Blackjack 247 - How to Play Blackjack

Blackjack is a hugely popular card game that has a history dating back hundreds of years. The earliest incarnation of the game was invented in France way back in the early 1700s, and it has basically gone from strength to strength ever since. Today, you’ll find it played the world over, in casinos, in homes, and, yep, even right here at 247blackjack.com.

If you’re new to the game, then the good news is that blackjack is extremely easy to play. In fact, one of the key reasons why it became so popular in the first place is that anyone can learn to play within a matter of minutes. You might need to spend a little more time studying strategy if you plan on taking on the casinos or otherwise playing for real money, but if you’re just looking to play a few cash-free games, then five minutes is all you need.

On this page, we’ll guide you through everything you need to know about playing blackjack, including the rules, common strategies, and some handy tips for beginners that can increase your chances of success from the first round. Let’s dive in.

Blackjack: The Basics

To begin, let’s run through the basics of blackjack. This game is so common that you’re probably already aware of the fundamentals, but a little refresh never hurt anyone!

The player's goal is to get as close to 21 without going over. While many people can play blackjack at the same, it’s best to think of blackjack as a two-player game: it’s you against the dealer, no one else.

If you get closer to 21 than the dealer without going over, then you’ll win the round — and pick up any winnings if you’ve made a bet. If you go over 21 (called going ‘bust’) or the dealer is closer to 21 than you are (again, without going over), then the dealer will win and you’ll forfeit your betting stake.

Common Blackjack Terms

We’ll go through how to play blackjack in more detail below, but first, let’s outline some common blackjack terms. You’ll see these terms used again and again when you play, including right here at 247blackjack.com, so it’s worthwhile reading them over and committing them to memory.

Blackjack

It’s the name of the game and the name of the best possible hand. If you’ve dealt an ace and a 10 (including face cards), then you’ll have blackjack and automatically win the round.

Bust

Going bust happens when you go over 21. Players that go bust automatically lose the round.

Doubling

After your second card is revealed, you’ll be given the option to ‘Double.’ This will double your wager, and you’ll be assigned one more card. After that card is assigned, your round is over; you won’t have the option to hit. On 247Blackjack, it looks like this — note the ‘Double’ button on the top left hand of the page.

Hard Hand

A starting hand that doesn’t contain an ace is called a hard hand. For example, a 7 and an 8 would be a ‘Hard 15.’

Soft Hand

A soft hand is a starting hand that contains an ace. In blackjack, an ace can be a 1 or an 11, making it a flexible — or ‘soft’ — card.

Hit

When it’s your turn, ‘hitting’ means asking for another card.

Insurance

If the dealer’s up-facing card is an ace, players will be given the ‘insurance’ option. If the dealer gets blackjack (ace + ten), then players who took insurance will receive a payout.

Split

If you’re given two of the same card as your starting hand, you’ll be given the option to split the cards and play two hands. You’ll need to double your wager to split.

Stand

A player ‘stands’ when they’re happy with their cards and don’t want to ‘hit.’ It indicates the end of the player’s turn.

Push

A push is when both the dealer and player end their rounds with the same value. For example, if the dealer and player both have twenty, then it’ll be a ‘push’ result. It indicates a draw and your stake is returned.

How to Play Blackjack

OK, now we’re fully up to date with all the common terms you’ll come across in blackjack, let’s dive into how to actually play the game.

This is a step-by-step guide that incorporates screenshots from a real game on 247blackjack.com.

Step One: Place Your Bets

Unlike in other card games, in blackjack, you bet before you’ve been dealt any cards. At 247Blackjack, you’ll have $2,500 of virtual money to play with. To make your bet, simply click one of the chips. It’s best to start with a low wager in the first few rounds until you’ve got the hang of gameplay.

Step Two: Deal

Once you’ve made your bet, it’ll be time for cards to be dealt. If you’re playing at 247Blackjack, then click the ‘deal’ button that you see above. If you’re playing in a casino, then the dealer will automatically assign your cards. You’ll be given two cards face up. The dealer’s hand will consist of one upfacing card and one downfacing card.

