card and draws until reaching 17 or more. Beat the dealer’s total, or stay in when the dealer busts, to win.
6. Turn on the Coach to see the basic-strategy play for every hand; the recommended button gets a yellow ring.

Rules

• Six decks are shuffled into a shoe. A cut card (the cherry mark on the shoe) sits about three quarters of the way in; once it comes out, the shoe is reshuffled before the next round.
• Number cards count their value, jacks, queens and kings count 10, and an ace counts 11 or 1, whichever is better. A hand with an ace counted as 11 is “soft”.
• An ace and a ten-value card as your first two cards is a blackjack, and pays 3:2. A blackjack against a dealer blackjack is a push.
• The dealer must draw on 16 or less and stands on every 17, including soft 17.
• With an ace or a ten showing, the dealer checks for blackjack before you play. A dealer blackjack ends the round at once; you only lose your original bet.
• When the dealer shows an ace you may take insurance: a side bet of half your bet that pays 2:1 if the dealer has blackjack.
• You may double down on any first two cards, including after a split.
• Pairs of equal value (a king and a queen count) can be split up to three times, making four hands. Split aces get one card each and can’t be split again, and an ace and a ten after a split counts as 21, not blackjack.
• Wins pay 1:1 and ties (pushes) return your bet. There is no surrender.
• Play chips have no cash value. If you drop below the 10-chip minimum, you get a free refill back to 1,000.

Blackjack tips and strategy

• Stand on 12 to 16 when the dealer shows a 2 to 6 (hit 12 against a 2 or 3): the dealer is the one likely to bust.
• Hit 12 to 16 when the dealer shows 7 or higher. It feels risky, but standing loses more often.
• Always split aces and eights. Never split tens or fives.
• Double 11 against anything but an ace, and 10 against anything but a ten or an ace.
• Skip insurance. Over time it loses money, even when you hold a blackjack.
• Basic strategy can’t beat the house edge, but it shrinks it to about half a percent. The Coach shows you the play for each hand.