The first player to play is the one on the left. This player has to decide either to “stand” (withdraw from asking for another card) or hit (ask for another card with the hope of getting close to 21 or get the exact number, 21). The player can continue to ask for more cards, until the sum of the cards reaches 21 or get close to 21, or goes past 21. If the latter occurs, the dealer will collect the waged bets and the player will lose. The dealer will then turn to the second player and repeat the same process.

If an ace and a 10-point card are present, this is called a “soft hand”, because the ace can be counted either as a 1 or 11, which allows the player either to hit or stand. For instance, if the player has a 6 and an ace (soft 17), the result will be either 7 or 17. Although 17 is a good hand, there is still room for the player to make the count to be closer to 21. If the card that is drawn creates a bust hand (ace counts as 11), then the ace will be counted as 1 by the player, which will provide room for hitting or standing.

Help with making make the right call every time is at hand with our blackjack strategy charts.