Blackjack Rules: Part 3 – Player Choices

Hitting and Standing

The most common decision a player must make during the game is whether to draw another card to the hand (“hit”), or stop at the current total (“stand”).

You will be required to make hand signals rather than just announcing “hit” or “stand” to the dealer. This is to eliminate any confusion or ambiguity in what you choose, and also for the benefit of the ever-present surveillance cameras. If you go over 21, or “bust”, the dealer will collect your bet and remove your cards from the table immediately.

How you signal your intention to the dealer depends on which style of game you are playing:

Hand Signals in the Shoe Game

In the face-up shoe game, you indicate that you want another card by tapping the table behind your cards with a finger.

When you decide to stand, just wave your hand in a horizontal motion over your cards.

Remember that you are not allowed to touch the cards in this style of game.

Hand Signals in the Hand-Held Game

In the face-down game, things are a little different. You will hold the first two cards with one hand.

To let the dealer know that you want to draw another card to your hand, scratch the table with the bottom of your cards lightly. Watch another player at first to see how this works. The dealer will deal your additional cards on the table in front of your bet. Leave those cards on the table, but mentally add them to your total hand value. If you go over 21, just toss the two cards in your hand face up on the table. The dealer will collect your bet and discard your hand.

When you decide to stand, tuck the two cards you are holding face-down under the chips in your betting circle. This can be a bit tricky the first few times. Don’t pick up the bet to place the cards underneath. Remember, once the cards are dealt, you can’t touch the chips in the circle. Simply slide the corner of the cards under the chips.

Describing these moves makes them sound complicated. They’re not. Just pay attention to what other players are doing and you will fit right in.

Doubling Down

Much of the excitement and profit in blackjack comes from hands where you are able to “double down”. This option is available only with a two card hand, before another card has been drawn. Doubling down allows you to double your bet and receive one (and only one) additional card to your hand.

A good example of a doubling opportunity is when you hold a total of 11, like a (6,5) against a dealer’s upcard of 5. In this case, you have a good chance of winning the hand by drawing one additional card, so you should increase your bet in this advantageous situation by doubling down.

If you are playing in a hand-held game, just toss your original two cards face-up on the table in front of your bet.

In either type of game, add an additional bet to the betting circle. Place the additional bet adjacent to the original bet, not on top of it.

The dealer will deal one additional card to the hand. In a shoe game, he will probably deal the card sideways to indicate that this was a double-down. In a hand-held game, the card will be tucked face-down under your bet to be revealed after the hand is over. Depending on what the dealer makes on his hand, it can be an exciting wait to see that card revealed at the end!

You are allowed to double down for any amount up to your original bet amount, so you could actually double down for less if you wanted. That’s a bad move though. Remember that you do give up something for being allowed to increase your bet: the ability to draw more than one additional card. If the correct play is to double down, you should always double for the full amount if possible.

And just when should you double down, you ask? For that information, just use our Blackjack Basic Strategy Engine.

Splitting Pairs

When you are dealt a pair of cards of the same rank, you are allowed to split the pair into two separate hands and play them independently. Let’s say you are dealt a pair of eights for a total of sixteen. Sixteen is the worst possible player hand, since it is unlikely to win as is, but is very likely to bust if you draw to it. Here’s a great chance to improve a bad situation.

If you are playing a hand-held game, toss the cards face-up in front of your bet just like a double down. Then, in either type of game, place a matching bet beside the original bet in the circle. Note that you must bet the same amount on a split, unlike a double-down where you are allowed to double for less.

The dealer will separate the two cards, and treat them as two independent hands. He will deal a second card on the first eight, and you will play that two-card hand to completion. (Many casinos will let you double-down on that two-card hand if you want. I will discuss the “Double After Split” option in Rule Variations.)

No matter what happens on your first hand, when you are done with it the dealer will deal a second card to your next hand and the process starts all over.

Resplitting

If you get additional pairs in the first two cards of a hand, most casinos will allow you to resplit, making yet another hand. Typically a player is allowed to split up to 3 times, making 4 separate hands, with 4 separate bets. If double after split is allowed, you could have up to 8 times your initial bet on the table!

Splitting Tens

Note that you are allowed to split any 10-valued cards, so you could split a (Jack, Queen) hand. However, this is usually a bad play. Keep the 20. You will make more money on the pat 20 than you will trying to make two good hands from it.

Not convinced? I wrote a post about just that: Why Splitting Tens is a Bad Move.

Splitting Aces

Another oddity comes when splitting Aces. Splitting Aces is a very strong player move so the casino limits you to drawing only one additional card on each Ace. Also, if you draw a ten-valued card on one of your split Aces, the hand is not considered a Blackjack, but is instead treated as a normal 21, and therefore does not collect a 3:2 payoff.

Some casinos allow resplitting Aces if you draw another, but many do not.

With all these limitations, you may wonder whether it makes sense to split Aces.
The answer is a resounding YES. Always split Aces.

For accurate advice on what other pairs you should split, consult the Blackjack Basic Strategy Engine.

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