Red Dead Redemption 2 - How to Play Blackjack and Win

There’s a reason that blackjack and cowboys are tied together in history. It’s the perfect game for Red Dead Redemption 2, combining luck and skill in a lawless way. Returning from the original Red Dead Redemption, blackjack can be tricky if you’ve never tried to go for 21 before. Therefore, read on for a complete summary on how to play blackjack and win in Red Dead 2.

In blackjack, your goal is to defeat the dealer with your hand. You do this by getting as close to 21 as possible without going over. In blackjack terminology, going over is called busting. If you manage to win the round, you’ll acquire money based on the bet you made on your hand before the start.

Red Dead Redemption 2 – How to Play A Hand of Blackjack

After you bet on your future hand, the dealer hands out cars to everyone at the table. Each player’s hand is dealt face-up, but one of the dealer’s cards remains hidden until the end of a round. When play comes around to you, you must choose one of four actions.

Choosing hit will get you one additional card of the top of the deck. Since you’re trying to get as close to 21 as possible without getting over, this can be a risky proposition in certain situations.
Typically, once you get around 17 or so, you’ll want to stand. That means you’re satisfied with your hand and your turn is over.
You can double down if you only have two cards in your hand. This doubles your current bet and gives you one sole additional card to play with. If you don’t have the finances to double your current bet, then this option isn’t available to you.
If you get two cards of the same value in your opening hand, you can split your hand. This gives you two hands that you play side by side. The new hand will have the same bet as your original, so you’ll need to pony up the cash to cover it if you want to use this option. Note that you can’t get a blackjack in a split hand, but you can double down if you so choose.

After all the players take their turns, the dealer plays out his actions. These are set in stone and can be easily predicted. First, the dealer will reveal his hidden card and score his current hand. If the hand is less than 17, the dealer has to take another card. Once the hand is 17 or higher, he must stand with what he’s got.

After the dealer finishes, scores are tallied and the round is over. Any players who reached closer to 21 than the dealer without going over win their bet. If the dealer busts, then all players end up winning the hand. If you tie with the dealer, then the hand is a “push.” This just means that everything is a wash and your chips are returned to you.

Red Dead Redemption 2 – How to Score A Hand of Blackjack

As for scoring your hand, it is pretty straightforward. Any cards from 2 to 10 go by the number on the card, known as the face value. The royal family of kings, queens, and jacks are all counted as 10s in blackjack. As for aces, that varies depending on your current hand. It can be scored as either an 11 or a 1. The number depends on what will get you closer to 21 without busting, and it automatically switches between the two values.

If your opening hand contains an ace and a card valued at 10, you get blackjack. This means that you win unless the dealer also happens to have blackjack. If that’s the case, the round is a push and no one wins anything. If you do win this way, you get a 3:2 payout on your bet rather than the usual winnings.

Red Dead Redemption 2 – Blackjack Tips and Tricks

If the dealer has an ace showing, you can purchase insurance during your turn. You can get insurance for up to half of your current bet. The dealer checks if he has a blackjack, and you win 2:1 on your insurance bet if he does. If he doesn’t, you lose your insurance bet and the round continues. Note that winning an insurance bet will lose you your initial bet.

Taking things one step further, if you have blackjack and the dealer has an ace showing, you can bet maximum insurance and do what is known as taking even money. If the dealer has blackjack in this situation, you win the insurance and push the regular bet. If the dealer doesn’t have blackjack, you lose insurance but get a blackjack payout. Either way, you get 1:1 winnings on your initial bet, putting you ahead of the competition.