Blackjack: Counting Hands, Hitting, Standing and Doubling
Learn how aces, soft 17 and busts work through three example hands, then hit, stand and double against a dealer who draws below 17.
In Blackjack you try to get as close to 21 as you can without going over, then compare with the dealer. On BluffKing, 2–6 players share one dealer and each player settles against the dealer separately. Play in a friend room or with computer seats; both use the same rules. Each room starts with its own chips.
Count your hand
Aces count 1 or 11, J, Q and K count 10, and other cards use their rank. Every hand uses a freshly shuffled 52-card deck dealt by the server.
| Hand | Total | Note |
|---|---|---|
| A♠ K♥ | 21 | 21 with your first two cards is a natural blackjack |
| A♦ 6♣ | 7 or 17 | Counting the ace as 11 makes a soft 17 |
| 10♠ 6♥ 8♦ | 24 | Over 21: a bust |
Your choices
- Hit: take another card. Going over 21 busts and loses the hand.
- Stand: take no more cards and wait for the dealer.
- Double: with your first two cards and enough chips, double the bet, take exactly one more card and stand.
Splitting, insurance and surrender are not offered.
How the dealer plays
After every player acts, the dealer reveals the hole card, draws below 17 and stands on soft 17. A natural blackjack beats a 21 made with more cards.
Settlement
A win pays 1:1 profit, a natural blackjack pays 3:2, and a tie returns the wager. With a bet of 10: a win earns 10, a natural earns 15 and a tie gives your 10 back.
Tips for your first hands
- Play a few hands against the computer to get used to switching an ace between 1 and 11.
- The dealer’s rule is fixed: it always draws below 17. Use that when deciding whether to risk a bust.
- If you disconnect, you can reconnect to your room.
What BluffKing provides
Online rooms use server shuffling and published settlement rules, and the dealer’s hole card is withheld from everyone during player turns. State and records are saved on the server. Membership tier is not an input to dealing; per-hand cryptographic verification is not available. See fairness by game.
Practise and keep reading
Play Blackjack against the computer · Game features and rules · Full rules and scoring
Texas Hold’em: your first hand · Which of the seven games should you play?