How Blackjack Dealer Rules Shape the Game

Blackjack is one of the most popular games in the casino, because at one level it can be a simple game to play. 

It is a fun and exciting game and can offer a great night’s entertainment experience.

But what are the rules? And what rules must the dealer follow?

When you have finished reading this article, you will know the rules of blackjack, what rules must be followed by the dealer and how the game is played.

Let’s get started.

How Strict are the Dealer’s Rules in Blackjack?

At first glance, Blackjack is a very simple game. The players make their bets, the dealer gives everyone their cards and then takes or pays the bets based on who has 21 or less, and more or less than the dealer.

But there are some serious rules that limit exactly what the dealer can do. In fact, there is very little wiggle room for the dealer – the rules are very strict, and the dealer must follow them closely.

This was brought home to me most strongly when I opened Red Hawk Casino, just outside of Sacramento in California, as the Vice President of Table Games.

Most of my mid-management crew came from Greektown, the MGM and Motor City Casino in Detroit and had been trained when they opened by managers mostly from Atlantic City, in New Jersey. 

My background was from the UK, by way of the Bahamas and Las Vegas.  Two completely different mindsets and philosophies as to how casinos should be run.

Once I had my crew on board, we had a preliminary set of operating rules and decided to run the games to see what rules we wanted to use on all our games, starting with blackjack.

So we set up a table and started to deal the game.

The first cards were out, but when the dealer got to himself, he immediately turned his first card face up.  And I said, ‘hold on, that’s not how we’re going to do it’.

They all said, ‘the dealer’s first card comes out face up; and I said, ‘no, it doesn’t, it stays face down and becomes the up card when the dealer’s second card becomes the hole card’.

There are reasons for each method, but it just goes to show how many tiny details are included in how all the casino games are dealt.

... and as long as we all agree on how we’re doing things, and the games are dealt consistently, all will be well.

The dealer blackjack rules in this article will be the general rules that are typically in place at most large traditional casinos.

There are dozens of small rules that don’t affect the player’s win/loss at all, but there are two that are a big deal.

In this article, we’re going to focus on the two main rules that affect your odds of winning when playing blackjack.

If you’re opening a casino, one of the first questions that comes up is: ‘Are we going to deal blackjack face up using a multi-deck shoe or are we going to pitch the cards face down or are we going to do both’  is one of the first choices that must be made.

From the casino’s point of view, having both available is the ideal solution.

The 6-deck shoe will be well-known to the players, it is a safe and secure way for the casino to deal the game and doesn’t require supervisors and surveillance personnel with a great deal of specialized experience to watch and protect the game.

The pitch games are a different story. 

Experienced players, and the players who are more likely to try and take advantage of the game will gravitate towards the pitch games because they have a lower House Advantage than the shoe games, given the other rules are identical.

Once the ‘shoe or pitch’ decision has been made, there are other decisions that are critical to the casino’s financial success.

There are two major decisions (and perhaps a hundred minor ones) the casino makes on how their blackjack games are dealt.

Those two main rules are how many decks are in use, and do they hit or stand on a soft 17. 

The first is the number of decks in use on the games.  Typically, a blackjack shoe has 6 decks.

Increasing the number of decks increases the House Advantage (also called the House Edge).  It’s a small amount percentage-wise, but with potentially millions in play every year, it can have a significant effect on the casino’s annual revenue. 

That doesn’t impact the dealer’s rules at all, except in how the decks are opened and checked before being put onto the game, and how they’re checked and removed from the game.

Those rules are very strict because casino cards may be the most protected item in the casino. Who signs what and where, who breaks the seals, where the seals are broken, how the cards are exposed to the cameras, how the cards are shuffled prior to being put into the shoe, how the cards are removed and by whom, are all done exactly the same way every time, as stipulated in the casino’s Policies and Procedures manuals.

And of course, those rules don’t affect the players either, apart from the changed House Advantage.

The second rule has a lot more impact on the dealer’s rules. 

If the casino elects to stand on a soft 17, it is better for the players as the House Advantage goes down by 0.22%.  On a game that typically holds about 0.65%, this decision is huge and is why many casinos elect to have the dealer hit a soft 17.

In the table above, the 6-deck shoe HA is listed as 0.64%.  The rules in place to give that HA include the dealer hitting a soft 17.  By changing that rule to the dealer standing on a soft 17, it would change the HA to 0.42%, reducing the HA (and therefore the casino revenue) by a third.

