Two cards are dealt to form your hand, and two more are dealt to form the house’s hand (one face up, one face down).
You have five options:
- Hit: Take one or more additional cards to improve your hand, as long as the total does not exceed 21.
- Stand: Keep you hand as is if you are happy it.
- Double down: Add a bet equal to your initial wager after being dealt your first two cards, unless they total 21. You can also double down after splitting a pair, but not if you split a pair of aces. In any case, when you double down, you receive an additional card.
- Split: Separate a pair (two cards of the same value) into up to four individual hands. Each hand is then played separately. A pair of aces can only be split once, and you can only be dealt one additional card for each hand. Each time you split a pair, you must place a bet equal to your initial wager. You cannot get a blackjack on a split hand.
- Take insurance if the house has an ace as a face-up card. To do so, you must place a bet on the insurance line on the blackjack table, which can be up to half your original bet. If the house has a blackjack, your insurance bet pays out. You lose your insurance bet if the house doesn’t have a blackjack.
