How to Play Blackjack
Online card players have come to recognize blackjack as one of the easiest games to learn. Essentially the target of blackjack is 21 and to beat the dealer. While it may be easy-to-understand, it’s a game that’s challenging to master, but with lots of patience and practice, it can be done.
There are a handful of strategies to implement allowing players a better chance at recognizing the way the game can be enjoyed and taken advantage of. If you follow the rules, learn the main strategies and implement them with a cool head – you’ll have greater success in this exciting game.
Getting Started
After you’ve received your stash of chips, place your bet. Next up, the dealer gives you 2 cards and 2 cards to himself or herself. But one of the dealer’s cards is face down. Now it’s time to make decisions.
Blackjack playing terminology
After you’ve received your cards and seen the dealer’s face-up card, you can make decisions:
Hit – This means you are asking the dealer to give you another card.
Stand – This means you don’t take any more cards.
Double Down – Doubling down doubles your initial bet and you will receive only 1 more card. You will have to stand after it has been dealt.
Split – This occurs when you have 2 cards of equal value. You now play 2 separate hands and place a wager equal to your original bet while splitting your cards. The dealer will give you 2 more cards.
If your hand is simply not worth playing you’ll have the option to throw in your cards and you’ll receive 50% of your bet back.
Cards and values in blackjack
All numbered cards are worth their value. Jacks, Queens, and Kings are worth 10. Aces are either 1 or 11 depending on your hand. That’s it. Typically a game of blackjack is played with 1 – 8 decks of cards. A hand without an ace is a hard hand while one with an ace is a soft hand.
What you need to know
Naturally there are loads of technical points that can give you better chances such as Insurance Bets which safeguard you in the event of a dealer’s Ace up card being dealt.
But more importantly, is knowing when to hold and when to fold – here’s a simple example:
A blackjack table will state that a dealer stands on 17. Or a dealer hits on soft 17s. This means that until a dealer has 17 they will hit or draw until they reach 17 or go bust.
Read the rules
Like every game, there are rules. Understand exactly what it is that you’re getting involved in. For instance wagers – do you know the max and minimum bets that you’re allowed? Because if not you may find yourself at a high roller table with big minimums. The house advantage in blackjack is roughly as follows:
- 7% without a basic strategy
- 0.5% with a basic strategy
And that’s it, in a nutshell.
