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Blackjack Rules
Blackjack is one of the most played
card games in the online casino, other than poker.
Inherently holding one of the lowest Casino Advantages
of any card game, blackjack also happens to be one of
the simplest games to learn. Learning the basic
blackjack strategy or card counting is an entirely
different matter, which some gamblers have made a career
of. However, there is no doubt the simple and quick
nature of blackjack is the basis of appeal for many
gamblers - both novices and veterans alike.
There are derivations of the game,
which I will not get into now - but will at the very
least recognize their existence. If you desire to learn
the game of blackjack, it is best to start with the
truest form of the game, and then move on to unchartered
waters with a foundation of understanding the inherent
rules of the game. To begin, I will describe the
overall structure and objective of the game. Following
this brief and simple overview, I will describe the few
actions that a player can take during the game. As I
said, the rules of the game are simple and few.
The game is between the dealer and
the player. Whoever comes closest to a card value total
of twenty-one without going over is deemed the winner.
All numbered cards are worth their numeric value, with
no precedence given to suits. Face cards (Jack, Queen
and King) are worth ten points, whereas the Ace is worth
either eleven or one point. Whichever value puts the
card total closest to twenty-one is the default value.
For example in a hand with an Ace, ten and five, the Ace
would be worth one point since 10 + 5 + 11 goes over
twenty-one. Therefore, the Ace would have to be played
as a one, and the hand would be worth sixteen (10 + 5 +
1 = 16). If an Ace is played as an eleven the hand is
commonly called a soft hand, while a hand with an Ace
serving as a one is called a hard hand.
To begin a game, the player is
dealt two face-up cards and the dealer is dealt one
face-up card and one face-down card, also called a hole
card. From this point on, the player decides whether to
receive more cards or not, one at a time. The dealer
will deal face-up cards to the player at the players
request. If the the players hand goes over a card value
of twenty-one the dealer automatically wins and does not
need to play out their own hand. If the player gets as
close to twenty-one as he or she thinks is safely
possible without going over 21, the player will request
to cease drawing cards, and the dealer will commence to
draw. Most casinos require a dealer to keep drawing
cards so long as their hand is under seventeen, and to
cease drawing cards if their hand value is at least a
seventeen. For instance if the player's hand value is
fifteen, the dealer is still required to draw if their
own hand is a sixteen. Similarly, the dealer must draw
if the player's hand value is a nineteen, and the dealer
has accumulated a hand value of sixteen - The dealer
must keep drawing, for their hand value has not reached
seventeen yet. After the dealer either goes over
twenty-one or gets closer to twenty-one (with at least a
seventeen) than the player's hand, is the game over.
At this point, you should
understand how the game operates . Here a few terms, or
actions, that players can take during the unfolding of a
blackjack game:
Hitting
Hitting is the action
of requesting a card. After a player is dealt their
initial two face-up cards, he or she must decide whether
to be dealt a third card. If so, they would request a
hit, or say to the dealer, "Hit me". As long as the
player does not go over twenty-one, they can keep taking
hits on their blackjack hand.
Standing
Standing is the action
of denying any more cards, and playing the hand as is.
When the player sufficiently feels their hand is as
close to twenty-one without going over, they will
request to stand. At this point, the players hand total
is established, and the dealer will begin to play out
their own hand.
Busting
Busting is the act of
going over twenty-one. If a player decides to take a
hit on their hand, and the resultant card causes their
hand to go over twenty-one, the player is said to have
busted, and consequently automatically loses. Likewise,
if the dealer busts, the player wins.
Doubling
Down
Doubling down is the
act of placing an additional wager on a primary bet, up
to the same value as the original bet. After a player
is dealt the two initial face-up cards, he or she must
decide whether to double down. At no other point in the
game is doubling down permitted. To do so, a player must
place an additional wager on top of the original wager
before declaring to hit or stand. After so doing, the
player is dealt one more card, after which the hand must
stand as is. Regardless of the hand value, when a
player doubles down he or she is only afforded one hit
and nothing more.
Splitting
Splitting is the act
of turning one blackjack hand into two. It can only be
done when a player's first two initial face-up cards are
equal in value. If a player elects to do so when such is
the case, he or she must put down an additional wager
equal in value to the original wager. Thereafter, each
card of the original hand becomes the first card of two
separate hands. The dealer will commence to deal each
card another face-up card, after which the player will
play out the first hand until standing or busting. The
second hand will then be played in the same way. If
both hands are still standing, the dealer will then play
out their hand according to normal rules. A quick
note: This manner of play is similar to multi-player
blackjack, during which each player will play out their
hand, one at a time, until the hand either busts or the
player calls it to stand. After the last player is
finished doing the same, the dealer will then play out
their hand until it either busts or stands. If the
dealer's hand stands, all players hands who are still
standing are individually weighed against the value of
the dealer's hand. Never will two players compete
against each other - It is always the dealer against the
dealer. Therefore, in multi-player blackjack, there can
be several winners in one round.
Taking
Insurance
Taking insurance is a little
trickier than the other actions at the blackjack.
However, it can work one of two ways in one kind of
scenario. This scenario is when the dealer's original
face-up card is an Ace. If this happens, the dealer
will ask the player whether he or she would like to take
insurance on their hand, before declaring to hit or
stand. What this essentially means is the player who
takes insurance is betting the dealer has a twenty-one.
(The face-down hole-card must have a value of ten for
such to be the case) If the player decides to take
insurance, he or she must put down an additional wager
equivalent to half of their original wager. The dealer
will then expose the face-down card. If their hand is
indeed a twent-one (Natural), the player wins a 2 to 1
payout. If the hole card is not worth ten, then the
dealer's hand is consequently not a Natural twenty-one,
and the player loses the insurance bet. The player will
then play out his or her hand as normal (with the
original bet) followed by the remainder of the dealer's
hand as normal.
Such are the rules of blackjack -
Not too much to remember and stress out over. That,
you should save for a blackjack strategy. But in all
earnestness, practicing sound blackjack habits
consistently will suffice to help you become a strong
player - and successful one at that.
Additional Blackjack
Tips, Rules and Pointers:
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