Blackjack with a strategy hint

In Blackjack every player plays against the dealer, not against each other. You want a hand closer to 21 than the dealer's without going over. Playcards uses play chips only — there is no money involved, and the chips have no value outside the game.

Start at the table

1. Open the Blackjack tab.
2. Choose Against the computer. You can play alone or add up to four more seats, people or computer players.
3. Press Deal the cards. Everybody starts with 1,000 chips.

Bet and play

1. Choose your bet under Your bet: — between 10 and 500 chips.
2. You and the dealer get two cards each; one of the dealer's cards lies face down.
3. Choose what to do with your hand:
4. Hit takes another card (H on the keyboard).
5. Stand keeps your total (S).
6. Double doubles your bet; you get exactly one more card.
7. Split turns a pair into two hands with one bet each.
8. Surrender gives up half your bet (only when the house rule is switched on).

Number cards count their value, picture cards 10, an Ace 1 or 11. A hand with an Ace that counts as 11 is soft: “Soft 17” can still take a card without busting.

When all players are done, the dealer turns over the face-down card and draws to 17 or more. A win pays 1:1, a blackjack — Ace and a 10-value card as your first two cards — pays 3:2.

Insurance

If the dealer shows an Ace, you are asked Insurance against a dealer blackjack? Insurance costs half your bet and pays 2:1 if the dealer has blackjack. In the long run it costs you chips, which is why the strategy hint advises against it.

The strategy hint

Below your hand Playcards shows Basic strategy: followed by the best move for exactly this hand against the dealer's card. The hint is computed from the house rules of the table — number of decks, whether the dealer hits soft 17, doubling and surrender — rather than copied from one printed chart. Follow it and the house edge drops to about half a percent.

If you would rather play without help, switch off Show the Blackjack strategy hint under House rules.

House rules

• Decks in the shoe — one to eight decks. The Cut card marks how deep the dealer deals before shuffling.
• Dealer hits soft 17 — off by default (the dealer stands on soft 17).
• Blackjack pays — 3:2 or the worse 6:5 that many casinos use today.
• Double on — any two cards, or only 9 to 11 or 10 and 11.
• Double after split, Late surrender and Insurance offered.

The Blackjack basic-strategy tool on usefulweb.site prints the whole strategy table and the house edge for any of these rules — see Saved tables, statistics and AI tools.

Next steps

• Play at one table with friends far away: Playing with friends on one device or online.