Classic Blackjack

Come see why Blackjack is the most popular table game out there. The classic game of Twenty-One, which originated from the French game 'Vingt-et-Un'; pits you against the Dealer, and you get to see one card in the dealer's hand. Try to get your score as close to 21 as possible, without busting. Hit stand when you're ready for the big reveal - and then see whose hand is better. With a variety of betting options such as double, split and surrender, you can play it your way. May the better hand win.

Classic Blackjack Online

There’s a reason why blackjack is one of the most popular table games out there. With tons of different betting options, such as double, split, and surrender, this game keeps things exciting. The classic game of Twenty-One, which originated from the French game "Vingt-et-Un," pits you against the Dealer in a race to the stronger hand. Try to get your score higher than the dealer’s without busting. When you're ready for the big reveal, press Stand - and then see whose hand is better. Standards wins are paid 1 to 1 in both brick-and-mortar and online blackjack games.

How To Play Classic Blackjack

A wager between $1 and $5000 (assuming you want to play in a real money casino) kickstarts a round of Classic Blackjack, which is played with six decks of cards that are shuffled at the end of every round. You can play with one, two or three hands per round by activating the three betting circles on the board. Once the cards are dealt, you’ll have two cards face up for every hand you’re playing. The Dealer has one card face up and one card face down.

Your score will be shown beside each hand, but for reference, we've got some blackjack card values for you right here:

2 to 10 are worth face value.
Jacks, Queens and Kings are worth 10 points.
Aces are worth 1 or 11 – they’re interchangeable.

All you've got to do is add the value of each card in your hand for your total score. Suits have no effect on the game. An Ace of spades is the same as an Ace of diamonds.

The goal of the game is to get a score that’s higher than the Dealer’s score, keeping in mind, a score that exceeds 21 points loses – that goes for both you and the Dealer. You can win two different ways:

Get a higher score than the Dealer without busting (going over 21 points).
Have the Dealer bust while you remain under 22 points.

Both of these wins result in an even-money payout. Sometimes, you and the Dealer will have the exact same score. These rounds end in a push (a tie). Your bet is returned and you can begin a new round.

Now that you know how to win on paper at least, we’re going to show you how to beef up your hand to boost your score. To increase your score, add another card to your hand by pressing Hit. You can Hit all you want – unless you bust. If you want just one more card and feel confident about your chances of success, you can double your wager by pressing “Double.” You receive only one more card – then it’s time to go to showdown with the Dealer. The third main option is to Stand, which means you don’t want to add cards to your hand. Press “Stand” and the Dealer’s cards are revealed and both of your hands are compared to determine the winner. You can Stand after receiving your initial two-card hand, or after multiple Hits.

It just so happens that once in a while you might get a weak hand, and the Dealer will have a strong upcard. In these situations, it’s often best to forfeit the round and half your wager by pressing “Surrender.” You can start a new round easily with the Rebet button.

The only other options available in Classic Blackjack are Split and Insurance. Splitting is available when your initial two-card hand is a pair (ex. Two Kings). Keep in mind, two nonmatching 10-value cards are considered a pair in blackjack (ex. one King and one Jack are both 10-value cards and thus considered a pair). You can split the pair into two individual hands using the “Split” button; a new bet equal to the size of your original bet will be added to the table. Each split card receives a second card to make it a two-card hand, at which point you choose to Hit or Stand as normal.

Insurance comes up when the Dealer’s visible card is an Ace. If the dealer has a 10-value card face down, he’ll have you beat (unless you also have Blackjack, which is a perfect score of 21 on the initial two-card hand). You can purchase the supplemental Insurance bet for half your original wager, which makes sure you don’t lose money if the Dealer has Blackjack. For example, if you have $10 on the virtual felt, Insurance will cost $5. It pays 2 to 1 when the Dealer has Blackjack, so it would cause you to break even instead of losing money in instances where the Dealer does have Blackjack. In instances where the Dealer doesn’t have Blackjack, you lose the Insurance bet and continue on in the round.

Let’s summarize all the potential payouts in Classic Blackjack:

Blackjack Hands pay 3 to 2

Insurance pays 2 to 1

Standard wins pay 1 to 1

Surrender retrieves half your bet

Classic Blackjack Rules

Classic Blackjack rules vary casino to casino, so we can’t speak for all the classic Blackjack games out there. But here are the rules for the one offered at Ignition casino:

Classic Blackjack online is played with six decks, which are shuffled virtually after each round.
The Dealer hits on soft 17 hands. A soft 17 hand contains an 11-point Ace (which can be turned into a 1-point Ace). The Dealer stands on hard 17 hands and above.
Blackjack pays 3 to 2, so if you bet $5, you win $7.50.
Insurance pays 2 to 1 and is available only when the Dealer shows an Ace.
Any other winning hand is paid 1 to 1.
You may surrender any first two cards, but you can’t surrender after hitting, splitting, or doubling.
Split one, two, or three hands per round.
There are special rules for split Aces: One card is dealt to split Aces and you can’t further split them.

If you land Blackjack from split Aces, it’s not considered Blackjack. It pays 1 to 1 instead of 3 to 2.

Placing Bets in Classic Blackjack

To place a bet, click or tap a casino chip. To bet another hand, click or tap another betting circle followed by a casino chip. You can have up to three hands per round.
Tapping or clicking a casino chip that’s on a bet circle cancels the wager.
Bet between $1 and $5000 every round