The simple game play featured in blackjack make for a small amount of rules that must be kept in mind while playing blackjack either at a casino or online. In the basic blackjack rules of the game, a bet must be wagered to get you into the next round of the game. The players are given their cards face up with the dealer allowed to keep one "hole" card hidden. Players are usually allowed to double any pairs received up to three times in the even all four of a card point value comes to them, thus increasing their play to four hands in the one round of play. The dealer must stand on a seventeen point and hit on a sixteen point or less. And in rules for playing blackjack the option to "surrender" at the beginning when you first get your two cards allows you to withdraw from a round of play with only one half of the original bet lost.

But variety as usual is the spice of life and even for a game as basic as blackjack there are different rules for playing. Las Vegas has two variations of blackjack rules. The Strip rules vary in that while a dealer must draw to sixteen or less and hold on seventeen or more, the player is allowed to double any pairs and play them as a regular hand except when splitting Aces. The Las Vegas rules allow only one card to be played of the split Ace. Also in Las Vegas Rules a Blackjack pays one and a half to one and insurance on a dealer Ace pays two to one. The Downtown Las Vegas blackjack rules allow the dealer to hit soft on a seventeen point hand.

Blackjack Tournament rules can vary between different casinos but all usually try to keep the basics the same. Most differences in Tournament rules are the amount of money you are limited to start with. Also, a unique variation in blackjack tournament play is that you are timed. Usually you are allowed only one and a half hours to increase your winnings to determine the winner. You do not have to play your tournament hands straight but are allowed to take breaks and switch tables to complete your time. The object of the tournament rules is that the person with the greatest increase of winnings at the end of their allotted time is the winner. In case of ties, they will generally split the prize money rather than force a dead heat play by the tying players.

Double Deck Blackjack rules have their own unique twist. Play is done with two decks of cards combined so the odds are different and card counters have a harder time of it. However, double deck blackjack is very popular because once you do learn the art of card counting this form offers even greater opportunities to win than single deck blackjack. It is played with only a few exceptions. The dealer must hit a soft seventeen an stand on hard seventeen or greater. Players may split aces up to three times, but still are only allowed one card to add to them if they do so. And in double deck blackjack you may not double after a split.

Whenever you are playing at a new casino or online gaming house, always check to make sure you understand which of the variations of the basic blackjack rules are being followed.