- What is an ace worth in blackjack?
- Eleven, unless that would take your hand over 21, in which case it counts one. It changes by itself as you draw. A hand where the ace still counts eleven is called soft, because the next card cannot bust it.
- What does a blackjack pay?
- An ace and a ten-value card as your first two cards pay three to two, so a bet of 10 wins 15. Every other winning hand is paid even money. Some tables pay six to five for a blackjack instead, and that one change costs a player more than most mistakes do.
- When should you hit and when should you stand?
- Always stand on 17 or more, and always hit on 11 or less. With 13 to 16, stand when the dealer shows a 2 to 6 and hit when they show 7 or higher. With 12, stand only against a 4, 5 or 6. The dealer's face-up card decides it, because a dealer showing a low card is the one most likely to bust.
- Can you split any pair?
- Any two cards of the same rank. You put up a second bet as large as the first and play the two cards as separate hands. Always split aces and eights, and never split tens or fives. An ace and a ten made after a split counts as 21, not as a blackjack.
- When should you double down?
- On 11 against any dealer card below an ace, and on 10 against anything up to a nine. Doubling doubles the bet and gives you exactly one more card, so it belongs to the moments when you are most likely to beat the dealer.
- Should you take insurance?
- No. Insurance is a side bet of half your stake that the dealer's hidden card is worth ten. It pays two to one, which would break even only if a third of the cards were tens — and fewer than a third of them are, so over time it loses.
- What happens on a tie with the dealer?
- It is a push: nobody wins and your bet comes back to you. The exception is a bust — go over 21 and you lose straight away, even if the dealer busts afterwards. That order of play is where the house edge comes from.
- Does the dealer hit on soft 17?
- It depends on the table, and the table says which. Some dealers stand on every 17; others draw to a soft 17, such as an ace and a six. Standing on soft 17 is slightly better for the player.