Step Three: Make Your First Decision

In this scenario, your cards are on the left. The dealer’s cards, with one facing down, are on the right. You’ll have three options:

• Double: This will double your stake and give you a single additional card.
• Hit: The dealer will give you another card.
• Stand: You stick with twelve and it becomes the dealer’s turn.

Let’s say you do what most people would elect to do here, which is to hit.

Step Four: The next decision

As you can see from the image above, the next card to come out is a 2, so now you have fourteen. The goal is to beat the dealer by getting as close to 21 as possible without going over. You can see that the dealer has a three and an unnamed card, which would give them a good chance of beating 14.

You could choose to stand here, but it’d be better to hit.

Step Five: Still Playing

You’ve been dealt another two, so now you have sixteen, which is not a great hand. However, you have a chance of beating the dealer. So in this scenario, we’ll elect to ‘stand,’ which signifies that we’re happy with our hand and wish to end our turn. Let’s see what happens.

Step Six: The Dealer Wins

As you can see, the dealer was dealt a 3 and a 7 to go along with their 3 and 6 starting hand, allowing them to reach 19 and win the round.

Happily, blackjack games are fast, so you can get back to playing quickly. At 247blackjack.com, you can begin the next round by clicking anywhere on the screen.

The new game will look like this:

The game has remembered your last bet and automatically made a new wager. If you want to change your stake, simply click on the chip and it’ll return to the pile, allowing you to make a new stake. Once you’re done, hit that ‘deal’ button to begin another round.

If you’re playing a casino, then the dealer will clear away games from the old round and ask players to make their bets. Then they’ll assign two cards to all players and the game will get underway.

Common Blackjack Strategies

It’s fine to play blackjack every now and again just for fun, but if you’re planning to play in any way semi-regularly or have ambitions of winning as many hands as you can, then you’ll need to know some blackjack strategies.

Blackjack strategies help players to maximize their chances of winning. Though it might not seem like it at first glance, the dealer has a pretty big advantage — you’ll be playing your hand without knowing what they’ll have. You’ll take chances that you otherwise wouldn’t if the dealer had already ended their hand. For example, you might feel the need to hit on 17. The dealer wouldn’t feel that need if you’d stood on 16; they would already have won.

There’s no winning formula that’ll have you winning every blackjack hand. The house will always have the edge. Strategy will help to limit that edge.

Below, we’ll run through some of the most common blackjack strategies that all players should know. Read them, memorize them, use them.

Splitting 8s and Aces

You’ll have the option to split a hand when you’re dealt two of the same card. With this, you’ll double your stake, and play two hands in a single round. As we’ll see below, some cards aren’t worth splitting.

But 8s and aces are. Splitting aces is a no-brainer as it’ll give you twice the chance of landing blackjack.

Splitting 8s is logical because a hard 16 is one of the worst hands in the game. Once they’re split, you can ‘hit’ knowing that you won’t go bust with the first card.

Don’t Split 10s

It can be tempting to split tens, since a ten is a pretty good starting card. You might land another 10 and a 9 on your two hands, which would give you a good chance of winning big.

But you might also land a 4 and a 5. Two tens means you’ve got twenty, which will give you a big chance of winning the round. This strategy actually speaks to a pretty big golden blackjack rule: don’t get greedy!

Don’t Split 5s

It’s also not recommended to split 5s. Put together, you’ve got 10, which is a good starting base. Receiving a 7 or higher when you hit will put you in frame to win the hand. On the other hand, if you split them, then you’ve got two poor starting points. If you hit on a 5 and get an 8 - ace card, then you’ll be in the no man’s land of blackjack, making victory unlikely.

Hit on Hard 16

Hitting on a hard 16 (remember: ‘hard’ hands are when there’s no ace involved) isn’t risky. It’s risky not to hit. Players tend to stick on 16 because they’re sure they’ll go bust. That’s a possibility, but it’s less of a possibility than the chance of the dealer getting more than 16. Hitting is a hail-mary move that can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Stand By Anything 17 or Over

First up, a note: standing on 17 isn’t universally recommended, and it’s certainly not exciting. However, it’s usually the best option because there’s a high risk of going bust. So stand on it, and hope for the best.

