Help With Blackjack

Winning at Blackjack requires a player to put together a hand that totals nearer to 21 (but not exceeding 21) than the dealer is able to make.  It is vital to remember this; players just must beat the dealers hand, not get as near to 21 as you are able to.  When players possess a set of cards close to 21 that you feel the dealer can’t better then don’t take any further playing cards stay with what you have.

Cards from two to nine have the worth displayed on the playing card.  The cards displaying 10, Jack, Queen and King have a value of ten.  The Ace is considered the most important card and has a value of one or eleven based on what the participant in possession of it decides.  A Blackjack is when a participant is holding two cards that add up to 21 (an Ace and another card of value ten) and is a automatic win for the participant dealt it.

Playing Blackjack

To lessen the possibility of cheating casinos employ numerous decks of cards, and players do not handle the playing cards.  Play begins with the dealer giving one card to every player at the table and finally a single playing card to her/himself all face up.  Next the dealer gives another card face up to everyone else but doesn’t show her/his other playing card by dealing the card face down.

Keep in mind that Blackjack is not played as a group.  While the table may have several participants at it the players aren’t competing with each other.  Each participant is playing alone against the dealer, when you turn comes the other participants hands don’t impact your game.

The players always play prior to the dealer; they have the choice of taking another playing card or standing. A participant that calls for one more card and the resulting total exceeds 21 will have busted with the dealer winning by default.  When all of the participants have played the dealer plays their hand.  A dealers play will be narrowly ruled by a set of rules (posted for anybody to see).  Generally the rules dictate that a dealer has to take another card if her/his hand totals 16 or less and stands on card totals of 17 or greater.

Once the dealer has played he/she pays off hands superior than theirs, collects from any player with a hand inferior to hers/his and neither pays out nor collects (pushes) a tie hand.

Betting in Blackjack

Betting is done before the playing cards are dealt.  A winning set of cards pays even money.  A blackjack win pays 3 to 2 (a $2 bet pays $3).

Playing Options

Splitting Pairs – If your first two playing cards have the same worth a player has the option of splitting them.  The participant now has two hands to play separately rather than one hand.  When the first pair of playing cards are Aces and the player splits them, the player as a rule receives one more card for each Ace; in the event that this playing card has a worth of ten the pair of cards is counted as 21 (it is not thought to be a Blackjack) and will be trumped if the dealer makes a Blackjack.

Doubling Down – If a participant feels that their hand will be better than the dealers with the addition of a single (only one) card they can double their wager before receiving this last card.

Insurance – When the dealers face up card is an Ace, participants have the opportunity of making a side insurance bet.  The insurance bet is that the face down card has a worth of 10.  When the face down playing card has a value of ten then the dealer has a Blackjack and the insurance bet pays off at 2 to 1.  The players original bet is still in effect and the player will be beat except when they can put together a Blackjack to tie the dealer.

Surrender – Some casinos offer the surrender option.  When taking a look at their first two playing cards and deciding that they will be incapable of bettering the dealer’s hand they can tell the dealer that he or she is surrendering.  With the declaration of the surrender the participants turn is over and they surrender half of their bet.