The Playing 21 Blackjack Program -- Rules of Blackjack

Rules of Blackjack
“Just The Basics”

Let Me Get This Straight

You place a Bet. The dealer gives you two cards and takes two himself. One of their cards are flipped face up. You make your decisions first, and then they play their hand according to the House Rules. If you are closer to 21 than the dealer, without going over, you win. Quite simple actually!

Why does everyone have a book about this game again? The actual game Blackjack is very simple. It is so simple many young children can play it very well (Before this story breaks in the media, I’ll admit it, I have, on occasion, lost a few chocolate Easter Eggs in the in-house Blackjack game to minors - but that was before the Playing 21 Program).

It is not the rules of the game that are difficult to understand and learn. The hard part is learning how to win. The strategy for the game Blackjack is made up of a few hundred simple decisions. It is knowing all these simple decisions which determines if you will win, and just how many eggs you will end up with.

The Procedure

All players place a bet conforming to the table limits. What other players bet and how they play their hands has no consequence in regular Blackjack, unlike a wild and crazy game like Seven. After all bets are down, the dealer will deal cards to each player in the game, starting with the player on the dealers left (known as 1st base). After all players receive one card, the dealer gives himself one. Each player, as well as the dealer, is then given a second card. The dealer will now flip over one of their cards, revealing it to the table.

The cards have certain values which are talked about in more detail here. The Ace is 1 or 11, Faces 10, and all other cards are their value: 2 is 2, 3 is 3, and so forth.

The player’s cards are dealt face up, unless playing certain variations of the game such as pitch. Players never touch the cards in a face up game. Don’t sweat it, just don’t touch them. Now each player makes a decision about playing his hand. This is what ultimately separates the winners from the losers. This is why everyone but us has a book on the game Blackjack. This is why we have the best Blackjack computer program ever made, the Playing 21 Program.

The player has a number of decisions to make, and actions they can choose. First off, if the dealer flips an Ace, the players are given the option to take Insurance. Insurance is simple, but seems to confuse a lot of newer players. You can read more about Insurance, but as a general rule forget it exists. If you would like to Insure your hand, it requires you to place up to, and usually exactly half of your wager on the “Insurance line” on the table. Two things will now happen. If the dealer has a Blackjack, you will lose your wager, but the insurance pays 2 to 1. If the dealer does not have Blackjack, and mathematically they usually do not, they would take your Insurance bet and the hand goes on. If you had a Blackjack also, you may take Even Money, at which time the dealer would pay you 1:1 on your wager. Speak up and don’t be shy, the dealer is your friend.

If you have a Blackjack in 2 cards (an Ace and a Face Card), and the dealer does not, you win 1 ½ or 3:2 on your wager.

Dealer’s Up Card

Before making a decision about your hand, look at the Dealer’s Up Card. This is where the entire strategy of the game is played. The dealer’s card will affect all the decisions you make. Please take some time to read more about the strategy and the Dealer’s Up Card. In the Playing 21 Program, what we call the entire DNA structure of the game Blackjack is laid out very clearly in the Hand Breakdown vs. Dealer Up Card charts. It is very simple to understand and easy to read.

Lets say you have a 4-5 for 9 and the dealer has a 7. What do you do? Well, look at the Hand Breakdown vs. Dealer Up Card for this hand, a Hard 9 vs. a 7. You can play millions of hands, and each time this hand occurs it is stored for you in this area. You can run tests where you Double Down on this hand, others where you just hit it, or anything else you want to do. You can compare all your results and see for yourself which is the best way to play every single hand. No more taking anyone else’s word for it.

The player’s options on any hand may include Hitting (getting another card), Standing (not taking another card), Splitting (cards of same value may be split, creating two independent hands. Another wager equal to the initial wager for each new hand is put down, up to 4 times), Doubling or Double Down (wagering equal to your wager, and getting one more card only), Double Down for Less (betting anything less than your wager, and getting one card only), Insurance (which we touched on), Even Money (which we also we touched on), and Surrender (automatically giving up half your wager and ending the hand). All these options are allowed in the Playing 21 Program. You can also set up the House Rules to reflect those of your local casino.

If the player hits and busts, goes over 21, he automatically loses. The dealer takes their wager and cards. The player does not have to reach any certain total, and, unlike the dealer, can stand on any hand total they like.

The Dealer’s Play

After all players are finished playing their hands in order, the dealer flips over his hole card. There are 2 general ways the dealer will play out this hand, and both will be marked on the table felt. Most will say, “The Dealer Stands on All 17’s”, as opposed to, “The Dealer Hits Soft 17”(A soft 17 is a hand totaling 17, with an Ace counted as an 11 and not 1, as compared with a Face card or 10, a 6, and an Ace counted as 1 which is a hard hand). In either case, the dealer must continue to draw cards, no matter what the player’s hand totals are, until the dealer reaches a hand total of 17 to 21, depending on if they hit the soft 17.

If the Dealer makes his hand between 17-21, the dealer would now pay any player with a higher totaling hand, and take the wagers of any players with a lower totaling hand. If the players and the dealers total is the same, than this is called a push, and the player keeps their wager.

The Pit Boss

It should be noted that sometimes weird things happen. In most sports there is an official or referee, and in Blackjack there is someone called the Pit Boss. Basically this is like speaking to the manager. The Pit Boss will listen closely to what happened, and pass a fair judgment in the casinos favor. Kidding, just kidding. Just a game we like to play with our good Pit Boss friends. The Pit Bosses are really good, and their decisions are fair. If you don’t want to leave or have security escort you out, it is best to suck up the Pit Bosses decision and move on (Trust me, no names, but the guy with the goatee has got us “Escorted” out of 14 casinos now).

There are a few other things to remember when playing. Casinos are often noisy, so hand signals are almost always required. If you want to hit the hand, you tap the table with your fingers, or make a brushing motion. Standing is a side to side motion with a flat hand, over the cards, as if to say, “Don’t touch”. Doubling and splitting involves placing additional wagers on the table, beside or behind your existing wager, depending on the casino. You may have to verbally tell the dealer if you want to split, and this occurs when you have two cards of the same value; like if your hand was a pair of Fives or Aces.

Player’s can also leave to go to the bathroom and leave their chips on the table. Players can quit and join in at any time, but we always preach that you should have respect for others, and be courteous at all times. Players may choose to sit out hands now and then, to “Change up the Cards” if they desire.

Finally, remember our signature, “I Don’t Play for the Casino”. If you are a Playing 21 Program supporter, and know exactly how to play every single hand there is. Do not take flack from the players who continue to play incorrectly. They are the ones playing WRONG. They are playing right into the casino’s sweaty palms. Say it aloud, “I don’t play for the Casino”. Share our website with them, and help them. The casino is the enemy and as a team we can become stronger. Pass our info on to the players who need help and lets show the casinos one strong voice.