Betfair Official Blog

Blackjack

In Blackjack, the object of the game is to beat the dealer by having a hand that totals 21 (without going over) or is closer to 21 than the dealer's hand.

Rules

1.	Dealer must draw to 16
2.	Dealer stands on soft 17
3.	Blackjack pays 3:2
4.	Insurance pays 2:1
5.	Even Money pays 1:1
6.	Double Down on any first two cards
7.	Double Down on Splits
8.	No re-splits

Betting

1.	Click on the chip stack to select the desired bet amount. The amount selected must be greater-than or equal-to the minimum bet requirement posted on the table.
2.	Click on 1, 2, or 3 of the Bet circles to place your initial bet(s). To remove or change a bet, hold the Shift key and left-click the chip(s) in the Bet circle.
3.	Click on the Deal button to have the cards dealt.
4.	Additional bets once the cards have been dealt include Double Down and Split bets, as well as options to take Insurance and Even Money (each is described below).

Three bet circles enable you to play up to three hands at a time.

When playing multiple hands or splitting hands, an arrow appears under the cards in play to indicate such.

Use the Same Bet button to repeat your last bet. This will also auto-deal the cards.

Details on table limits and payouts can be viewed by mousing over the table card.

Card Values

Hard 9 / Soft 19

Aces can be used as either 1 or 11. Any hand that includes an ace has two values... a soft value and a hard value. I.e. if the hand is an ace-8, the hard value is 9, the soft value is 19. This hand would be able to play as an 9 or 19. The King, Queen, Jack and Ten are 10 points each; all other cards are worth their face values.
If the player's first two cards total 21 it's a natural Blackjack. Blackjack is the highest hand.

Playing

Player and dealer are dealt two cards each. Both player's cards are dealt face up. The dealer's first card is dealt face down, the second card face up.

If the dealer's upcard is a 10 or and Ace, the following 3 dealer actions take place:

1) Upcard is 10: Checking for Blackjack

If the dealer has a 10 showing, he will check for blackjack by "peeking" at his downcard and announcing "Checking for Blackjack". If the dealer does not have blackjack, the hand continues. If the dealer has blackjack and the player doesn't, the player loses the hand without continuing. In cases where both dealer and player have blackjack, a push is declared.

2) Upcard is Ace: Offer Insurance

When the dealer's up card is an ace, and the player does not have blackjack, the player is offered insurance. Taking insurance means the player makes a second bet (the value of which is half the original bet) that the dealer has blackjack. If the dealer has blackjack, the player loses their initial bet but is paid 2 to 1 on the insurance bet. If the dealer does not have blackjack, the insurance bet is lost and the hand is played out as normal.

3) Upcard is Ace: Offer Even Money

If the dealer's up card is an Ace and the player has a blackjack, the player is offered 'even money'. Taking even money means the player believes the dealer also has blackjack.

When taking even money, the player is instantly paid 1:1 by doubling the player's chip amount in the bet circle, and play on the hand ends.

When taking even money, the player gives up the normal 3:2 payoff, whether the dealer has blackjack or not.

For hands that continue after the dealer actions, any of the following conditions may apply for the player:

1.	Hit and Stand - On any hands where the player doesn't have a blackjack, the player may stand (refuse any further cards), or hit (accept another card). A player can hit as often as desired until they select stand or they bust (exceed 21). When you bust, you immediately lose your bet regardless of the dealer's hand result.
2.	Double Down (player hands only) - You are betting that your hand can be won with one more card.

Double downs cannot be applied to a blackjack hand. A player may only double down on their first two cards. When a player doubles down, the original bet is automatically doubled (a second chip appears) and the player receives one more card.

Before double down	After double down

Note: You can also double down after splitting a pair.

3.	Split (player hands only) - if you are dealt two cards of the same value (such as two eights or a Jack and Queen), the hand can be split into two separate hands.

Before Split	After Split

When a hand is split, each card forms a new hand and is then played separately. The original bet amount is applied to the second hand automatically by doubling the chip amount in the bet circle.

NOTE: If you split two Aces, only one more card will be dealt to each hand.

A hand can only be split once meaning, if your third card was the same as the first two, it could not be used to create a third hand.

A two card 21 total on a split is not a natural blackjack. If the hand does not push it will pay even money.

Winning

After the player's final actions, the dealer's down card is revealed. If the dealer's hand is 16 or less, the dealer must continue to hit until reaching 17 or more. The dealer must stand on soft 17 (see Card Values) and cannot take additional cards.

If the dealer busts (exceeds 21), any player hands that haven't busted are winning hands.

When the dealer stands on 17 or greater and has a higher count than the player - the dealer wins; if the player has the higher count - the player wins.

If the player and the dealer have the same totals, it's a push (tie). Your bet is returned to you. If dealer hand busts and player hand busts, dealer absolutely wins.

Payouts

Winning Wager	Odds Payout
Winning Hand	1 - 1
Blackjack	3 - 2
Insurance	2 - 1
Even Money	1 - 1

Betting Limits

View the table's top for betting limits.

Basic Strategy

Often, players use the following strategy to assist them in deciding whether to Hit, Stand, Double, or Split.

This strategy does not guarantee that the player will win but is used to improve their percentage of winning.

BASIC BLACKJACK STRATEGY
	PLAYER'S HAND	DEALER'S UP CARD
		2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
	Up to 8	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
	9	H	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	10	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
	11	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H
	12	H	H	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
	13-14	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
	15-16	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
	17-18-19-20-21	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
	A-2, A-3	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	A-4, A-5	H	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	A-6	H	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
	A-7	S	D	D	D	D	S	S	H	H	H
	A-8, A-9	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
	A & A	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP
	2 & 2	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H
	3 & 3	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H
	4 & 4	H	H	H	SP	SP	H	H	H	H	H
	5 & 5 NS	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
	6 & 6	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H	H
	7 & 7	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H
	8 & 8	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP
	9 & 9	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	S	S
	10 & 10 NS	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S

H=Hit, S=Stand, D=Double Down, SP=Split, NS=Never Split

Game Options:

Go to Main Menu - Options to bring up the following list:

Graphic Quality: You can change this to Low if you are experiencing slowdowns in play because of your computer's processing abilities. Note: Slowdowns in play can also be the result of Internet-related issues such as peak usage periods.

Sound FX: This turns the game sounds (such as the cards snapping into place and beeps when you click on the buttons) on and off.

Dealer Voice: This will turn the messages such as "Player wins" on and off.

Load Ambient Sound: This will turn on the sounds of a normal casino, such as people talking in the background. (These sounds are very quiet compared to the other sounds.)