Blackjack, also known as Twenty-One, is a card gambling game played between a dealer and group of players. The number of players can vary; in this Hoyle Blackjack computer game, you can play the game with up to four players.
Blackjack can be played with a single deck or multiple decks. The object of the game is to beat the dealer (not the other players), with a hand of cards that does not go over a total of twenty-one. The value of the hand is the sum of its cards.
- Face cards count as 10.
- Aces count as either 1 or 11.
- All other cards count as their face value.
Play begins with each player placing a bet. Each player and the dealer receive two cards. The first two player cards are dealt face down for single deck games and face up for multiple deck games. In all games, the dealer receives one card face down and the rest face up.
After the initial deal, the dealer settles with each player separately. A player can continue to draw cards (hit) until the player wants to stand, or until the hand goes over 21 (bust).
When each player is either standing or busted, the dealer must draw cards as long as his or her total is less than 16 and must stand when the total is 17 or more. The one exception to this rule is the play option setting of Dealer Hits On Soft 17. If this option is used, the dealer can use an Ace as 1 (rather than 11) and hit on 17. This option is more favorable for the casino.
A sample hand of Blackjack
To illustrate how play proceeds in Hoyle Blackjack, this topic walks through one hand from a game session.
At the start of each game, the cards are shuffled. The deck appears in a shoe at the top-right corner of your screen. The yellow marker in the computer deck indicates the marker for reshuffling the deck.
Each player makes a bet, starting with the player at first base. After all bets have been placed, play commences.
Two cards are dealt to each player. The first two player cards are dealt face down for single deck games and face up for multiple deck games. The dealer receives one down-card and one up-card.
Each player gets a turn, starting with the player at first base and ending with the player at third base. During a turn, a player can choose to hit, stand, split, double down, or surrender (options vary depending on the play options settings). In this game, we'll assume the table is set with four players.
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Player 1 receives cards that total 11. Because the dealer's hand does not show an Ace or a 10-point card, Player 1 should double-down.
Player 2 receives cards that total 14. Because the dealer is showing a card that is 6 or lower, Player 2 should stand.
Player 3 receives cards that total 8. Because this hand is less than 12, Player 3 should hit (regardless of the dealer's cards).
Player 4 receives cards that total 8. Though the hand contains a pair, which can be split, common Blackjack strategy does not recommend splitting Fours, Fives, Tens, or face cards.
After each player completes his or her turn, the dealer plays. The dealer begins by flipping over the down-card (or hole card), then hitting while the cards total less then 16, and standing once the cards total 17.
When the dealer's turn ends, all hands (except bust hands) are compared to the dealer's hand, and are determined to win, lose, or push and all bets are settled.
In this game, all player's hands beat the dealer. Though three of the player's hands weren't close to 21, they still won. Because the dealer showed a Four, the odds were good that the dealer would bust while drawing cards.
