Blackjack

Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games in the history of gambling. The reason it has grown so popular is because there is a mix of Blackjack strategy in the game, instead of being pure luck. Also, many people are intrigued with the game because of the possibility of cheating through card counting, although most casinos have taken measures to prevent this. Nowadays, blackjack can be played either in casinos or in online blackjack casinos, and we’ll discuss both later in the article.

How to Play Blackjack

Blackjack is a very simple game compared to the more complex casino games. The winner is simply whoever has the highest card total without exceeding 21. Cards from two through ten are worth their face value, and all face cards are worth ten as well, except for aces, which are worth either one or eleven, depending on the players’ hand.

Before anything else happens, players must place their bets. Different tables will have different minimum and maximum bets, but the only restrictions on bets are that you are between the minimum and the maximum. Once you place your bet, you can’t take it back, and the game begins. To start the game, each player is dealt two cards, and the dealer receives two cards, one of which is facing up. Both of the players’ cards are face up.

Blackjack Dealing

Then, action moves around the table clockwise from the dealer. Players can make a variety of moves, all of which we will discuss. The first is to stand pat. If you are content with your hand, and don’t want another card, you simply stand pat and the action moves to the next player. The next move you can make is to take another card, or more commonly, “hit”. The dealer will deal you another face up card. If the card improves your hand, but you stay under 21, you act again. However, if the card makes your hand higher than 21, you “bust”, and surrender your bet.

A few of the more complex moves are doubling down and splitting. Doubling down is where a player decides they only want one more card, no matter what it is. Doubling down allows you to double your bet and take one more card, but after you receive the hit, you forfeit your turn and action moves around the tables. Doubling down is often done when a player holds a 9, 10, or 11, because there is a good chance you’ll receive a face card and make a strong hand, so you want to double your bet.

Splitting is when you are dealt a pair, and decide to split the pair and play each card as its own hand. This requires placing an additional wager on the split card, so you are doubling your bet as well as playing two hands. Splitting is commonly done when you hold a pair of 88 or higher, or if the dealer is showing a weak up card.

There’s another option players have, and that is to surrender. If you don’t like your hand, or have a feeling the dealer has a very strong hand, you can simply surrender your hand. You’ll receive half of your wager back, and lose the other half. There are a few other moves you can make in Blackjack that are more complicated, and all of them are discussed in our full Blackjack rules article.

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