How to play blackjack.
Blackjack has a reputation for being a casino game, but the rules fit on the back of a napkin. You play against the house, and the aim is to finish closer to 21 than the dealer without going over. Work through this guide, try the interactive tables as you go, and you’ll be ready for your first hand in about five minutes. No money involved, ever.
The goal
You and the house each get cards, and whoever ends up closer to 21 wins. The catch is that going over 21, known as busting, loses immediately. So every decision in blackjack comes down to one question: is it worth taking another card, or is it safer to stop where you are?
What each card is worth
Suits don’t matter at all. Only the value does, and there are just three rules to remember. Tap any card to see how it counts.
The Ace is what makes blackjack interesting. A hand where an Ace is counting as 11 is called soft, because one more card can never bust it: the Ace simply drops to 1. A hand without that safety net is hard. An Ace and a 6 is a soft 17; a 10 and a 7 is a hard 17.
Build a hand
Add cards to see how totals, soft hands and busts work. Try an Ace and a 6, then add a 9 and watch the Ace change its value.
How a round plays out
You and the house are each dealt two cards. Both of yours are face up. The house shows one card and keeps the other face down.
You go first. Hit to take another card, or stand to keep what you have. You can hit as many times as you like.
If you go over 21, you bust and lose straight away, before the house even plays.
If you stand, the house flips its hidden card and follows a fixed rule: it must hit on 16 or less and stand on 17 or more. It has no choices to make.
Whoever is closer to 21 wins. If the house busts, you win.
Blackjack, busts and ties
Blackjack is an Ace plus any ten-value card as your first two cards. It’s the best possible hand and wins on the spot, unless the house has one too.
A push is a tie. If you and the house finish on the same total, nobody wins the hand. In our movie night picker, tied players simply deal again until someone wins.
A simple strategy that works
The house’s rule gives you an edge in information: it has to keep drawing until 17, so a weak house card often ends in a bust. These rules of thumb cover most hands.
- 11 or less: always hit. No single card can bust you.
- 12 to 16: stand if the house shows 2 to 6, since it’s likely to bust. Hit if it shows 7 or higher. (With 12, only stand against a 4, 5 or 6.)
- 17 or more: stand. The odds of busting are too high.
- Soft hands: hit soft 17 or less. Stand on soft 19 or more. Soft 18 stands unless the house shows a 9, 10 or Ace.
Practice against the house
Now try it for real. The coach suggests a move for every hand, and you can switch it off once you’re confident. Keep an eye on the house’s face-up card; it should drive most of your decisions.
Test what you’ve learned and gamble on movie night.
Everyone names a film, plays one hand against the house, and whoever lands closest to 21 picks what you watch. Play on one phone or from separate devices with a room code.
Questions
What does soft mean in blackjack?
A soft hand has an Ace counting as 11. Because the Ace can drop to 1, one more card can never bust a soft hand.
Does the dealer hit on 17?
In this guide and in the Kuvacult movie night picker, the house stands on all 17s. Some casinos make the dealer hit a soft 17, which slightly favours the house.
What happens if I tie with the dealer?
A tie is called a push and nobody wins the hand. In the movie night picker, tied players deal again until there is a winner.
Is the movie night picker played for money?
No. It’s a free game for deciding what to watch. The only thing at stake is the film.
Watch it with your friends.
Kuvacult is a free movie tracker with shared watchlists, a veto game for picking movie night, and séances for watching together.