Guide
How to Play Blackjack: Rules for Beginners
Blackjack, also known as 21, is one of the easiest card games to learn and one of the most satisfying to get better at. This beginner guide covers the blackjack rules used at the Four Tables practice table, from card values to how the dealer plays.
The goal of blackjack
Blackjack is a comparing game between you and the dealer. Your aim is to finish with a hand total closer to 21 than the dealer's, without going over. If your total goes over 21 you “bust” and lose the hand immediately, whatever the dealer holds.
At Four Tables there are no bets, chips or points to manage, so you can concentrate on the decisions that make the game interesting.
Blackjack card values
| Card | Value |
|---|---|
| 2 to 10 | Face value (a 7 counts as 7) |
| Jack, Queen, King | 10 |
| Ace | 1 or 11 — whichever gives the better hand without busting |
A hand where an ace is counted as 11 is called a soft hand, because one more card can never bust it — the ace simply drops to 1 if needed. Ace + 6 is a “soft 17”; draw a 10 and it becomes a hard 17 (1 + 6 + 10). A hand with no ace, or one where every ace has to count as 1, is a hard hand.
How a round of blackjack works
- Deal. Press Deal a hand (or Enter). You and the dealer each receive two cards. Your cards are face-up; at this practice table the dealer's cards stay face-down until your turn is over.
- Natural check. If either of you has 21 on the first two cards, that is a “blackjack” and the hand ends at once. Your blackjack wins, the dealer's blackjack wins for the dealer, and two blackjacks tie.
- Your turn. Choose Hit to take another card or Stand to keep your total. You can hit as often as you like until you stand, bust, or reach exactly 21 (which stands automatically).
- Dealer's turn. Once you stand, the dealer's cards are turned over and the dealer draws according to fixed rules (see below).
- Result. The totals are compared and the hand is scored as a win, a tie or a loss. Press Next hand to carry on.
Your choices at this table
- Hit
- Take one more card. Keyboard shortcut: H.
- Stand
- Keep your current total and let the dealer play. Keyboard shortcut: S.
Casino blackjack offers extra options — doubling down, splitting pairs, insurance and surrender — but every one of them is about adjusting a wager. Because nothing is wagered here, Four Tables sticks to hit and stand. All of them are explained in the glossary below so you recognise them elsewhere.
Blackjack dealer rules: how the dealer plays
The dealer never makes a decision. The dealer must draw on 16 or less and must stand on 17 or more. At this table the dealer also stands on a “soft 17” (an ace counted as 11 plus a 6), a rule that is slightly better for the player than tables where the dealer hits soft 17.
Cards come from a six-deck shoe (312 cards) shuffled with your browser's cryptographic random number generator. Cards are dealt without replacement, and a fresh shuffle happens automatically when fewer than 60 cards remain.
Who wins in blackjack?
| Situation | Result |
|---|---|
| Your total goes over 21 | You lose (bust) |
| The dealer's total goes over 21 | You win |
| Neither busts and your total is higher | You win |
| Neither busts and the totals are equal | Tie (also called a “push”) |
| Neither busts and the dealer's total is higher | Dealer wins |
| You have blackjack and the dealer does not | You win |
What win rate to expect
The game counts win rate = hands won ÷ all completed hands, with ties counted as hands played but not as wins. Blackjack is a game the dealer wins slightly more often than the player, even when you play well. We simulated 3,000,000 hands using this table's exact rules. Playing the simple rule from our strategy guide (hit up to 14, stand on 15 or more) you can expect to win about 42.7% of hands, tie about 8.4% and lose about 48.9%. A win rate in the low 40s is therefore normal, and short sessions swing a long way either side of it.
Controls, stats and settings
- Deal a hand / Next hand — Enter.
- Hit — H. Stand — S. (Shortcuts work when no button or menu has keyboard focus.)
- Strategy hint — switches a short tip line on or off beneath the table.
- Design — choose between four looks: Midnight Lounge, Classic Vegas, Clean Practice and Retro Arcade. Your choice is remembered on this device.
- Sound (the ♪ button) — off by default; when on, plays a very short, quiet tone as cards arrive.
- Stats — win rate, hands played, hands won and best winning streak. They are stored only in your browser on this device and are never sent to us. Clear resets them.
Four Tables is built to be usable by everyone: cards have text labels for screen readers, results are announced politely, focus outlines are visible, and animation is toned down automatically if your device is set to “reduce motion”.
Blackjack terms and glossary
- Blackjack (natural)
- An ace plus a ten-value card as your first two cards, making 21.
- Bust
- Going over 21. A busted hand loses automatically.
- Dealer
- The player you compete against, who follows fixed drawing rules.
- Double down
- In casinos: doubling your wager in exchange for exactly one more card. Not offered here.
- Hard hand
- A hand with no ace, or one where every ace counts as 1.
- Hit
- Ask for another card.
- Insurance
- In casinos: a side wager offered when the dealer shows an ace. Not offered here.
- Push
- A tie — you and the dealer finish with the same total.
- Shoe
- The container (or here, the virtual stack) holding several shuffled decks. Four Tables uses six.
- Soft hand
- A hand where an ace is currently counted as 11.
- Split
- In casinos: dividing a pair into two separate hands, each with its own wager. Not offered here.
- Stand
- Keep your current total and end your turn.
- Surrender
- In casinos: giving up a hand in exchange for losing half the wager. Not offered here.
- Upcard
- The dealer's face-up card at a casino table. Most strategy advice is built around it.
Blackjack FAQ
What is the best hand in blackjack?
A natural blackjack — an ace plus a ten-value card as your first two cards, making 21. At this table it wins the hand immediately unless the dealer also has a natural, in which case the hand is a tie.
What does push mean in blackjack?
A push is a tie: you and the dealer finish with the same total, so neither side wins the hand.
What is a soft hand in blackjack?
A soft hand contains an ace that is currently counted as 11, such as ace + 6 (soft 17). It cannot bust on the next card because the ace can drop to 1.
What happens if both the player and the dealer bust?
The player busts first, so the hand ends as soon as you go over 21 and the dealer does not need to draw.
Does blackjack pay 3 to 2 here?
There are no bets at Four Tables, so there is nothing to pay. A natural blackjack simply wins the hand.
Is Four Tables real gambling?
No. There are no deposits, no wagers, no prizes and nothing to cash out. It is a free practice game for entertainment. See our disclaimer.
Do I need an account?
No. Open the page and play. Your stats and chosen design are remembered locally in your browser.
Is the shuffle fair?
Yes. The six-deck shoe is shuffled with the Fisher–Yates algorithm using your browser's cryptographic random number generator, and the game never adjusts anything based on your results. Every hand is dealt from the shoe the same way.
Why can't I double down or split?
Those moves exist to change how much is bet on a hand. With no betting here, the table focuses on the core decision of blackjack: hit or stand.
Will practising here help me at a real table?
It can help you learn the rules and the standard hit-or-stand decisions, but nothing can guarantee results in a real casino, where games of chance always carry risk. Please read our responsible play notes.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes. The table resizes to fit phones, tablets and desktop screens in portrait or landscape.
What happens to my data?
Very little — see the Privacy Policy for the details.
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