The Playing 21 Blackjack Program -- The Dealer’s Rules

The Dealer’s Rules
“Exposing The Rules and One Pit Boss”

As Simple As

One part of the game that the player has no say in is how the dealer plays their hand. It is a process they know all to well. Maybe the most fascinating part of it can be found in the Dealer Hand Summary (Example below) in the Playing 21 Program, which shows how often the dealer makes each hand, including busts for each starting up card. It is very interesting and helps you understand the game so much better, like knowing that when the dealer starts with a four as their up card, how often they make a 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, and bust. Although this is powerful information, this isn’t even why it is the best Blackjack program ever made!

Much happens in the process of the dealer arriving at his final hand. The process we are about to discuss is a cycle that continues over and over as the game is played. You will get used to it in a hurry, and if you ever have any questions, the dealer is a great asset. Just politely ask them anything you forget, or don’t know.

The first thing that occurs is that all players make their wagers. When the dealer starts to deal, the players cannot alter their wagers or add in a new hand. This is not allowed. Starting with the position referred to as 1st Base , which is to the dealer’s left, the dealer places one card, face up, in front of each wager in the game, as well as one to himself. The dealer does a second pass so everyone now has two cards. One of the dealer’s cards will be flipped face up, one will be down (there are different variations of the game Blackjack, most can be found here). The dealer’s exposed card is referred to as the Up Card, while the other card is the Hole Card. The Dealers Up Card is the most important card in the game Blackjack, and you must know how to play every hand you receive based upon that Up Card. In the Playing 21 Program, the Hand Breakdown vs. Dealer’s Up Card shows you how to play every starting hand combination you receive against any Dealer Up Card. When you receive a 7-7, and the dealer flips up a 7, how do you play this hand? What is the optimal way to play it?

Let’s assume that everyone has two cards. Starting again at 1st Base and moving around the table, the dealer allows each player to play out his hand. Players have many options on playing hands found here and in the links above. It should be noted that unless expressly specified in certain variations, the players never touch the cards, but use hand signals for playing their hands.

Finally it is now the dealer’s turn to play his hand. The only HOUSE rule on how the dealer plays their hand will vary from casino to casino and is clearly marked on the table felt. You will read one of two things; “The Dealer Stands on all 17’s”. Less common is, “The Dealer Hits all Soft 17’s”. This means pretty much what it says. Basically, the dealer turns over his hole card, and counts his hand. If it totals less than 17, he takes another card, until he has reached a total of 17 or more, at which time he stops taking cards. If the dealer hits the Soft 17, he does just that, and does not stay on this hand, but takes another card. The Playing 21 Program allows you to set up the House Rules, including whether or not the dealer will hit or stand on a soft 17.

The dealer hits until they receive 17 or more. Hopefully for us, it is a lot, lot more, and they have a hand totaling over 21. This means the dealer has busted, and we like dealers with busts. If the dealer busted, or went over 21, they would pay all winning wagers even money, and natural Blackjacks 3 to 2. Of course you must note the players had to play their hands first, and if they bust first, the dealer would have taken their money, and those players lost, even if the dealer busted later in that same round. This is why knowing how to play every hand as shown in the Hand Breakdown vs. Dealer Up Card is crucial.

If the dealer has a total between 17 and 21, they would now determine if they have a better hand (closer to 21) than each player. Any player with a hand beating the dealer would win, and any player with a hand totaling less than that of the dealer would lose. If a player hand has the same point total as the dealer’s hand, this is called a push, and the player neither wins nor loses. There are some very enjoyable Blackjack variations, such as No Push 21, where all pushes are simply decided by the best poker hand, resulting in action on every hand.

The dealer would collect all the cards, players wager again, and the cycle starts all over.

Blackjacks and Peeking

If the Dealer’s Up Card is an Ace, we hope for your sake you were in the washroom this hand, or at the very least, have a smaller bet up. This is the most powerful card the dealer can start with. If at this time you have a natural two-card Blackjack yourself, you are in good shape. Everyone will be asked for Insurance, at which time you may take an automatic win, or Even Money as it is called. The Playing 21 Program will show you precisely how to react and win the most in these situations. Insuring consists of usually placing half your wager on the insurance line on the table, which is in front of your bet. If the dealer has a Blackjack (in this case, a face card in the hole), they would take your losing wager, and pay any insurance bets 2 to 1. If the dealer did not have a face in the hole, they take all insurance bets and continue on with the hand.

If the dealer starts with a face card, that is another bad thing for the player. (Proven in the Hand Breakdown vs. Dealer Up Card in the Playing 21 Program.) Of course you know this if you have played before. The dealer kicks ass when they start with strong cards like a face card. Some casinos will peek at the hole card if they flip a face as his up card. With technology this can be as simple as sliding the hole card into a device on the table allowing the dealer to see the hole card. No Insurance is offered if a face card is up, but if an Ace is in the hole, the hand would end and the dealer would take all losing bets, and push all natural Blackjacks.

If the dealer does not peek at the hole card, (and you can set up the Playing 21 Program either way), and has a face under their Ace when they flip it over, all players will lose, except players with a natural Blackjack who would push. In this situation, players who have placed extra wagers on the table, for splitting and doubling down, only lose their initial wager.

If by chance the dealer or player does something out of the ordinary, or any mistakes are made, the Pit Boss is the third party; the judge and jury if you will. Don’t think the Pit Bull, I mean Pit Boss is a bad person. They are usually fair (Unless you just bought postage stamps in a machine not 25 feet from the Blackjack table and you were given U.S. one dollar coins as change for your $20 bill in the machine’s coin dispenser and then you try and use these very coins you just received in the casino, from the casino, at the Blackjack table at the bird that stands on one leg and the idiotic Pit Boss who is working looks like Bugsy and refuses to accept these coins in the most moronic display of lack-of-common-sense I have ever seen. If you are not sure what Bugsy looks like, just take a look at the $5 chips the next time you’re there. If your Pit Boss looks confused and like he doesn’t really belong there, tell him the “Playing 21 Boys” said Hi. Hey, clearly I am over it!).