Blackjack Rules: Card Values, the Dealer and 3:2 Payouts

Blackjack pits you against the dealer alone. The goal is a hand that lands closer to 21 than theirs does, without tipping over.

Three moves almost every chart agrees on

Blackjack has a handful of moves that strategy charts agree on almost everywhere: always split aces and eights, never split tens or fives, and stand on a hard 17 or higher. Sticking to just those already beats playing on instinct.

Insurance looks inviting when the dealer shows an ace, but over the long run it costs more than it ever saves. Most seasoned players simply turn it down.

How a single hand of blackjack plays

Place your bet; you and the dealer are each dealt two cards.
Number cards score at face value, picture cards 10, and an ace is 1 or 11.
Hit for another card, stand to hold your total, or double for a single card at twice the stake.
Check the table rules for exactly when the dealer has to draw or stand.

Card values and the dealer's rules

Number cards count at face value, and jacks, queens and kings are each worth 10. An ace is 11 unless that would push you past 21, where it drops to 1. A hand holding an ace still counted as 11 is soft: A-6 is a soft 17, since no single card can bust it.

The dealer gets no choices at all. They keep drawing until they hit 17 or higher, then stop. The one rule that shifts is soft 17: some tables have the dealer stand on it (shown as S17), others make them hit (H17). A dealer who stands on soft 17 is marginally better for you.

Why the dealer's up card matters

Since the dealer is forced to draw under 17, a weak up card leaves them exposed. Showing a 5 or 6, the dealer busts about four times in ten; showing a 7 or higher, that falls to roughly one in four or fewer. It is exactly why you stand on a hard 13 against a dealer's 6 but hit that same 13 against a 10.

3:2 or 6:5: check the payout

A blackjack is an ace alongside any 10-value card as your opening two cards. A fair table pays 3 to 2, so ₹100 returns ₹150. Some tables only pay 6 to 5, which is ₹120. A blackjack lands about once in every 21 hands, so the gap looks minor, yet across many hands it piles roughly 1.4% onto the house edge. See 6:5 on a table and another table is usually the smarter seat.