What happens when you tie with the dealer in blackjack?

In blackjack, a hand doesn’t necessarily end in a win or a loss. When the player and the dealer have hands of equal value, the round may end in a push, in other words, a tie. The main bet is then retained or returned without any profit. We explain everything you need to know about ties in blackjack and the exceptions you may encounter whilst playing at PepperMill Casino.

The rules of a push

The general principle is simple: in classic blackjack, when the player and the dealer end up with the same total without exceeding 21 and without any other rule having decided the hand, there is a tie.

The casino does not take your main bet, but nor does it pay out any additional winnings.

A common misconception is that the number of cards used determines the outcome when two totals are identical. Under standard blackjack rules, this is generally not the case for hands that are not natural blackjacks.

A player may, for example, achieve 19 with two cards whilst the dealer reaches 19 with several cards. The result is still a tie.

A tie with a natural blackjack or a standard 21

A natural blackjack is a 21 achieved with the first two cards: an Ace and a card worth 10. This combination has a special status. It must not be confused with a 21 obtained after drawing one or more additional cards. Both hands are numerically worth 21, but they are not of equal rank.

If you have a natural blackjack whilst the dealer has made 21 with three cards, you win. The reverse situation follows the same logic. If the dealer has a natural blackjack whilst you have a standard 21, the dealer’s blackjack wins.

In many games, the dealer checks for a blackjack when they show an Ace or a card worth 10 before you make your decisions. You may be offered a side bet called ‘insurance’ to protect yourself against the dealer having a blackjack.

What happens if both the player and the dealer have blackjack?

When both sides have a natural blackjack, your main bet is returned or remains as it is. You do not receive the payout normally associated with a winning blackjack.

This is an important point when a table advertises a special payout for blackjack. This payout does not apply simply because the player has the hand; their blackjack must also be a winning hand.

Is it a tie if both the player and the dealer go over 21?

No, and this situation helps to illustrate a key feature of the house edge in blackjack: the player acts before the dealer’s hand has been fully resolved.

Suppose a player has 16 and asks for another card. They are dealt a 9 and reach 25. They have gone over 21: their hand is immediately a loser. The dealer then plays and also ends up going bust, with 24 for example. But the player’s bet was already lost the moment their own hand went bust. The dealer’s subsequent bust does not bring it back.

Can a doubled bet result in a push?

Yes. Doubling down does not rule out the possibility of a push. If you have doubled down before the push, you get back your original stake and the additional stake from the double down. This makes doubling down less risky.

It is recommended that you follow the basic strategy to determine whether to double down during a game of blackjack. It also takes ‘pushes’ into account when calculating its profitability.

What happens after a split?

When a player splits two identical cards to form two hands, these are settled independently of one another.

Let’s take the example of a split pair of 8s. The first hand ends up on 18. The second reaches 20. The dealer ends up with 18.

The first hand ties with the dealer: it therefore results in a push. The second hand, which is 20 against 18, wins.

It would be incorrect to assume that a tie in the first hand automatically results in a tie in the second. Each hand resulting from the split has its own outcome.

If a split hand is subsequently doubled down on, the doubled stake for that hand is also settled independently of the others.

However, the rules governing splits may vary from table to table, particularly regarding the option to double down after a split, to split a pair again, or to split Aces multiple times. Our blackjack glossary explains the terms to look out for in the table rules to determine what is and isn’t permitted.

Is a push really neutral for the player?

In terms of the bet in question, yes: no profit and no loss. But the rules determining which situations result in a push are significant in the overall dynamics of a blackjack variant.

Turning a situation that would normally be a win for the player into a push favours the casino. Conversely, turning a situation that would have been a loss into a push favours the player. Some variants may give the dealer the advantage on certain ties in exchange for other changes that favour the player. Check the rules of the blackjack game you’re interested in to make the best possible choice.

Insurance, surrender and a push do not mean the same thing

Several aspects of blackjack can be confused with a tie, even though they are governed by different rules.

Surrender, where permitted, allows the player to give up on the hand and generally results in the loss of part of the initial stake. It is therefore not a tie.

Insurance is a separate bet offered when the dealer shows an Ace. Its outcome is settled separately from that of the main hand.

A push, on the other hand, refers to the main bet being returned when the necessary conditions are met.

This distinction is particularly important when a player has a blackjack against a dealer’s visible Ace. Any decisions relating to insurance are separate from the settlement of the main hand.

What should you remember about ties in blackjack?

The easiest rule to remember is this: when hands are of equal rank and neither has previously gone bust, no one wins the main bet. However, there are two key exceptions to this rule that you should bear in mind. A natural blackjack beats an ordinary 21 made with more cards. And when a player goes over 21, their hand is lost immediately, even if the dealer subsequently goes over 21 in turn.

Practise blackjack in free demo mode to better understand tie situations and take advantage of our missions when you’re ready to play for real money.