Learn the game

Blackjack rules

Learn the Blackjack rules used in DeNiro Card: the deal, legal moves, payouts and how to win. House rules vary; these are the rules at DeNiro Card tables.

How to play Blackjack

1. Get closer to 21 than the dealer without going over. Over 21 is a bust and an instant loss.
2. Number cards are face value, face cards are 10, and an Ace is 1 or 11, whichever helps.
3. One deck, shuffled by the table. If it runs out during a round the table builds a fresh deck, leaving out the cards already dealt to the seats and the dealer, and play carries on, so the deck never stays depleted. Two cards each; the dealer shows one card and keeps one hidden until every seat is done.
4. Your only choices are Hit (take a card) and Stand (keep your total). Your bet is the stake you chose for the table; there is no double, split, insurance or surrender.
5. If the dealer shows an Ace or a ten-value card, the dealer checks for a natural first. A dealer natural ends the round at once: your own natural pushes, every other hand loses.
6. A natural (two-card 21) beats an ordinary 21. Any 21 stands automatically.
7. The dealer draws to 16 and stands on every 17, including a soft 17.
8. Payout: a natural pays 3 to 2 (two and a half times your stake back), an ordinary win pays 1 to 1 (double your stake back), a push returns your stake, and a loss pays nothing. One round per stake.
9. Your clock: at a coin table against the computer you get up to 90 seconds for each move, and the table header counts down the exact time left. If it runs out, the table plays that move for you on the merits. You are not forfeited, nothing extra is charged, and your stake and payout are unchanged. Each of your first three missed moves keeps the full clock; miss a third in a row and the rest of the hand runs at computer speed, about two thirds of a second a turn, which in practice finishes it for you. Making one move yourself puts the full clock back. An Online table against real people runs its own, separate clock; watch the same countdown there.

Common questions

Playing in DeNiro Card

Practice lets you play any game with no account and no coins. Coin tables use virtual play coins and need a DeNiro account; choose a coin stake before joining one. Leaving an active coin game forfeits the stake and adds a 10% leaving fee. Play coins have no cash value and cannot be cashed out.

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