How to play blackjack
- Add chips to your bet (or type an amount) and press Deal. You and the dealer each get two cards; one of the dealer’s is face down.
- Get closer to 21 than the dealer without going over. Hit to take a card, Stand to stop, Double to double your bet for exactly one more card, or Split a pair into two hands.
- The dealer then draws to 17 or more. Beat the dealer’s total to win your bet back and the same again; a blackjack (an ace and a ten-value card) pays 3 to 2.
Tips for playing better
- Stand on hard 17 and up. The chance of going bust is too high.
- Respect the dealer’s weak cards. When the dealer shows 2 through 6, they’re the most likely to bust, so stand on 12 to 16 more often and double more.
- Always split aces and eights. Two aces make a terrible 12 or two strong starts; two eights make 16, the worst hand, or two decent ones.
- Never split tens or fives. 20 is too good to break up, and a pair of fives is better played as a 10 you can double.
- Double on 11. Against anything but an ace, an 11 is the best hand to double on.
About the game
Blackjack, also called twenty-one, is a card game played against the dealer rather than other players. Number cards count their value, jacks, queens and kings count 10, and aces count 1 or 11. This version uses play chips only and common rules for six-deck games, with a hint button that follows basic strategy, so it suits learning and practice. Your chip count is kept on this device.