Basic Blackjack Rules
Blackjack is a card game between a player and a dealer. Though in land casinos it is played by several players at one table, the online version is most of the time tete-a-tete. The game is one of the most popular gambling games at both online and land casinos.
Blackjack is played with 1-8 decks of 52 cards dealt from a special box, called a shoe. Most of the time the decks are reshuffled after each game.
The aim of a blackjack player is to end the game with a hand total higher than the dealer’s hand and not to exceed 21. A hand over 21 is a bust and loses automatically. This hand according to blackjack terminology is said to BUST or to be Too Many. The strongest hand in the game of blackjack is a hand of two cards totaling 21, called Blackjack or Natural.
Basic Blackjack Information
The Value of Cards
All small cards 2-9 are valued as numbered. 4 represents 4 points, 6 – 6 points etc.
All face cards have the value of 10.
Aces can be either 1 or 11 depending on what is better for the hand not to bust.
Blackjack Hands
Let’s now consider most common hands in the game of blackjack the players are to remember.
Blackjack or Natural
A hand of two cards with an Ace and any 10-valued card is called a Blackjack or a Natural. This hand is an automatic winner unless the dealer has a Natural too. The last case is a tie, or a push and all the bets are returned.
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Soft Hand
A hand of two or more cards with an Ace counted as 11 is called a soft hand.
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Hard Hand
A hand of two or more cards with an Ace counted as 1 is called a hard hand.
How to play blackjack?
1.
The game starts after players make their bets which may be limited by the table betting limits. The dealer makes two passes as he deals two cards to each player face up (according to some blackjack rules, as in Pontoon, cards may be dealt face down), after that he deals two cards to himself: one face up and the other face down (the Hole card).
2.
As all the players have been dealt their cards, it is time for them to decide how to play them. The dealer goes on from one player to another and they choose whether to Hit (take another card) or to Stand (take no more cards). In addition, players may choose to Double down or Split – the meaning of these two options will be explained in some paragraphs below.
3.
The dealer plays his hand after the players have finished. Each dealer follows strict blackjack dealer rules when making a decision. The rule for blackjack dealers concerns the hand value of 17. This rule means the dealer should take cards when his hand is 16 or less and stand on 17 or higher. Most of the time this rule is seen on the blackjack table which might say “Dealer Stands on All 17’s”.
4.
Player’s hand is compared only to the dealer hand as the player plays only against the dealer. Therefore, other players’ cards are not important unless the player is counting cards. All the other blackjack myths that tell you other player's game can influence yours are just myths.
5. The dealer wins when the player busts or gets a hand lower than the dealer. In case the dealer wins, the player loses everything. In case the player wins, the dealer pays him even money. Blackjack pays 3 to 2. When the dealer wins the player loses all the bets (with the exception of side bets) made on this hand.
Player Options
Hit
Hitting is asking for another cards. Player is allowed to hit as many times as he wants until he busts or has a hand of 21.
Stand
Standing is asking for no more cards. The player that stands does not play his hand anymore and this hand is compared to the dealer’s hand.
Double Down
Doubling down is asking to be dealt only one extra card and doubling the original bet. After the player Doubles down he stands automatically.
Split
In case first two cards dealt were a pair of cards of the same value, the player may choose to split them forming two hands and thus increasing the bet twice. After that, player decides how to play each hand separately as the dealer deals the second card. The perfect choice of when to split concerns splitting Aces and 8’s. For more advice on how to play blackjack pairs and split consult the blackjack basic strategy for splitting pairs.
Insurance
Insurance is an extra bet offered when the dealer shows an Ace. This bet costs half of the original bet and protects player in case the dealer does have a Natural. After the Insurance bet has been taken or ignored, the dealer checks his Hole card. If the dealer has a Natural, the players lose original bets and all the insurance bets win 2-to-1. Otherwise, in case the dealer does not have a Natural, the Insurance bets are lost and the players keep on playing their hands.
Even Money
In case player has a Natural (Blackjack) and the dealer up card is an Ace, player is offered the Even Money bet. This bet protects player from a push in case the dealer also has a Blackjack. This bet equals half of the original bet as the Insurance and in case the dealer has a Blackjack, player gets his initial bet back and gets the Even Money bet 2 to 1.
Surrender
Surrender option is not found in many casinos, though it does not mean it can not be found at all. This option provides a chance to surrender half of the original bet in case you consider your hand as a losing one. This bet is made prior to making any decisions like Hit or Stand and allows you to save half of the original bet.
The surrender option if found can be of two types – EARLY or LATE.
Early Surrender gives a player a chance to save half of his bet before dealer checks for Blackjack. As this version is of advantage to the player, it is very rarely met. The Late Surrender is more often met at blackjack tables. This version of blackjack rules allows the player to forfeit his bet only after the dealer checks his hole card for a Blackjack.
