Basic Moves in Blackjack

There may be only three basic moves to learn in blackjack, but they give you plenty of opportunity to strategize and win jackpots from the casino.

The three basic moves are hit, stand, and surrender. You will always have these three options in blackjack. Technically, players have five moves if you include split and double down, but we'll get to those more complex moves later.

Now, you can only begin to move in blackjack when the dealer comes around to your turn.

If you're happy with the value of your hand and you don't want any more cards, you can 'stand'.

To do this, you signal to the dealer by waving your hand over the table so the camera can see you no longer wish to receive any more cards. Each move in blackjack has a universal hand signal. So whether you're playing 21 in Vegas or Macau, the dealer will know exactly what you want to do.

It still helps if you verbalize your intention as well as the hand movement though, so your intention gets across clearly.

Now, let's say your hand value is low and you need another card. This is called a 'hit'. If you wish to receive another card you tap the table with your hand or finger to indicate you wish to receive another card.

The final basic move is surrender. This happens when you have a terrible hand and you don’t see yourself winning, or the odds are not in your favor. You can simply tell the dealer that you wish to surrender verbally.

Now for the fun moves: double down and split.

When you want to double down on your original bet, slide the same amount of chips next to your current bet and indicate to the dealer verbally that you wish to double.

When you want to split two cards of equal value into two new hands you simply slide over the same bet without touching your initial bet, and indicate to the dealer that you wish to split. You do that by splitting your index and middle finger to indicate splitting, like this.

It’s important that you do this, especially when both your cards are 5s. That hand could either be a double or a split so it’s important to gesture and verbalize your intentions

So you know the basic moves in blackjack, but do you know about the special rules in the game? Watch our next video to find out.