Lesson 3 of 10 · 5 min
Lesson 3: how a hand plays out, step by step
Key takeaway: You bet, get two cards, make your decisions, and the dealer plays last by a fixed rule: hit to 16.
- Bet. You place your bet before the deal.
- Deal. You get two cards face up. The dealer gets one card face up.
- The hole card. There are two versions. In the American game the dealer takes a second card face down and, if showing an ace or a ten, checks it for blackjack before you play. In the European game (Spain and many online tables) there’s no hole card: the dealer draws the second card at the end.
- Your turn. Hit, stand, double, split or surrender. You can take as many cards as you like.
- Dealer’s turn. The dealer hits on 16 or less and stands on 17 or more. At some tables the dealer also hits soft 17 (“H17”).
- Payout. Totals are compared and bets are paid.
Why the hole card matters
With no hole card, the dealer can still have blackjack when you double or split, and if they do, they take everything you have on the table. That’s why at European tables you don’t double 11 against a 10. More in blackjack rules in Spain.
The card that matters: the dealer’s upcard
All of strategy rests on two things: your total and the dealer’s upcard. The upcard tells you how likely the dealer is to bust. With a 5 or a 6 showing, they bust over 40% of the time; with a 10, about 23%.