Rules
Card values, the deal, your four moves, the dealer’s rules, payouts and a full round.
Read more →Free blackjack online
In the malachite Hall of Thoth the dealer deals from a six-deck shoe to five boxes. Bet, hit or stand, double and split — no download, no real money.
The short answer
Yes, it is free — and you play with people
Anubis City is a social casino: you play with debens that we give you for free. There is nothing to install and nothing to pay. Walk to the Hall of Thoth at the front right of the square — the malachite hall with a fan of giant cards on its roof — and take a seat at a table.
This is classic blackjack, also called twenty-one: get closer to 21 than the dealer without going over. The hall is named after Thoth, the Egyptian god of writing and reckoning, and its tables after the places where he was worshipped — Khemenu, Tuna, Dakka, Saqqara and others.
Three levels of stakes
| Table stakes | Chips | Bet on a box |
|---|---|---|
| Low | 100 · 500 · 1,000 · 5,000 | 100 to 5,000 |
| Medium | 1,000 · 5,000 · 10,000 · 50,000 | 1,000 to 50,000 |
| High | 10,000 · 50,000 · 100,000 · 500,000 | 10,000 to 500,000 |
Every table has five boxes — five seats. The hall shows each open table, its stakes and who is sitting there; “Quick game” seats you where people are already playing, and when a table is full, a twin table opens next to it. Doubling, splitting and insurance cost extra on top of the bet, so keep some debens in reserve.
How a round goes
- Bets are open for 15 seconds. Put chips on your box — Undo, Clear, Repeat (the bet of the last round) and ×2 are next to the chips — and press “Deal”. When everyone at the table is ready, the cards come out at once.
- The dealer deals from a six-deck shoe: two cards face up to every box, and one face up and one face down for the house.
- If the dealer’s up card is an ace, insurance is offered first. With an ace or a ten-value card up, the dealer peeks at the hidden card: if it makes blackjack, the round ends at once, before anyone doubles or splits.
- Players act in turn, starting from the dealer’s left: Hit, Stand, Double or Split. You have 15 seconds; when time runs out, your hand stands.
- Then the dealer turns over the hidden card, draws to 16 and stands on every 17. Winnings go straight to your purse, the cards are swept into the discard tray and bets open again.
A round takes from half a minute to a minute. The shoe is shuffled when a quarter of it is left.
Rules and payouts
| Hand | Pays |
|---|---|
| Blackjack — an ace and a ten-value card as your first two cards | 3 to 2 |
| A win — closer to 21 than the dealer, or the dealer busts | 1 to 1 |
| Insurance, when the dealer has blackjack | 2 to 1 |
| Push — the same total as the dealer | the bet comes back |
- Cards from 2 to 10 count at face value, jacks, queens and kings count 10, and an ace counts 1 or 11.
- The dealer stands on all 17s, soft ones included.
- You may double on any first two cards, also after a split: one more card, and the bet doubles.
- Two cards of the same value — even a ten and a king — can be split into up to four hands. Split aces get one card each, and an ace with a ten after a split counts as 21, not blackjack.
- Insurance costs half the bet. With blackjack against the dealer’s ace you can take 1 to 1 at once instead of 3 to 2 later.
Fair play
- The shoe is shuffled on the server with a cryptographically secure random generator. The dealer’s hidden card stays on the server until it is turned over — nobody can peek at it, not even through the browser.
- Your bet is taken when the cards come out; doubles, splits and insurance are paid when you press the button, and all winnings are settled in one transaction at the end of the round.
- Leave in the middle of a round and your hands simply stand — whatever they win still reaches your purse. If the server restarts mid-round, the round is settled or the bets come back: debens never get lost.
Neighbours at the table
Up to five people share a table. When fewer than three are sitting, residents marked “AI” take the free boxes: they play basic strategy with the house’s debens and give up their seats as soon as people arrive. Chat and quick phrases work at the table just as they do in the square, and the list by the table shows who is sitting where.
Blackjack questions
Is the blackjack really free?
Yes. You play with debens we give you for free. There are no deposits and no way to cash out.
How many decks are in the shoe?
Six — 312 cards. The shoe is shuffled when about a quarter is left, and the counter next to the table’s name shows how many cards remain.
Does the dealer hit soft 17?
No. The dealer stands on every 17, soft ones too — the rule is written right on the cloth.
What happens if I lose my connection?
Your hand waits for the length of a turn and then stands; the result reaches your purse even if you are no longer at the table. Come back within 30 seconds and your seat is still yours.
Can I play on my phone?
Yes. The table fits the screen, and the chips and the Hit, Stand, Double and Split buttons sit under it, within reach of your thumb.
Learn more about this game
Basic strategy chart
The right move for every hand at our table, how we calculated it and what it saves.
Read more →Strategy trainer
Deal a hand, pick a move, see whether the chart agrees and what each move is worth.
Read more →House edge
Our 0.40%, how it was calculated, what every rule changes and how simple styles compare.
Read more →
The dealer is waiting
Open the game, walk to the malachite Hall of Thoth and take a seat — the next deal is less than a minute away.
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