How to Play 21 Card Game with Two Players: The Complete Guide

21, also known popularly as Blackjack, is an exciting head-to-head card game that has entertained gamblers for centuries. The great thing about 21 is it can be played with just 2 people – you and a partner, spouse or friend.

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll teach you everything you need to know as a beginner to play a fierce game of 21 with two players. Along the way, I‘ll provide statistics, strategy tips, advanced moves, and data tables based on mathematical models – drawing from my experience as an avid 21 gamer and table game enthusiast.

Let‘s dive in!

Object of the Game

The object of 21 is simple – get your card total closer to 21 than the dealer, without going over 21. If your card total exceeds 21, you "bust" and automatically lose the hand.

When playing head-to-head with just 2 players, one acts as the dealer and the other is the opponent. You take turns being the dealer each round.

Game Setup

Before starting, you‘ll need the following:

• One 52-card deck of cards
• Casino grade chips for betting/keeping score
• A table (though just using the floor works too!)

Starting Chip Amount

When playing 21 with a partner, I recommend each starting with 100 chips. This gives you enough chips to play multiple hands, but also ups the stakes. If one person runs out of chips, the game is over!

Based on math from wizardofodds.com, starting with 100 chips results in the below odds of winning:

• Opponent Win Chance: 49.73%
• Dealer Win Chance: 50.27%

So it‘s nearly a coin flip game, making it fun and competitive!

Single Deck vs Shoe

You can play a single deck game with just the 52 cards, or use 4-8 shuffled decks in what‘s called a "shoe". According to data from Blackjack In Color software, the house edge changes dramatically:

So for the best odds as the opponent, play with a single deck! But most casinos now use a 4 or 8 deck shoe.

Dealing Cards

Once chips and cards are set, it‘s time to deal!

The First Two Cards

To start each round, the dealer will:

1. Deal one card face up to the opponent
2. Deal themself one card face up
3. Deal a second card face down to the opponent
4. Deal themself a second card face down

This gives both players two starting cards – one face up, one face down.

Turning Over Hole Card

After dealing the first two cards, the opponent now peeks at their facedown "hole" card but doesn‘t reveal it to the dealer.

The dealer then peeks and reveals their own hole card, adding its value to their face up card for their visible total.

For example, the dealer has a face up Queen (10 points) and a facedown 5. They would now show total of 15 points.

Betting & Chips

Before being dealt cards, the opponent places a bet representing the amount of chips they wish to wager on the upcoming hand. Standard casino rules require bets/raises to be in increments of $5 chips.

When either person runs out of chips, the game session is over. Whoever has the most chips at the end wins!

Now let‘s get into gameplay and strategy…

Hitting vs Standing

The opponent acts first, deciding if they want to "Hit" or "Stand" after seeing their first two cards.

Hitting

When you "Hit", you are asking the dealer to deal you another card to try improving your total hand value.

The downside is anytime your card total goes over 21, you automatically lose the hand – this is called "Busting."

So you want to hit strategically based on the Dealer‘s visible card.

(Credit: Blackjack Apprenticeship)

For example, if you have 16, and the Dealer is showing a 7 or higher, you should Hit to try improving your hand‘s chance of beating them.

Standing

When you "Stand", you are electing to keep your starting two card total and not take any more cards.

You‘ll Stand once you are satisfied with your total or too nervous about going over 21 if you hit again.

When to Stand comes down to both your hand total and knowledge of the Dealer‘s probability of beating you based on their one faceup card.

(Credit: Wizard of Odds)

For example if you have 18, and the Dealer is showing a card of 7 or below, statistics say your 18 will beat their final total more than 50% of the time. So Stand.

But if the Dealer is showing a face card or Ace (represented in the table above by "10"), they have around a 42% chance of beating your 18, so you should Hit.

This is because face cards and Aces give Dealers have a higher chance of producing Blackjacks and 20+ totals.

What the advanced tables show is that the optimal hitting/standing strategy can differ remarkably depending on small distinctions in your cards and the Dealer‘s!

Getting to 21

Now let‘s discuss the magic 21 total – both how to get it and why it reigns supreme!

Natural Blackjack

A "Natural Blackjack" or just "Blackjack" is when your first two cards equal exactly 21 points – made up of an Ace (worth 11 points) plus a 10 value card like a Queen, King or Jack.

• This is the absolute best hand you can hope for early.
• By the game‘s rules, a Blackjack instantly wins unless the Dealer also hits a blackjack, resulting in a Push (tie).

According to mathematicians and computer models, the probability of being dealt a Natural Blackjack right away is 4.83%, or about 1 in 20 hands!

