Blackjack Guide

Blackjack Rules and Basic Strategy

Blackjack is a table game where the goal is to beat the dealer without going over 21. This guide covers card values, common actions, and simple practice notes for the Neon Table Games blackjack table.

Neon Table Games offers free play-money blackjack for entertainment and strategy practice only. There is no real-money wagering, deposit, prize, or cash-out.

How Blackjack Works

Each hand starts with two player cards and two dealer cards. Number cards count as their face value, face cards count as 10, and aces can count as either 1 or 11. A hand over 21 is a bust.

The best starting hand is blackjack: an ace plus any 10-value card. On this table, blackjack pays 3 to 2.

Player Actions

Hit

Take one more card. Use hit when your hand needs improvement and the bust risk is acceptable.

Stand

Keep your current total and end your turn. Standing is common on stronger totals.

Double Down

Double your bet, take exactly one card, and stand. Doubling is strongest when the dealer is vulnerable.

Split

When your first two cards match in value, split them into two separate hands with separate bets.

Dealer Rules

The dealer reveals the hidden card after player decisions are complete. On this table, the dealer hits soft 17, meaning a dealer hand such as ace-six must take another card.

Simple Strategy Notes

Basic blackjack strategy depends on your total, whether your hand is soft or hard, and the dealer's visible card. The Duke University probability guide notes that simple approaches like mimicking the dealer or always avoiding busts can still leave the player at a meaningful disadvantage, while a dealer-upcard-aware strategy gets much closer to even play.

Dealer Shows 2-6

Play more conservatively against weak dealer upcards. A common simplified rule is to avoid busting because the dealer has more pressure to draw.

Dealer Shows 7-Ace

Play more aggressively against stronger dealer upcards. You often need to improve your total instead of waiting for the dealer to break.

Hard 12 Exception

One simplified exception from the Duke guide is to hit hard 12 against a dealer 2 or 3.

Soft Hands

Soft hands include an ace counted as 11. The Duke guide recommends hitting soft 17 or less, and hitting soft 18 against a dealer 9 or 10-value card.

Doubling Down

Double on 11. Double on 10 unless the dealer shows 10 or ace. Double on 9 against dealer 2 through 6.

Splitting Pairs

Split aces and 8s. Do not split 10s, 5s, or 4s. For many other pairs, split against dealer 2 through 7 and avoid splitting against stronger upcards.

Source: Duke University Blackjack Guide

Play Blackjack

Strategy Chart

Basic Strategy for This Blackjack Table

This chart matches the rules used in Neon Table Games blackjack: one 52-card deck, blackjack pays 3 to 2, dealer hits soft 17, double after split is allowed, one split is allowed, and surrender is not available. Basic strategy is a statistical recommendation for the next decision, not a guarantee for any single hand.

Hard Totals

A hard total has no ace counted as 11. For example, 10-6 is hard 16. Hard hands can bust immediately when you hit.

Soft Totals

A soft total has an ace currently counted as 11. For example, ace-6 is soft 17 because the ace can become 1 if another card would otherwise bust the hand.

How to Read the Chart

Find your hand type: hard total, soft total, or pair.
Find your hand total or pair in the left column.
Find the dealer's visible card across the top row.
Use the letter where that row and column meet.

H = Hit S = Stand D = Double if available, otherwise hit P = Split

Hard Totals

Hard total recommendations by dealer upcard
	Dealer visible card
Your hard total	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
17+	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
13-16	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
12	H	H	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
11	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
10	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
9	H	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
8 or less	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H

Soft Totals

Soft total recommendations by dealer upcard
	Dealer visible card
Your soft hand	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
A,9	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
A,8	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
A,7	D	D	D	D	D	S	S	H	H	H
A,6	H	D	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,4 or A,5	H	H	D	D	D	H	H	H	H	H
A,2 or A,3	H	H	H	D	D	H	H	H	H	H

Pairs

Pair recommendations by dealer upcard
	Dealer visible card
Your pair	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
A,A	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P
10,10	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
9,9	P	P	P	P	P	S	P	P	S	S
8,8	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P
7,7	P	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H
6,6	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H	H
5,5	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	H	H
4,4	H	H	H	P	P	H	H	H	H	H
3,3 or 2,2	P	P	P	P	P	P	H	H	H	H

Strategy charts vary when rules change. This table is adapted for the current Neon Table Games rules and should be used for free play-money practice only.

Blackjack Glossary

Blackjack

An ace plus a 10-value card as the first two cards. On this table, blackjack pays 3 to 2.

Bust

A hand total over 21. A busted hand loses immediately.

Hard Hand

A hand without an ace counted as 11. Hard hands can bust when you take another card.

Soft Hand

A hand with an ace counted as 11. For example, ace-6 is soft 17 because the ace can also count as 1.

Hit

Take one additional card.

Stand

Keep your current total and end your turn.

Double Down

Double your bet, take exactly one more card, and then stand.

Split

Separate a matching pair into two hands, each with its own bet.

Dealer Upcard

The dealer's visible card. Basic strategy decisions depend heavily on this card.

Hole Card

The dealer's face-down card, revealed after player decisions are complete.

Push

A tie between the player and dealer. The original bet is returned.

Bankroll

The play-money balance used for betting on this free blackjack table.