How much each card is worth in blackjack

The dealer's decisions, then, are automatic on all plays, whereas the player always has the option of taking one or more cards. When a player's turn comes, they can say "Hit" or can signal for a card by scratching the table with a finger or two in a motion toward themselves, or they can wave their hand in the same motion that would say to someone "Come here!

If a player's first two cards are of the same denomination, such as two jacks or two sixes, they may choose to treat them as two separate hands when their turn comes around. The amount of the original bet then goes on one of the cards, and an equal amount must be placed as a bet on the other card.

The player first plays the hand to their left by standing or hitting one or more times; only then is the hand to the right played. The two hands are thus treated separately, and the dealer settles with each on its own merits.

With a pair of aces, the player is given one card for each ace and may not draw again. Also, if a ten-card is dealt to one of these aces, the payoff is equal to the bet not one and one-half to one, as with a blackjack at any other time. Another option open to the player is doubling their bet when the original two cards dealt total 9, 10, or When the player's turn comes, they place a bet equal to the original bet, and the dealer gives the player just one card, which is placed face down and is not turned up until the bets are settled at the end of the hand.

With two fives, the player may split a pair, double down, or just play the hand in the regular way. Note that the dealer does not have the option of splitting or doubling down. When the dealer's face-up card is an ace, any of the players may make a side bet of up to half the original bet that the dealer's face-down card is a ten-card, and thus a blackjack for the house.

Once all such side bets are placed, the dealer looks at the hole card. If it is a ten-card, it is turned up, and those players who have made the insurance bet win and are paid double the amount of their half-bet - a 2 to 1 payoff.

When a blackjack occurs for the dealer, of course, the hand is over, and the players' main bets are collected - unless a player also has blackjack, in which case it is a stand-off. Insurance is invariably not a good proposition for the player, unless they are quite sure that there are an unusually high number of ten-cards still left undealt. A bet once paid and collected is never returned. Thus, one key advantage to the dealer is that the player goes first.

If the player goes bust, they have already lost their wager, even if the dealer goes bust as well. If the dealer goes over 21, the dealer pays each player who has stood the amount of that player's bet.

If the dealer stands at 21 or less, the dealer pays the bet of any player having a higher total not exceeding 21 and collects the bet of any player having a lower total.

If there is a stand-off a player having the same total as the dealer , no chips are paid out or collected. When each player's bet is settled, the dealer gathers in that player's cards and places them face up at the side against a clear plastic L-shaped shield.

The dealer continues to deal from the shoe until coming to the plastic insert card, which indicates that it is time to reshuffle. Once that round of play is over, the dealer shuffles all the cards, prepares them for the cut, places the cards in the shoe, and the game continues. Winning tactics in Blackjack require that the player play each hand in the optimum way, and such strategy always takes into account what the dealer's upcard is. When the dealer's upcard is a good one, a 7, 8, 9, card, or ace for example, the player should not stop drawing until a total of 17 or more is reached.

When the dealer's upcard is a poor one, 4, 5, or 6, the player should stop drawing as soon as he gets a total of 12 or higher. The strategy here is never to take a card if there is any chance of going bust. The desire with this poor holding is to let the dealer hit and hopefully go over Finally, when the dealer's up card is a fair one, 2 or 3, the player should stop with a total of 13 or higher.

With a soft hand, the general strategy is to keep hitting until a total of at least 18 is reached. Thus, with an ace and a six 7 or 17 , the player would not stop at 17, but would hit. The basic strategy for doubling down is as follows: With a total of 11, the player should always double down.

With a total of 10, he should double down unless the dealer shows a ten-card or an ace. With a total of 9, the player should double down only if the dealer's card is fair or poor 2 through 6. For splitting, the player should always split a pair of aces or 8s; identical ten-cards should not be split, and neither should a pair of 5s, since two 5s are a total of 10, which can be used more effectively in doubling down.

A pair of 4s should not be split either, as a total of 8 is a good number to draw to. Generally, 2s, 3s, or 7s can be split unless the dealer has an 8, 9, ten-card, or ace. Finally, 6s should not be split unless the dealer's card is poor 2 through 6. I live in a senior living community. Bingo and card games are the most popular activities played here. Frequently arguments happen over the rules of card games.

I am very happy that I found your website on-line. It really is an outstanding website. That means it's always more likely that the next card to be revealed will be a 10 than anything else. With this in mind, you can second guess what might happen if you were to take another card — all with half an eye on what you now suspect the dealer's total will be, based on his upcard.

Let's take an example. You are dealt a 5 and 4, making a total 9. You will automatically take another card here because you cannot go over 21 and bust. But before you do, take note of the dealer's upcard. If he has a weak card like 5, it's probable his second card is a 10, giving him a total of He would then have to take another card, which would likely cause him to bust.

So, as you have 9 and can't bust, you can elect to double down , thereby doubling your initial bet, before taking your next card. Now you have twice as much money on the table in a scenario where you expect to finish with a strong hand, while the chances of the dealer busting are high. You can use this basic blackjack strategy in other ways. Let's say the dealer has a poor 5 upcard again. This time you are dealt a 10 and 4, giving You could risk taking another card and hope it is a 7 or less.

But why risk it when the dealer is weak and looks like he may go on to bust? Other player advantages will be explained below:.

This Blackjack rule developed in the early part of last century defines a bonus for which the game was named. If the player's first two cards add to 21 an Ace and a ten value card , this is called a "Blackjack" or "natural".

As long as the dealer does not also have a Blackjack, the player is guaranteed to win the hand and the payoff is instead of the normal This is a valuable bonus that occurs about every 20 hands. If the dealer also has a Blackjack, the hand is "pushed". That is, there is a tie and the player's chips remain in the bet box. Hitting refers to drawing additional cards. You may draw as many cards as you wish as long as you do not pass Standing refers to staying with the cards that you have.

If your first two cards have the same value, you may split them into two hands. For example, two eights can be split into two hands each having one eight. You can then play the two hands separately. You must add an additional bet for the second hand.

If you draw yet another card of the same value, some casinos allow you to split into three hands or even four with an additional eight. This is called a resplit. Most casinos impose limitations when splitting two Aces. You can only draw one card to each Ace, and you cannot get a Blackjack. Note: Blackjack rules like this must be correctly used to obtain decent results.

An additional option, "double down", allows you to double your bet on your first two cards. You draw exactly one card with double down. This is common practice if you have a good hand that cannot be busted and the dealer has a bad hand. Remember, because face cards all count as ten, there exist more cards with a value of ten than any other value. If the dealer has a six showing, there is a good chance that the dealer has a Since a dealer must draw with a 16, there is a good chance that the dealer will draw a card that carries the dealer hand over 21 causing a dealer bust.

If you have an eleven say a seven and a four , you cannot bust with one card. You are likely to end up with a good hand. This option allows you to double your bet when you have a better than even chance of winning. If the dealer's up card the card that is showing is an Ace, you are allowed to make an "insurance" bet.