How to play blackjack.
Your goal is to finish closer to 21 than the dealer, without going over. You do not have to reach exactly 21 to win. This guide explains the rules used at our free online practice table, one hand at a time.
Play free blackjack1. Read your cards
Cards from 2 through 10 are worth their face value. Jacks, queens and kings are each worth 10. An ace counts as 1 or 11, whichever gives your hand the highest total without going over 21. Suits do not affect the score.
A blackjack is an ace plus a ten-value card in your first two cards. A three-card total of 21 is a strong hand, but it is not a blackjack and does not receive the special blackjack payout.
What is a soft hand?
A hand is “soft” when an ace is being counted as 11. An ace and a 6 make soft 17. If you take a 10 next, the ace changes to 1 and your hand becomes hard 17. A “hard” hand has no ace currently counted as 11.
A + 6 = soft 17.
Add a 10: 1 + 6 + 10 = hard 17. The ace changes value automatically; you do not need to choose.
2. Choose a stake and make your move
At After Hours, a new session starts with 1,000 free practice chips. Select a chip value from 10 to 500 and choose “Deal me in.” You receive two cards. The dealer also receives two, with one initially face down unless the hand is already settled by a blackjack.
- Hit: take one more card. You can hit again while your hand remains below 21. If you go over 21, you bust and lose the stake immediately.
- Stand: keep your total and end your turn. The dealer then completes their hand.
- Double: add a stake equal to your original bet, take exactly one more card, and end your turn. This is available only on your first two cards and only when you have enough chips.
Reaching 21 automatically ends your turn at this table. If Double is unavailable, check whether you have already hit or whether your remaining stack is smaller than your initial stake.
Double example: start with a 50-chip bet and double to 100. You receive just one extra card. An ordinary win then returns 200 chips in total; a loss forfeits the full 100.
3. Let the dealer finish
The dealer follows a fixed rule: draw on totals below 17 and stand on 17 or more. At After Hours this includes soft 17, such as an ace and a 6. The dealer does not choose moves based on your score.
If you have not busted and the dealer goes over 21, you win. Otherwise, the higher total wins. Matching totals are a push: your stake comes back without a profit or loss. The dealer checks for a two-card blackjack at the start; if both hands are blackjack, the result is also a push.
One complete hand: you have 10 + 8 and stand on 18. The dealer reveals 10 + 6, draws a 9 and busts with 25. Your 50-chip stake returns as 100 chips: the original 50 plus a 50-chip win.
4. Understand blackjack payouts
An ordinary win pays 1:1 on your stake. A two-card blackjack pays 3:2, unless the dealer also has blackjack. The amounts below include the original stake, so you can distinguish the chips returned from the profit.
| Result | Chips returned | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary win | 100 | +50 |
| Blackjack (3:2) | 125 | +75 |
| Push | 50 | 0 |
| Loss or bust | 0 | −50 |
These are practice chips with no monetary value. They cannot be bought, transferred or redeemed, and the game offers no cash prizes.
The rules at this particular table
Blackjack rules vary between games. After Hours uses six decks, freshly shuffled for every hand, and a dealer who stands on all 17s. You can hit, stand and double on your first two cards. Splitting pairs, insurance and surrender are not offered.
Your hand, chip balance and recent history are saved on our server and linked to this browser by a cookie. Your settings stay on this device. You can leave this guide and return to your table. Internet access and cookies are required. Clearing cookies or switching browsers loses access to that saved table. Read our privacy and game information for details.
After a hand finishes, “Start a fresh session” restores 1,000 practice chips and clears session statistics and hand history. No payment or account is needed to start again.
Get a feel for the game.
Try a few small practice hands, watch how aces change value, and get comfortable with hit, stand and double.
Take a seat at the table