Choose your preferred card deck appearance
🎩 Dealer
🎮 You
How to Play
🎯 Objective
Get as close to 21 as possible without going over (busting). Beat the dealer's hand to win.
🃏 Card Values
- • Number cards (2-10): Face value
- • Face cards (J, Q, K): 10 points
- • Ace: 1 or 11 (whichever is better)
🎮 Actions
- • Hit: Take another card
- • Stand: Keep your current hand
- • Split: Split a pair into two hands (requires additional bet). Can re-split up to 4 hands total. Split aces get 1 card each and cannot be re-split.
- • Insurance: When dealer shows an Ace, you can take insurance (half your bet). Pays 2:1 if dealer has Blackjack.
- • Double Down: Double your bet, get exactly one card, then forced stand
- • Blackjack: Ace + 10-value card pays 3:2 (1.5× your bet)
🏠 Dealer Rules
Dealer must hit on 16 or less and stand on 17 or more. These are standard casino rules.
📊 Basic Strategy Quick Reference
These simplified guidelines cover the most common decisions. Real basic strategy charts are more nuanced but this covers ~90% of situations.
When to Hit
- • Always hit on 8 or less
- • Hit on 12 if dealer shows 2 or 3
- • Hit on 12-16 if dealer shows 7 or higher
- • Hit on soft 17 (A+6) against dealer 9, 10, A
When to Stand
- • Always stand on 17 or higher (hard total)
- • Stand on 12-16 if dealer shows 2-6 (dealer likely to bust)
- • Stand on soft 19 (A+8) or higher
When to Split
- • Always split: Aces and 8s
- • Never split: 10s and 5s
- • Split 2s, 3s, 6s, 7s against dealer 2-7
- • Split 9s against 2-6, 8-9 (not 7, 10, A)
- • Split 4s only against dealer 5-6
- • Re-split: You can split again (up to 4 hands) if dealt another pair
- • Aces rule: Split aces get only 1 card each and cannot be re-split
When to Double Down
- • Double on 11 against any dealer card except A
- • Double on 10 against dealer 2-9
- • Double on 9 against dealer 3-6
- • Double on soft 16-18 against dealer 4-6
📚 Understanding Blackjack
Why Basic Strategy Works
Basic strategy is derived from computer simulations of millions of hands. For every combination of your cards and the dealer's up-card, mathematicians calculated the expected value of each action (hit, stand, double, split). The strategy tells you which action has the best expected outcome over time.
The House Edge Explained
With perfect basic strategy, blackjack has one of the lowest house edges in casinos (~0.5%). This means for every $100 wagered, you expect to lose about $0.50 on average. Without strategy, the house edge increases to 2-4%. The house edge comes from the player acting first and busting before the dealer plays.
Card Counting Reality
While card counting can give a small edge (0.5-1.5%), it requires extensive practice, is mentally exhausting, and casinos actively counter it by using multiple decks, shuffling frequently, and banning suspected counters. This simulator does NOT teach card counting.
Variance & Bankroll
Even with perfect play, you can lose many hands in a row due to variance. A typical session might see 10+ losing hands consecutively. No strategy guarantees wins—basic strategy only minimizes losses over the long run. Never gamble with money you can't afford to lose.
🎲 Blackjack Probability Facts
Statistics based on single-deck blackjack with standard rules. Multi-deck games have slightly different odds.
⚙️ Gameplay Settings
Cards dealt from a multi-deck shoe without replacement.
Changing settings will reset the current game.
🎲 Fairness & RNG
Random Number Generation:
All shuffles use the Web Crypto API (crypto.getRandomValues()),
providing cryptographically secure randomness.
Current Mode: Persistent Shoe — Cards are dealt from a multi-deck shoe without replacement. Reshuffles when running low.
This is for entertainment and education only. No real money is involved. MintyCatnipCoin (MCC) is a fictional currency with no value.
All games use crypto.getRandomValues() - a cryptographically secure random number generator built into your browser. This provides casino-grade randomness with no server-side manipulation. Each outcome is independent and unpredictable.