Blackjack rules are easy to learn, and that’s one reason why the game is so popular. You, and quite possibly a number of other players, are betting against the dealer. Note that you are NOT competing with each other, no matter which player gets the best hand. Before you begin, I should remind you that each online casino may and will have slightly differing blackjack rules, so it’s best to consult the help files before you start play – to avoid surprises later. For information on rules like surrender, take a look at my blackjack betting page.
The goal of blackjack is to get a hand value of 21 without going over. The value of your hand in blackjack is determined like so: tens and face cards are 10 points, Aces are 1 or 11, and all other cards are taken at their numerical value. So a Jack and a 2 would make 12. An ace is counted, in terms of blackjack rules only, as 1 or 11 depending on what situation the player is in – remember that getting 21 very often involves an ace – especially on a natural blackjack.
The play proceeds after the deal with the player deciding whether to hit, stand, or double – and where available take the aforementioned options of surrender or buying insurance. By hitting you’re asking for another card to add to your hand. Once you are satisfied you’ve gone as far towards 21 as you can (or hopefully hit the big one!) then you can stand and the dealer will reveal his hand. Should the player and dealer tie, it’s called a push, and all bets are returned.
One quirk of blackjack rules is whether the dealer will hit on a “soft” hand at 17 ( a soft hand is when an Ace is being counted as 11). It’s to your advantage that a dealer stands on soft 17 hands, but like I said, it’s up to the casino to set the rules, so look around for the most favorable ones you can find.