The game of blackjack can be played in a lot of casinos, as well as on the Internet. The game is really of the more simple games, but can be played in very sophisticated ways, but the concept of the game is still rather simple and basic. From this article you will learn how to play blackjack.
The game of blackjack consists of a blackjack dealer and anywhere from one to seven blackjack players, all of which are playing against the dealer, not each other. The object is quite simple, get closer to twenty-one, without going over twenty-one, than the dealer.
Each card has a value, the numbered cards are worth face value, tens, jacks, queens and kings are worth ten and aces are worth either one or eleven, whichever total you choose to go with. Whenever you have an ace and a ten valued card, for your first two cards, that is called a “Blackjack” or a “Natural” which is an automatic win if the dealer does not have a potential blackjack to tie with or “push” with. Blackjack usually pays 3 to 2 odds, or “time and a half”.
The blackjack dealer will start off the game by dealing two cards to each player at the table that has a wager placed in front of them and two cards to the dealer as well. The dealer will have one card facing up, which is the “up-card” and one card face down, which is the “hole card”. The cards you are dealt are most times dealt face up, with the expectation that you will not touch the cards, but at some tables, usually where there are only one deck is in play, you may possibly be dealt the cards face down, in which case you will have to pick up the cards and view them that way.
The dealer will start at his left and offer the first player the option of requesting an additional card, also known as taking a hit or drawing a card. You would then also have the option of “doubling down” on your first two cards, which means you can place a second wager, up to the amount of your original bet and ask that the dealer give you one additional card only. One other option you would have is, to “split” a pair of like cards, such as a pair of eights or aces. To split a pair, you would place a second wager equal to the exact amount of your original wager and you would then request that the dealer split your pair, once the dealer splits your pair, you will then have two separate hands, that will have two individual outcomes. You will then play through the first hand, and then the second hand, if you are giving an other similar card, for example, if you split a pair of eights and receive an other eight, you could then split the eights again, if the casino you are playing at allows multiple splitting.
Once you have a point total that you are wanting to stay with and not draw anymore cards, to prevent going over twenty one, or “breaking” you would then “stay” or “stand”.
Once the dealer has finished offering hits to all of the players at the table, the dealer will then flip over the dealer’s hole card and will take a hit on any card total under seventeen, and possibly take a hit on a soft seventeen, depending on the casino’s policy on soft seventeen’s. An example of a soft seventeen would be a six and an ace, the ace, being worth one or eleven, added to the six, would give the dealer a total of seven or seventeen, which means if the dealer hit that hand and received a ten valued card, the total would then be a hard seventeen.
Whenever the blackjack dealer makes a hand that exceeds twenty-one, which is called “breaking” the entire table of players, that still have cards in front of them, will then win that hand, regardless of how close to twenty-one that their hand is. We hope that you now know how to play blackjack.
