Blackjack | How to Play the Game of Blackjack
Blackjack is one of the most popular card games around; it’s fast- paced, exciting and relatively simple. The game of blackjack is also known as twenty one (21) and this is precisely the goal of the game: reaching a sum of 21 or as close to it without going over (“busting”). Your goal is to beat the dealer and you should not be concerned with the other players in the table. Here are some of the basic rules, terminology and strategies that will help you in playing blackjack.
How to play blackjack
In the game of blackjack, an ace is either worth 1 or 11 and tens, jacks, queens and kings are all worth ten. The remaining cards are of face value. Players are first dealt two cards, usually face up and then decide whether to remain solely with these two cards (“stand”) or draw an additional card from the dealer (“hit”). The player can draw as many times as they want as long as they don’t go over 21. The dealer is dealt one card face up (“upcard”) and one face down (“hole”) and after all players have played their hands, the dealer reveals the “hole” card and plays their hand. If the dealer busts, all the players win. In the event of a tie, no one wins. In the event that the dealer has a sum of 17 after the initial deal, they must hit. If the dealer has more than 17, they must stand and if they have a “soft 17” (a sum of 17 comprised of an ace worth 11 for example: ace + six) they must follow house rules which may either dictate standing or hitting. The highest possible hand is called a “natural” or “blackjack” and is achieved when the initial two cards sum up to 21 (an ace and a ten value card) leading to an automatic win unless the dealer matches the hand at which point it’s a tie.
In the game of blackjack, a player has four more playing options other than “hitting” or “standing”. They may choose to “double down” after receiving the initial two cards at which point they’ll double their bet but can receive only one additional card. If a player receives a pair in the initial hand, they may choose to “split” the pair and create two separate hands. In most games, a player may have the option to “surrender” and end their game after receiving their two initial cards at the cost of half their wager. A player may also have the opportunity to buy “insurance”. In the event that the dealer’s face up card is an ace, players can post a side bet called the insurance, protecting them against a possible blackjack (the hole card being a ten value). If the dealer has a blackjack, the player will lose their original bet but will receive 2:1 winning on their insurance.
Blackjack Strategies
There are statistical charts that are readily available, which will help you in playing blackjack. These charts assist in making decision whether to hit, stand or double down based on the cards that you are originally dealt. Another famous strategy is “card counting” which involves keeping a mental count of the cards that have been dealt, giving the player better knowledge of possible future cards. This method is usually not considered cheating and is legal, however, in most places, casinos will ban players which they suspect are counting cards. The success of card counting, as well as a player’s chances of winning greatly depend on the number of decks used in playing blackjack and in most cases, more than one deck is used.
