As you can see, the graphic above shows four players with different hands taking on the dealer.

• Player A:Blackjack has been dealt to Player A. As the dealer’s hand is valued at 17, this hand automatically wins.
• Player B:Player B’s total hand value equals 22, which means the hand is bust and they lose regardless of the dealer’s cards.
• Player C:Player C has a hand value of 17, which is equal to the dealer. This is known as ‘Push’ and means the player receives their stake back.

• Player D:Player D’s hand equals a value of 20, which exceeds the value of the dealer and therefore wins.

Winning hands are paid out differently depending on the method of victory. Winning with Blackjack, as is the case with Player A, pays out at 3:2, while Player D’s win, in which they bettered the card value of the dealer pays out at 1:1.

How to Play Blackjack

The process of playing Blackjack may be relatively familiar. However, there may be steps in the Blackjack betting process which may have escaped you. Bringing the game down to the very basics, there are just a handful of steps when it comes to placing your bet and playing a hand of Blackjack.

Step 1: Placing Your Bet

The first step is to buy in to the game. Blackjack tables will have a minimum and maximum bet you can place, with any bet in between those figures eligible to be placed. The amount you bet will directly influence how much you are paid out should you win. For example, if you were to bet £10 and won via Blackjack you would receive £15 in winnings, due to the payout of 3:2. If you bet £10 and won without Blackjack, you would receive £10 in winnings.

Step 2: Dealing the Cards

Once you’ve bought into the game, you will then be dealt two cards. You will only receive two cards if you have placed a bet to play. The two cards you are dealt provide your hand value. You will then have the option to make a series of moves. During the deal, the dealer will also deal themselves two cards, with one placed face up.

Step 3: Stand, Hit or Split

In turn, players have the chance to make several choices to improve their hand. The two most common choices are to stand or hit. However, you also have the opportunity to split, double down and even fold at this stage.

Step 4: The Dealer Plays

Once all players have concluded their moves, the dealer must turn over their downward facing card and play their hand. Unlike players, dealers are required to follow certain rules, which limits them to standing and hitting only on certain card values. The rules can vary dependent on the casino, but are generally as follows:

Dealer Rules:

• The dealer will draw cards on a hand that is valued 16 or less.
• The dealer must stand on 17 or more.
• The dealer hits on a soft 17.
• If the dealer is holding an Ace and the hand totals 17 or more (but does not exceed 21) when counted as 11, the dealer must stand.

Step 5: Win, Lose or Push

Following the conclusion of the dealer’s hand, both hands will be compared. The result will either be win, lose or push. If your hand is a winning one, the dealer will payout and the sum will enter your bankroll.

Blackjack Odds & Understanding the House Edge

Of course, the reason for playing Blackjack is to win, so it’s always useful to know what the odds are on doing so. You have around a 42% of winning every hand you play, with the chance of achieving Blackjack approximately one in 20. On average, the dealer busts around one in three hands, while you have an 8.5% chance of a push.

Blackjack Odds

• Chance of Landing 21: 4.75%
• Chance of a Winning Hand: 42%
• Chance of Push: 8.5%
• Chance of Dealer Bust: 29%

House Edge

What also needs to be factored in is the element of the house edge. All casino games carry a house edge and Blackjack is no different. However, unlike other games, the house edge in Blackjack varies with players having the ability to lower the edge to below 1% by developing strategies. This in turn will improve the odds above, with the chance of drawing a winning hand improving. Blackjack is a game of skill and therefore that skill can be used to boost your chances of beating the dealer. The house edge is essentially a mathematical advantage a casino has over its players and represents the percentage of what they will receive over time in accordance to the amount staked. Adopting a basic strategy will generally offer up a house edge of around 1%. Advanced players can drop that significantly lower, while rookies with little strategy might see the house edge stretch beyond 1%.

Blackjack Variants

While all variations of Blackjack do follow similar rule patterns to the traditional form, the rise of online casinos has also seen a number of games offering slightly different rules, designed to offer even more thrills than the 21 we know and love. Below you’ll find some of the more popular types you can play today with talkSPORT BET alongside the notable differences to the classic version.

