The Deal
For purposes of this section, however. we'll be playing in a casino where a dealer must stand on all hands totaling 17 or more, whether or not they're soft 17s. And no matter what hands the player holds, whether they be 18s, 19s, or 20s, even if the dealer knows he'll be beaten if he stands, he must still stand pat. He cannot deviate from the casino rules.
Let's now follow our six players and the dealer in an illustrative hand. The first two cards dealt to the players consist of the following:
Player A; 10, 4
Player B: A, 5
Player C: 9, 3
Player D: A, K
Player E: 6, 3
Player F: 7, J
Dealer: ?, 8
We are seeing the dealer's hand the way the players see it, with one up card and one hole card.
Player A decides that 14 isn't strong enough against the dealer's up card of 8, and so he scrapes his cards for a hit. He gets a 9 and now holds 10, 4, 9 for a total over 21. He has busted and loses at once, so he turns over his cards, showing his busted hand, and the dealer immediately removes the cards and the player's chips from the table. Player A is now out of the game; even if the dealer should bust later on, the player cannot redeem his chips. Once a player busts, and then the dealer busts, the player loses.
Player B has an ace and 5 for either a 6 or 16. By hitting, he cannot bust and stands a good chance of improving his hand, so he scrapes for a hit and gets a 3. Counting the ace as an 11, he now has a total of 19, which is a high total in blackjack, so he stands.