Before the round begins you place your bet in the main betting area. The dealer then gives you two cards and takes two cards for themselves — the distinguishing feature of Double Exposure is that both dealer cards are placed face up, so you can see directly what total they are sitting on.
The closer your hand total is to 21, the better your chance of winning. You can draw another card (Hit), stay with your current hand (Stand), double your bet under certain conditions (Double Down), or split two cards of the same value into separate hands (Split).
If your total goes over 21 that is a bust — you lose that round. The same rule applies to the dealer. The dealer generally stands on 17 or more and hits on 16 or below.
In Double Exposure, Blackjack (an Ace and a 10-value card) is usually paid at even money — the 3:2 payout found in other versions is not available here. This is an important difference in this game that is worth knowing from the start.