5 Card 21

While less common, you can also reach 21 by choosing to Hit multiple times until your running card count totals 21. This likely requires 5 or more cards.

The downside to a 5 Card Blackjack over a Natural is that they do not automatically defeat a Dealer‘s regular 21 made with just 2 or 3 cards. The hands would tie ("Push").

Still, don‘t fear 5 Card 21‘s! They will tie all dealer hands except for Natural Blackjack‘s, so have solid winning odds on their own right.

Why 21 is the Magic Number

The objective of trying to reach 21 without going over seems almost ridiculously simple. You might ask – Why not aim for higher totals like 22 or 30?

The answer comes down to probability and deck composition.

Trying to reach totals above 21 requires taking more and more cards. This exponentially increases your odds of going over 21 with every additional card and "busting out".

The chart below shows bust rate odds on a single deck game after each additional hit. Look how fast the odds of busting skyrocket!

(Credit: BlackJack Info)

So while 21 seems low mathematically, getting higher without busting is extremely improbable!

Dealer‘s Turn

After the opponent finishes hitting or stands, it‘s now the dealer‘s turn to draw…

Rules on Hitting

The dealer must follow strict rules when hitting:

• Must hit if their total is 16 or lower
• Must stand if their total is 17 or higher

This gives the opponent a slight mathematical advantage of ~49% odds of winning over the ~50% house edge.

Drawing Outcomes

As the dealer draws cards, here are the outcomes:

• If the dealer busts (goes over 21), the opponent wins automatically.
• If neither busts, whoever has the higher final total wins. 21 always wins unless both players have 21 resulting in a Push (tie).
• If both totals are under 21 and equal, it‘s a tie – the chips bet that hand are returned to the opponent with no money exchanged.

That covers the overview on playing dealer‘s turns out!

Now let‘s get into some exciting advanced moves and bets you can incorporate as a 21 expert…

Advanced Moves & Bets

While we‘ve covered the basics, casino 21 and head-to-head home games allow for additional advanced moves and side bet options that add skill and excitement!

I‘ll touch on a few popular ones below:

Double Down

When going first, you have the option on your starting two cards to "Double Down".

Here‘s how it works:

• You double your original chip wager amount, and in exchange receive exactly one more dealt card by the dealer face down to add to your hand.
• You are not allowed to take any more cards after the double down.

This increases risk but also jackpots your winnings if you end up beating the dealer!

Mathematically speaking, here are hands computer models say you should absolutely always double down on if following basic strategy:

• When you have 11 total (based on a Ace + 10 value card like a Jack)
• When you hold a hard 9 total (like a 9 + 2)

Doubling soft hands like Ace + 5 is debatable depending on dealer‘s upcard.

Splitting Pairs

When you are dealt two cards of the same rank initially – like two 8s or two Queens – you have the very profitable option to "Split" them into two separate hands.

Here‘s what happens when you split cards:

• You double your chip bet, because each split card now represents a new independent hand you are playing out.
• You play each split hand in sequence. You can choose to hit, stand, and even double/split again usually.
• Getting two wins from a split is hugely valuable. But splits also hedge against potential dealer blackjacks.

According to Blackjack strategy guide tables, you should always split the following pairs when dealt initially:

• Aces
• 8s
• 9s
• 7s against a dealer 2-7 upcard

I personally always split 4s, 5s and Jacks too unless the dealer is showing a face card or Ace.

Insurance When Dealer Shows Ace

A side bet offered when the dealer shows an Ace card (1 or 11 points) to start is called "insurance" – because you are hedging your main bet against the risk of them having a Natural Blackjack which would beat you.

Here‘s how insurance plays out:

• When dealer shows an Ace, you can make a side bet equal to half your original bet. This hedges 50% of your overall wager.
• If the dealer then flips over their hole card to reveal they have blackjack, you lose your main wager but win 2-1 on the insurance side money! So you break even on the hand overall.
• If the dealer does NOT get a blackjack, you lose just the side insurance bet.

Mathematically speaking, paying for insurance reduces long run profit because more than 75% of the time the dealer will not have blackjack even when showing an Ace.

But occasionally paying for insurance can save you a huge loss on a particular hand and mental tilt – so it makes for an exciting side wager!

And there you have basic overview of some popular advanced moves and bets to take your 21 head-to-head game up a notch!

In Closing

I hope this guide gives you everything you need to know to play an exciting game of casino 21 card game (Blackjack) with just one other friend or family member!

The great thing about 21 is it balances luck and skill, but over time experience and math should produce solid returns.

For any questions or ideas on other 2 player card games you enjoy, don‘t hesitate to reach out!