> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://aceup.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Playing a hand

> Every decision you can be offered, and what it costs.

## The actions

| Action | When it is offered | What it does |
| - | - | - |
| **Hit** | Any hand under 21 | One more card |
| **Stand** | Always | Ends your turn on the total you have |
| **Double** | A hard 10 or 11 on your first two cards, not after a split | Doubles your stake, one card only, turn ends |
| **Split** | A pair — and any two ten-value cards count as one | Two hands, a second stake equal to the first |

Surrender is **off**. The engine knows the action; the rule set does not offer
it.

Double and Split appear only when the rules offer them. When they do not, one
line under the buttons says why — `Double is only on your first two cards.`
Nothing is hidden.

Your total reads **low/high** while an ace can still count as 11 (`8/18`) and
settles to one number the moment you stand or the hand is decided.

**A placed bet is final.** Once your bet is in, it plays as placed; it cannot be
changed or cleared before the deal. Leaving the table before the deal refunds it.

## Splitting

When your first two cards can be split, the action appears with the cost of the
second stake on it.

![A hand of two eights with the Split action offered, showing the additional stake it will cost.](https://mintcdn.com/aceup/9Or0tHJTM0oGeA8-/images/screens/split-offered.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=9Or0tHJTM0oGeA8-\&q=85\&s=1940a5fb6fe514f07ee1417ba5718bb3)

Once taken, the two hands play in turn:

![Two split hands side by side, the active one framed in gold, each with its own total and stake.](https://mintcdn.com/aceup/9Or0tHJTM0oGeA8-/images/screens/split-hands.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=9Or0tHJTM0oGeA8-\&q=85\&s=646f056f972615ca30ceb686c40a59dd)

* Split up to **four hands**. Any two ten-value cards may be split, as at a
  Vegas table — a king and a queen count as a pair.
* **Doubling after a split is allowed.**
* **Split aces get one card each** and the turn ends. A ten on a split ace is
  21, not a blackjack, and pays 1:1.

Each hand is played in turn; the active one is framed. The finished hand keeps
its cards fully visible — only its tag dims — so you can still see what you did.

A mixed result is shown as a table, one row per hand plus the net, so a wash
reads as a wash rather than as a win or a loss.

## Insurance

![The insurance window with the cost stated, Insure and No thanks buttons, and the default explained in the panel.](https://mintcdn.com/aceup/9Or0tHJTM0oGeA8-/images/screens/insurance-window.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=9Or0tHJTM0oGeA8-\&q=85\&s=353369867fbe3975da9b48d797660875)

When the dealer shows an ace you are offered insurance — a side wager of half
your stake that pays **2:1** if the dealer has blackjack.

The buttons name the actual cost: `Insure 0.025 ◎` and `No thanks`. The panel
states what happens if you do nothing: **silence means no.** You are told the
default rather than being caught by it.

At a shared table you have 10 seconds to decide.

> [!NOTE]
>
> Insurance is a losing bet on average with these rules. Ace Up makes **No
> thanks** the filled button, because that is the correct play and a casino that
> puts its thumb on the other one is telling you something about itself.

## The dealer's turn

The dealer draws to 16 and **hits a soft 17** — an ace counted as 11, plus six.
The dealer stands on any hard 17, and on soft 18 or better.

If you bust, the dealer does not draw at all and the hole card stays down — the
screen says so, rather than leaving you wondering what it was.

## Payouts

| Outcome | Pays |
| - | - |
| Blackjack — an ace and a ten-value card on the first two cards | **3:2** |
| A winning hand | 1:1 |
| Push | Your stake is returned |
| Insurance, when the dealer has blackjack | 2:1 |

A blackjack is shown as the rare thing it is — a quiet ivory panel, not
confetti. A loss is quiet too: crimson on the amount only, with your session
clock visible, and sitting out offered as plainly as dealing again.

## Every hand is checkable

The live table footer carries `Hand #1,024 · seed a53f…91de`. When the round is
over, that seed is revealed and the hand can be replayed by anyone.

> [card] [Verify a round](https://aceup.mintlify.site/fair/verify-a-round.md)
>
> The check runs in your own browser.


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.