What the Dealer Must Do on Every Hand
In Las Vegas blackjack, the dealer's play is fixed by table rules and leaves no room for choice. The dealer must draw cards until reaching a total of 17 or higher, then must stand. On a soft 17 — a hand containing an ace counted as 11, such as ace-6 — some tables require the dealer to stand, while others require the dealer to hit. The rule in force is printed on the table layout or stated on a placard, and it changes the house edge slightly in the house's favor when the dealer hits soft 17.
You play only against the dealer, never against the other players at the table. Each player makes an independent decision on their own hand, and the dealer resolves each hand one at a time. A hand that exceeds 21 is a bust and loses immediately, regardless of what the dealer later draws.
How a Hand Is Scored
Numbered cards count as their face value. Face cards — jack, queen, king — each count as 10. An ace counts as either 1 or 11, whichever gives the hand the better total without exceeding 21. A hand with an ace counted as 11 is called a soft hand because the ace can drop to 1 if a later card would otherwise bust the hand. A hand without an ace, or with an ace forced to count as 1, is a hard hand.
A two-card total of 21 — an ace plus any 10-value card — is a blackjack. It pays at a higher rate than a normal win, and the exact payout is printed at the table. A blackjack beats a dealer's 21 made with three or more cards.
Decisions You Make After the First Two Cards
After the initial two cards are dealt, you choose from a fixed set of actions. Each action is resolved before the dealer plays, and the available actions depend on the table's specific rules.
| Decision | What It Does | When It Is Typically Available |
|---|---|---|
| Stand | Take no more cards and keep the current total | On any hand |
| Hit | Take another card | On any hand below 21 |
| Double down | Double the initial wager and receive exactly one more card | On the first two cards, depending on table rules |
| Split | Separate two cards of equal value into two hands, each with its own wager | On a pair, depending on table rules |
| Surrender | Forfeit half the wager and end the hand | Only where the table offers it |
Doubling down is the most consequential of these choices because it increases the amount at risk on a single hand. The table rules state whether doubling is allowed on any two cards, only on certain totals, or only on hard totals. Splitting a pair creates two separate hands, each played independently against the dealer, and some tables allow re-splitting or doubling after a split. Surrender is not offered at every table, and where it is offered, it may be limited to the first two cards.
Why the House Keeps an Edge on Every Hand
The casino's advantage in blackjack comes from the order of play, not from any hidden mechanism. You act first. If you bust, your wager is collected before the dealer ever draws a card, even if the dealer later busts as well. That single rule is enough to give the house a mathematical edge on every hand, and no method of play removes it.
The size of that edge shifts with the table's specific rules — whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17, how many decks are in the shoe, whether doubling after splitting is allowed, and the payout rate for a blackjack. Each rule change moves the edge by a fraction of a percent. The house edge is not printed on the table, but every rule that determines it is. A player who wants to know the exact edge for a given table must read the rules posted at that table and work from the standard published reference charts for the game.
How the Shoe and the Cut Card Work
Most Las Vegas blackjack tables use a dealing shoe holding multiple decks, commonly six or eight, with the exact count stated on the table. The dealer places a colored cut card into the stack after the shuffle. When the cut card appears during play, the dealer finishes that round and then reshuffles. The cut card position determines how many cards are dealt before the next shuffle, and that position is set by the dealer according to house procedure, not by any player action.
Some tables still deal from a single deck or two decks, and those tables are typically labeled as such. The number of decks affects the house edge, with fewer decks generally lowering it, but the table's other rules matter just as much.
What the Table Rules Tell You Before You Sit Down
Every Las Vegas blackjack table displays its rule set, usually on a placard at the table or printed on the felt. The rules that matter most are the dealer's soft-17 action, the blackjack payout, whether doubling after splitting is allowed, whether surrender is offered, and the number of decks in play. These rules are fixed for that table and do not change from hand to hand.
The minimum and maximum wager for the table are also displayed. Those amounts vary by table, by casino, and by time of day, and they are not published in any central location. A player who wants to know the current limits must look at the table itself or ask the dealer.
What to Confirm Before You Sit Down
Before joining a table, confirm the rule set posted at that specific table. The dealer's soft-17 action, the blackjack payout, and the doubling and splitting rules all vary between tables, even within the same casino. Confirm the table minimum and maximum, since those change frequently and are not published elsewhere. If you plan to play for a specific length of time, confirm the cut card position and the number of decks in the shoe, because those affect how often the shoe is reshuffled.
The authoritative source for every one of these items is the table itself. The placard at the table, the printed felt, and the dealer are the only sources that reflect the current rules for that specific table at that specific moment.
FAQ
Does the dealer have to hit on 16 in Las Vegas blackjack?
Yes. The dealer must draw on any total of 16 or lower and must stand on any total of 17 or higher. On a soft 17, the dealer either hits or stands depending on the rule posted at that specific table. The soft-17 rule is one of the most important rule variations because it changes the house edge.
Can you win at blackjack by following a basic strategy?
No strategy removes the house edge. Basic strategy minimizes the expected loss per hand by making the mathematically best decision for every possible hand against every possible dealer upcard, but the house edge remains on every hand because you act first and a bust loses before the dealer plays. The expected loss per hand is the product of the house edge and the amount wagered.
What is the difference between a hard hand and a soft hand?
A soft hand contains an ace counted as 11, so the hand can absorb a high card without busting. A hard hand either has no ace or has an ace forced to count as 1. The distinction matters because the correct playing decision often differs between a soft and a hard hand of the same total, and the dealer's soft-17 rule is a separate table rule.
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This article is general information about how these mechanics work. It is not legal advice and not a recommendation to gamble or to use any particular operator. Availability and legality differ by jurisdiction — check the rules that apply where you are.