Once you get to 18 and higher, standing is a no-brainer. All of those values have a reasonable chance of winning, and when you get to 20 it’s more likely than not that you’ll win.

Assume Unseen Cards Are a 10

There are a lot of ten cards in blackjack. As such, you can assume that any downward-facing card is a ten. If the dealer’s upward-facing card is a 9, then assume they have nineteen. This, of course, isn’t a hard-and-fast rule, but it’s a good thing to keep in mind.

Bottom Line: Hit When You Need to Punt; Stand when the Dealer is Weak

You’ll get a feel for what you need to do after you’ve played blackjack for a while. In the early days, it’s best to be aggressive when you need to be, and to stand when you don’t need to be. If the dealer’s starting card is a 5 or 6, then you’ll be more likely to win with 17 than if they begin with an ace.

If they have an ace starting card, then it’s usually worthwhile taking a few more risks.

Betting on Blackjack

The above strategies are recommended whenever and wherever you’re playing blackjack. Whether it’s in the casino, online, or with friends, they’ll serve you well.

Now let’s think about some blackjack betting strategies. These are handy if you’re planning to gamble with real money at a casino, or if you just want to see your virtual stack of cash grow at 247blackjack.com.

Let’s take a look at the most common blackjack betting approaches. A word of warning, however: none of these strategies are perfect, and they should replace commonsense.

Martingale Strategy

The martingale strategy aims to make up for losses by doubling the amount of subsequent bets. For example, let’s say you bet a $100 chip on a round of blackjack at blackjack247. If you lose, then your next bet will be $200. If that loses, then you’ll bet $400. If that loses, then it’ll be $800.

The martingale strategy is a good way to win back money…but only if you win. Plus, this approach only works if you have plenty of cash to play with.

Winning Streak Strategy

The winning streak strategy is just what it sounds like. When you’re on a hot streak, you increase the value of your bets. Using the example from above, let’s say you’ve bet $100 on a game of blackjack. If you win, then the next bet could be $200. If that comes in, then you may wager $300.

This is a good way to take advantage of the stars being in your favor. However, remember that winning streaks always come to an end, so it’s best to have an end-point. For example, you may increase the bet three times before stopping.

Counting Cards

Even people who’ve never played blackjack before know about counting cards, the sophisticated way to beat the house. It’s a myth that counting cards is illegal, though casinos certainly don’t like it and you’ll probably be asked to leave.

It also won’t work online, since cards are assigned using a random number generator, rather than from a deck of cards.

Some experts say it’s not even a good strategy, since it requires a lot of work and only slightly moves the needle in your favor.

Blackjack Tips for Beginners

As we said above: blackjack is pretty straightforward to pick up. The best way to learn is by playing. You can quickly play a game at 247blackjack.com, and since there’s no real money involved, you can practice without fear of what it’s doing to your bank account.

Here are a couple of tips to get you moving in the right direction.

Read Up On Common Strategies

We’ve outlined some of the common blackjack strategies above. Commit them to memory so that they’re second nature, and trust that they’ll serve you well.

Play Regularly

The more you play, the better you’ll understand the game — and the more likely it is that you’ll win.

Keep Your Cool

Blackjack is a rational game, not an emotional one. It can be frustrating to lose and celebratory to win, but don’t let them go to your head! Calm players think clearly and make the right decision.

Conclusion

There we have it! If you’re ready to put what you’ve learned into practice, then be sure to swing by 247blackjack.com and see how well you perform.

• Never play the Insurance button, it is a a loser's bet.
• Almost always hit until you reach seventeen, especially if the dealer has a seven or higher.
• If the Blackjack dealer has a four, five or six, don't take any chances! They're most likely to bust. Double your hand in these circumstances if you surely won't bust.
• Turn on the advice in the bottom right corner for tips just like these!

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