How to play blackjack

What is blackjack?

Blackjack is a classic casino game that you can enjoy right here at partypoker. You’ll be taking on the dealer and trying to collect a hand with a value of as close to 21 as possible. Don’t go over, though, or you’ll ‘bust.’ Sounds easy? It is, and that’s the beauty of blackjack.

Blackjack rules

The rules of Blackjack are easy to learn.
Your hand value is the total of all the cards you’re holding. Cards 2 to 10 are valued as indicated, face cards are all worth 10 and aces can either be 1 or 11, whichever benefits you the most.

The game starts with you making a bet. Then, you’ll be dealt two cards face up. From here you’ve got a few options:

If you want another card to try and get you closer to 21, you ‘Hit’
To stick with what you’ve got, you ‘Stand’
To receive just one more card and double your bet, hit ‘Double’
To split a pair, opt for ‘Split’ and get a card on each of your split cards. You can then ‘Hit’ or ‘Stand’ as you want on each

If you’re dealt an ace and 10 as your first two cards, that’s blackjack. This is an automatic win for you unless the dealer gets the same. If this happens, it’s called a push and no one wins.

We’ve got 4 types of blackjack for you to enjoy – single player, single player multi-hand, multi-player multi-hand and mini blackjack.

That’s the basics. If you want to know all the ins and outs you can find them below but the best way to learn is to just give it a go.

Game information

The game is available only in 'real money' mode
There is a minimum and a maximum bet. The maximum bet applies for the initial bet of the game
Eight decks are used and each deck has 52 cards
The deck is shuffled after 10% of the cards in the decks are used
The dealer draws a card on soft 17
Three maximum splits are allowed
The number of cards dealt to the dealer or the player is limited only by choice (by clicking on 'Stand') or by going bust
If the dealer has a 10, jack, queen or king as the up card, it is possible he has a blackjack. In this instance, the player's hand will lose except with another blackjack. The dealer will check whether a blackjack is possible and will collect the losing bet immediately if he does have a blackjack

How to play on the client

Open a blackjack table by selecting the blackjack button in the lobby or by selecting the blackjack button on any of the poker tables
Your chips are stacked at the right side of the table window
• Select the amount you want to wager on a given hand by clicking on the chip of that denomination. Likewise, you can decrease the amount wagered by clicking on the 'Bet' stack
• Once the wager is placed, click on the 'Deal' button. The 'Deal' button will be activated only if a bet amount equal to or more than the minimum bet amount has been wagered
• The dealer deals two cards face up to you and deals two cards to himself. The first is dealt face up and the other face down
• Depending on the strength of your (the player's) cards, you can choose one of several options: 'Hit', 'Stand', 'Double', 'Split', or 'Surrender'. These are decided as per game rules
• Dealer checks for blackjack before you draw your third card
• The 'Insurance' option is offered to the player in case the dealer has an ace as his first card
Once you/the dealer stands or busts, the results are displayed just above the 'Deal' button
To continue the game with the same bet, click on 'Repeat bet' button
To clear the game and place a new bet, click on 'Clear'
To place a new bet, click on the desired chip denomination
Your current game balance is displayed in the bottom right-hand corner
Click on 'Rebuy' to transfer a complete or partial amount. Check the appropriate radio button and enter the desired amount
If you have exhausted all your available balance and have no funds remaining, click on 'Rebuy' followed by the '$' button to add more funds to your real money account
Click on 'Rules' to view the game rules
Click on 'Game logs' to view the logs of previously played games
Click on 'Exit Game' to stop playing

Game options

Stand
Click on the stand button to keep your hand at its current value. If you are satisfied with your hand, you may choose to stand at any time. Click 'Stand' and when the dealer completes his or her hand, the hands will be compared.
Hit
To be dealt another card, click on 'Hit'. You may continue to deal cards to your hand until you either stand or go bust.
Double Down
After you are dealt your first two cards (any value), you will see the option to 'Double Down' appear. Once this option is selected, the bet amount is automatically doubled and you will be dealt one more card. The hand will auto-stand after this card.

Doubling down is also provided as an option after splitting. However, if your account balance is not sufficient for the additional bet, the double down option will not be offered.

In the event that you lose the bet, you will forfeit the entire bet amount – the initial bet and the additional amount placed for the double down option.
Split
If you have two cards of the same value (eg, a pair of sevens, 10s, or a king and a jack and so on), you can click 'Split' to divide the cards into two hands. This option is also available in the event that you are dealt a pair of aces as your first two cards. Once this option is selected, an additional bet, equal to your original bet, is automatically placed.

If the hand qualifies for split but your account balance is insufficient for the additional bet, the split option will not be offered.

You may draw as many cards as you wish on each split hand, with the exception of splitting on aces. If aces are split, only one card will be dealt to each ace. If a 10-value card is dealt to either ace, the hand is counted as 21, not blackjack.

How to play the split option

When the split option is clicked, the cards are divided into two hands and one more card is dealt to each of the hands. An arrow pointing to a hand indicates that it is active.

Click on Hit/Stand or other offered options, depending on your hand
Once the first hand is decided, the arrow moves to the second hand
Click on Hit/Stand or the other offered options, depending on your hand

Insurance

Insurance gives you a chance to protect yourself if you believe the dealer might have blackjack. If the dealer's first card (open card) is an ace, you can choose to insure your hands against the dealer's blackjack by clicking on 'Insurance'. Insurance costs 50% of the bet amount and is in addition to your initial bet. Once you opt for Insurance, the additional bet is automatically placed.

If the dealer has a blackjack, the insurance bet pays 2:1 and you will lose the initial bet. In the event of the dealer not having a blackjack, you lose the insured bet and the game continues for the initial bet amount. Insurance is not offered to the player if the player blackjacks.

If the hand qualifies for insurance but your account balance is insufficient for the additional bet, the insurance option will not be offered.

Surrender

As your point total is announced, you may select to discontinue play of your hand for that round and surrender only one-half of your wager. You have the option to surrender on the first two cards. This decision must be made prior to indicating whether you wish to double down, split pairs, stand and/or hit. The surrender option is not offered if the dealer has blackjack.

Click on 'Surrender' to surrender your cards. Surrender is allowed and half of the bet forfeited after the dealer has checked for a blackjack (a two-card count of 21). If the dealer's second card does not result in a blackjack, one-half of your wager will be returned. The game is completed after the dealer has checked for a blackjack.

Types of wins

Win type	Description	Payoff
Blackjack	A Blackjack, or natural, has a total of 21 in your first two cards. A Blackjack is therefore an ace and any 10-valued card, with the additional requirement that these must be your first two cards. If you split a pair of Aces, for example, and then draw a 10-valued card on one of the Aces, this is not a Blackjack but rather a total of 21. A player Blackjack beats any dealer total other than a dealer's Blackjack, including a dealer's regular 21.	1.5 to 1
Normal win	Player's total is greater than dealer's but less than or equal to 21	1 to 1
Push	Total of both dealer and player hands are the same.	Even
Insurance	Offered on the dealer's ace to insure the player's hands against the dealer's Blackjack. Costs 50% of the bet amount in addition to the initial bet placed by the player.	If the dealer gets a Blackjack, the insurance bet pays 2:1. Player loses the initial bet. If dealer does not get a Blackjack, player loses the insured bet and the game continues for the initial bet amount.
Surrender	Allowed only on the first two cards. Player can select to discontinue play of their hand for that round and surrender.	If the dealer’s second card does not result in a Blackjack, then one-half of the player's wager will be returned.

The theoretical return to player of this game is 98.70%.

How to play poker