What does that look like from the player’s perspective on the game?

If the dealer takes another card with a soft 17, it means it’s HA is 0.64%. 

If the dealer does not take a card with a soft 17, it means the HA is 0.42%.

And there is no discussion or wiggle room on that.

General dealer rules for all blackjack games

• If there is a legitimate bet in place, the dealer will deal cards to it.
• If the dealer’s up card is an Ace, Insurance will be offered to all players before checking for blackjack.
• If the dealer’s up card is a 10-value card, they will check the hole card for blackjack.
• If the dealer has a natural blackjack, the hand is over, players either lose or push if they have a blackjack.
• The dealer must draw cards until they have a hard or soft 17, depending on the house rule.
• If the dealer goes over 21, all players still in the game win even money.
•  If the dealer has 17 or more, players still in the game with more than 17 and less than 21 win.

Other rules the dealer must follow:

Shoe Games

• The dealers are required to follow the rules to the letter, so if the rule is that the casino hits a soft 17, the dealer will hit until they have a hard 17 or more.
• The dealer deals the cards to the players face up, starting with the player to the dealer’s left (called first base).
• The dealer’s first card is dealt face down, and the second card is taken from the shoe face down, then the first card is turned face up on top of it.
• Cards are always placed with the top left corner in the middle of the previous card.
• Hit cards are always placed face up on the hand.
• A doubled down hand receives one hit card, placed perpendicular to the original hand.
• Double downs are allowed to be for less. The additional bet on a double down is always placed to the dealer’s right of the original bet.
• Splits must include the same amount as the original bet on the split hand. If the split hand is an Ace, the hit card is placed perpendicular to the Ace.
• The shuffle must be completed exactly as the procedure requires.  Again, there is no wiggle room on that – and exactly means EXACTLY as the procedure requires.

For a more detailed look at the shuffles in place for the various number of decks in use, go here.

Pitch Games

• All players’ cards are pitched over the original bet to land gently in front of them.
• The players are only allowed to use one hand when picking up their cards.
• The players request a hit by scratching their cards towards themselves.
• Hit cards are placed face up where they would normally be placed on a shoe game.
• If the player doubles down, the original two cards are placed face up where they would normally be placed on a shoe game.  The one hit card is placed face down and tucked under the bet on the player’s side of the bet.  The player is allowed to look at the card.
• Again, the shuffle must be exactly as listed in the procedure manual.  No variation to the shuffle is permitted.

As a sidebar - it’s a known phenomenon that many casino personnel are superstitious and don’t like to lose.  It’s called “sweating the money.” 

It’s an amazing thing – it’s not their money, and win/loss doesn’t affect their pay or evaluations in any way. 

So sometimes they (ahem . . .) ‘encourage’ the dealers to change the shuffle if the players are winning a lot.

Generally, it indicates that the person doesn’t really understand how the games work.  It’s amateurish and unprofessional.

Expert’s Advice

Always check the rules in place before you make a bet. The most important rules will be printed on the table layout.

Always try to find a game that pays 3 to 2 for blackjack. Never play a blackjack game that pays 6 to 5. It increases the HA by 1.39%, making it virtually impossible to win on the game.

Surrender is perhaps the best kept secret in the casino. Players almost never use it, but it offers the players a great deal when they have a weak hand against a dealer’s strong hand. The short version is always surrender a hard 16 against a dealer’s up card of 10. 

The Side Bets (Royal Match, Lucky Ladies and so on) have one function only, and that is to separate you from your bankroll faster.

Conclusion

For much more in-depth information about the dealer blackjack rules, go here.

This is from an article in the Academy that I wrote about how to deal blackjack.  It is quite detailed and includes some shuffle procedures, how to count money, how to make change, more ‘insider’ dealer information and so on.

The main takeaway you may get from this guide is that the dealer has very little choice in how they deal the game.  And that is absolutely true. 

Everything is covered in the Procedures manual which the dealer must follow.  The reason is that most procedures have been developed because at some point in the past, a cheat had found a way to gain an advantage, and the casino had taken some action to prevent the cheating move.

Having said that, watching experienced dealers, particularly pitch dealers, is watching an exercise in skill and flawless precision.  Some dealers are Olympics-level experts, and it shows.