Blackjack Rules and Strategy for Advanced Players

While many novices and others who enjoy playing blackjack just for fun may be well suited to learn only the basic rules of the game, others are more interested in winning real money. In this case, they should understand the advanced rules and strategies associated with blackjack.


The first advanced rule that is often unknown by novices is the rule regarding splitting. Any time a player has a two-card hand consisting of same-valued cards they can split that hand into two. When a player has two Aces, they can split those Aces; Aces are worth 11 points and a majority of the cards in the deck have a value of 10, making the likelihood of scoring at least one blackjack very high, indeed.

Doubling Down

Doubling down is the process by which a player doubles their bet after receiving their initial two cards. Once a player doubles their bet, they will only receive one more card and they are forced to stand after that card is accepted. While this may be a great way to earn extra money, doubling down should be done with discretion as it can lead to disaster as often as it leads to riches.


While there are many critics who claim that insurance bets are scams, there are just as many players who have had success when using them. Simply put, an insurance bet can be placed if the dealer is showing an Ace. If the dealer has a blackjack, the player wins a two-to-one insurance payout. If the dealer does not have blackjack, the player loses their insurance bet and gameplay proceeds as normal.

Without learning the advanced rules and strategies associated with blackjack, players cannot expect to excel beyond the novice stage. In this case, players will be well suited to stick with games like poker and video slots instead.