Classic Blackjack

This is the most widely played version and follows all the rules, regulations and gameplay pattern mentioned above. It is the original version of Blackjack, with players winning by having a hand value that is closer to 21 than the dealer.

European Blackjack

European Blackjack is slightly different to classic Blackjack in that it only uses two decks of cards in comparison to up to eight in the classic version. In terms of rules, it follows the same betting structure and the two cards dealt to the player are done so face up.

Spanish 21

Spanish 21, or Spanish Blackjack as it is often known, is an interesting variation of the classic game, as the cards with a value of 10 are removed from the deck. That means only 48 cards of a 52 deck are played. Insurance and the late surrender play more of a role in this game as the dealer can look at their cards prior to players making a move.

Atlantic City Blackjack

Players can re-split up to three hands with this exciting variation inspired by the Blackjack tables of Atlantic City, New Jersey. Dealers can also look at their hand prior to a player’s turn and they are also allowed to stand on a soft 17.

Live Casino Blackjack

This is played in exactly the same manner as classic Blackjack, but uses a video stream to allow players to play a hand with a real-life dealer. It brings players closer to the action than ever before and continues to prove hugely popular, following all the same rules and formatting of that mentioned above.

Blackjack Glossary

Don’t fall foul because you don’t know the lingo. Discover the meanings behind all the common terms found in Blackjack.

A:

Ace: The Ace card can count as either 1 or 11 in value.

Action: The combined total bet on all your hands.

Anchor Player: The player operating from the far left of the table. This is the player who will stand, hit or split last before the dealer plays their hand.

B:

Bankroll: The sum of money you have available in your betting account to play with.

Bet Spread: The minimum bet to maximum bet ratio.

Betting Spot: The area on a table which is designated for a player to place their bet.

Blackjack: When a player is dealt a combination of an Ace and card with a value of 10 as their first two cards.

Break/Bust: When a hand value exceeds the value of 21.

Buy In: You have to buy in to a game. The buy in process is the exchange of money for chips.

C:

Chip: The counter used to place a bet.

D:

DAS: This stands for Doubling After Splitting, and is used when a player doubles their bet after splitting their hand.

Dealer: The dealer is the player you have to beat and is responsible for dealing the cards at the table.

Deck: The collective name for a full 52-card set.

Doubling Down: This is a move in Blackjack where you can double your bet and receive one more card to your hand.

Down Card: A card which is dealt face down.

Draw: This is the receiving of another card to any hand.

E:

Edge/House Edge: The percentage a casino will earn over time, or a player can expect to lose. Due to the nature of Blackjack, the number varies and isn’t an exact science.

F:

First Base: The first seat at a Blackjack table on the right hand side. This player is first to act once dealt cards.

Flat Bet: This is when a player places the same bet in successive hands.

H:

Hand: The cards you are dealt by the dealer is known as your hand.

Hard Hand: A hand which has no Ace in it, or has an Ace which can only be a value of one.

Heads Up: A player playing alone against the dealer.

Hit: To hit is to draw another card for your hand.

Hit 17:A rule in Blackjack which requires the dealer to hit on a card value of 17.

Hole Card: The face down card in the dealer’s hand.

I:

Insurance: A side bet that can be played when the dealer’s face up card is an Ace. This is a bet on the dealer to have Blackjack.

N:

Natural: Another term used for Blackjack

P:

Pat Hand: A hand between 17 and 21 in which doesn’t require hitting.

Push: Push is if your hand is equal in value to the dealer. Push is essentially another word for a tie and your stake is returned.

R:

Re-split: A move in which you split a pair that has occurred after an initial split.

S:

Soft 17: A rule in which the dealer must stand when their hand is a value of 17.

Soft Hand: A hand that contains an Ace which is being valued at 11.

Stand: A player stands when they do not wish to receive any additional cards to their hand.