Learn it like a dealer

Blackjack rules,
dealt plainly.

Every rule of the game of 21, explained at the table instead of in a wall of text. Walk through the interactive tutorial, earn Table Credits as you learn, and practice on the free simulator before you ever risk a chip.

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Folk-art crowned queen holding a pair of club playing cards over her face

Folk-art woman fanning a hand of playing cards

Pull up a chair

The table, step by step

Eight short steps around a real layout. Each step you visit earns 10 Table Credits.

Shoe

Dealer

Your seat

A♦1 / 11

K♣10

7♥7

10♠

8♣

3♦

A♥

6♠

K♦

Step 1 of 8

The goal

The goal. Blackjack is you against the dealer. The aim is a hand worth more than the dealer's without going over 21. Go over and you bust, and the hand is lost no matter what the dealer holds.

Card values. Number cards count their face value. Jacks, Queens and Kings all count 10. The Ace is special: it counts 1 or 11, whichever helps your hand more.

Place your bet. Every hand starts with a bet in the betting circle. Once the first card leaves the shoe, the bet stays put until the hand is decided.

The deal. You get two cards face up. The dealer takes one card face up and one face down, the hole card. When the dealer shows an Ace, the table offers insurance: a side bet that the hole card makes a blackjack.

Hit or stand. Now the decisions start. Hit takes another card, and you can keep hitting until you stand or bust. Stand keeps the hand as it is. Here the 3 brings the hand to 21.

Double and split. On your first two cards you can double: one extra bet, exactly one more card. Holding a pair? You can split it into two separate hands, each with its own bet.

The dealer plays. The dealer flips the hole card and has no choices to make: draw on 16 or less, stand on 17 or more. Here the 6 forces a draw, and the King makes 17, so the dealer stops.

Payouts. Beat the dealer and a win pays even money. A natural blackjack, an Ace with a ten-value card, pays 3 to 2. Tie the dealer and the hand is a push: your bet comes back.

Your seat at the table

Climb from Novice to Ace

0 Table Credits

Finish tutorial steps and pass the quiz at the end of each guide to collect Table Credits. Reach the Ace rank and you have covered every rule that matters at a real table. In a hurry? All six quizzes live on one page too.

Take the quizzes

Novice 0+ credits
Jack 40+ credits
Queen 90+ credits
King 150+ credits
Ace 220+ credits

The house rules

Every decision, one guide each

Card values

What every card is worth and why the Ace counts twice.

Read the guide

How to play

A full first hand, from buying chips to the payout.

Read the guide

Doubling down

One extra bet, one card, and when the move pays off.

Read the guide

Splitting hands

Turn a pair into two hands without gifting the house.

Read the guide

Insurance

The side bet the table offers and what it really costs.

Read the guide

Surrender

Fold a bad hand for half the bet, where the rule exists.

Read the guide

Go deeper, one rule at a time

Every table decision has its own dedicated guide.

Card values Splitting hands Doubling down Insurance Surrender Doubling after a split Single deck rules Multi-hand blackjack Soft vs hard hands Five-Card Charlie Terminology How to play

Read the complete rulebook

Practice makes payouts

Two free tables, zero risk

Reading rules is half the game. The other half is repetitions, and both practice tables cost nothing and need no account.

Blackjack simulator A real dealer demo table. Play full hands exactly as the casino deals them. Blackjack AI helper Play with a coach: live strategy advice and bust probabilities on every hand.

Fresh off the felt

Latest guides and articles

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Blog Jan 15, 2026

Think you know the game?

Six quick quizzes cover every rule that matters: splitting, doubling, insurance, surrender and more. Perfect rounds bank up to 190 Table Credits toward your Ace rank.

Take the blackjack quizzes

Blackjack rules,
dealt plainly.