21

Get your hand total closer to 21 than the dealer without going over. Face cards (J, Q, K) count as 10. Aces count as 11 or 1, whichever is better for you.

If you go over 21, you “bust” and lose the hand, regardless of what the dealer does.

2–10 are worth their face value. J / Q / K are all worth 10. A(Ace) is 11 if that doesn't bust you, otherwise 1.

A hand containing an Ace that could be 11 is called a soft hand — e.g. A + 6 is a soft 17.

Everyone places a bet. The dealer then deals two cards face-up to each player, and one face-up + one face-down to themselves (the face-down card is called the hole card).

If your two cards total exactly 21, that's Blackjack — you're paid 3 : 2 (150 %) unless the dealer also has blackjack, which is a push.

On your turn you choose one action at a time. Double, Split, and Surrenderare only available on your very first action — once you've taken a hit, you can only Hit or Stand.

Pressing the shortcut key on your keyboard also fires the action when it's your turn.

If your first two cards have the same value (e.g. 8-8, 10-J, or A-A) you can Split: each card starts a new hand, each with its own bet equal to the original.

You play Hand 1 first (hit / stand / double as usual), then Hand 2. Each hand is settled against the dealer separately.

Ace rule: split Aces get exactly one more card each and auto-stand. A resulting 21 is a standard win (1 : 1), not a blackjack.

After every player has finished, the dealer flips their hole card and draws until reaching 17 or more. In our rules the dealer stands on soft 17.

If the dealer busts, every remaining hand wins.

When the dealer's up-card is an Ace you're offered Insurance: a side bet that the hidden card is worth 10 (giving the dealer a natural Blackjack).

It costs half your main bet and pays 2 : 1if you win, zero otherwise. Over time insurance loses money, so skip it unless you're card-counting.

All bets resolve at the end of a hand. A player blackjack vs a non- blackjack dealer is the best result — 3 : 2. Any other 21 is a regular win.

A push returns your bet untouched. It happens when you tie the dealer on any total from 17 to 21.

• Always split Aces and 8s.Always stand on 10-10 — it's already a monster hand.
• Never take insurance.In the long run it's a worse bet than the main game.
• Stand on hard 17 or higher.Hit soft 17 or less (A + 6 is safe — you can't bust on the next card).
• Against a dealer showing 2–6, lean toward standing early. Against 7–A, you generally need to reach 17+.
• Chips reset each session, so experiment freely — splitting and doubling are the fastest way to learn their feel.