How to play Blackjack
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Originating in France, Blackjack has evolved into one of the most popular Casino games in the world, because a skillful player can challenge the house very effectively. The main objective is to obtain a card total as close to 21 as possible without exceeding it, while still beating the dealers hand. Our Blackjack game is dealt from 6 decks. All cards numbered 2-10 are counted at face value. The Jack, Queen and King are valued at 10, an ace is worth 1 or 11, whichever favors your hand. The ace can change value from 11 to 1, if necessary, to prevent exceeding a total of 21. A Blackjack hand consists of an Ace and a card valued at 10 (10, J, Q, K). A two-card Blackjack always beats three or more cards totaling 21.
Before receiving any cards, you must place a wager. You are then dealt two cards face-up. The dealer is also dealt two cards, one face-up the other face-down. The dealer’s “hole” card remains face down until your hand is completed. At this point, the dealer turns over the “hole” card. If the totals 17-21 he must stand. If the hand is 16 or under, the dealer must continue to take cards until either the hand is over 10 or “bust” (totaling over 21). If the dealer’s hand totals 16 including an Ace valued at one (a “soft” hand) the dealer must take another card.
You have many different betting and playing options:
Hit : You receive another card. For example, if your 2 cards equal 10 you have nothing to lose by requesting another card, since your total could not exceed 21.
Stand : This means that you are satisfied with the hand and do not want to be dealt another card.
Double Down : After you have received your first two cards you have the option to double the initial wager. Once you have chosen to do this, click the “Double” button and you will be dealt a third card and no more. Your hand will only consist of 3 cards.
Splitting : If you are dealt two cards of identical value you can then split them (i.e. 8,8 or 10,Q). You would now be playing two separate hands of one card each. You will now be dealt a second card to one of the hands. After this hand is played out, the second hand will be dealt a second card and continued until that hand is played out and a new wager equal to the initial wager will be placed for each split hand. When Aces are split, only one card will be dealt per Ace. A split hand resulting in Blackjack pays out at a ration of 1-1 rather than the normal 3-2, and will lost to a dealer’s Blackjack.
Insurance : If the dealer’s first card is an Ace, there is a possibility of a Blackjack. If you believe the dealer has Blackjack you can buy insurance to protect yourself. If you choose to insure yourself, you have to pay an amount equal to half your wager. If the dealer gets Blackjack, the insurance will pay 2 to 1, which corresponds to your original stake. If you have insured yourself and the dealer does not obtain Blackjack then you lose your insurance but retain your original wager.
Insurance is considered a game of its own within Blackjack, and gives you a chance to protect yourself from the dealer’s Blackjack.
Playoffs : If your hand exceeds 21 or “busts”, then the dealer wins the hand without turning over the “hole” card. All hands that total less than the dealer’s hand lose. hands that are equal in value are considered a tie, or a “push”, and your original wager is returned. If you obtain Blackjack the payout will be a 3:2 ratio rather than 1:1.
Blackjack : As with standard blackjack, the first thing to take into consideration when playing online blackjack is: “How many decks of cards are being used?” This number can vary from 1 to as many as 15, depending on the casino you are visiting. Single deck blackjack is hard to find, but it is the simplest to keep track of. You simply chart the cards as you see them.
Since it is online blackjack, there is no dealer to watch you taking notes. With a visible chart of the cards played, a betting strategy can easily be put into place.
The last couple of hands is where you need to be, so bet conservatively so as to keep yourself in the game to the end of the deck. By this time you should have a clear idea of how the cards will be dealt, based on what is left unchecked on your chart. Bet big when you know you will win, and the minimum if the house has it.
When dealing with multiple deck blackjack, you simply apply the strategy for single-deck, only to a larger scale.
Using The Basic Strategy to Win at Blackjack
Because blackjack has a fixed set of rules which must be followed by the dealer a mathematically correct strategy can be derived to insure optimum play. This is known as basic strategy and was refined by Julian Braun who worked for IBM and ran millions of hands through a main frame computer decades ago before the advent of the personal computer. Utilizing basic strategy a player will decide how to play his hand depending on the dealer exposed (up) card. A player will stand, hit, double or split his cards to give him the best chance of winning the hand.
Here is how to play basic strategy when there are more than two or more cards involved. Just follow the basic strategy to the word and don’t play hunches. Following the basic strategy in a blackjack gambling will give you the most favorable odds available in any casino gambling game.
Hard Hands
If you have eight or less, always hit.
If you have Nine: Double if the dealer has 3 thru 6 – otherwise hit.
If you have Ten : Double if the dealer has 2 thru 9 – otherwise hit.
If you have Eleven: Double if the dealer has 2 thru 10, Hit if dealer has Ace.
If you have Twelve: Hit if the dealer has 2 or 3, Stand if the dealer has 4 thru 6, otherwise hit.
If you have 13- 16: Stand if the dealer has2 thru 6, otherwise hit.
If you have 17 – 21: Always Stand.
Soft Hands
If you have Ace 2 or Ace 3: Double if the dealer has 5 or 6 – otherwise hit.
If you have Ace 4 or Ace 5: Double if the dealer has 4 thru 6 – otherwise hit.
If you have Ace 6: Double if the dealer has 3 thru 6 – otherwise hit.
If you have Ace 7: Stand if the dealer has 2, 7 or 8. Double 3 -thru 6 – otherwise hit.
If you have Ace 8 or Ace 9: Always Stand.
Pairs
If you have a pair of Aces or Eights: Always split.
If you have a pair of twos or threes: Split if the dealer has 2 – 7, otherwise hit.
If you have a pair of fours: Split if the dealer has 4 or 5 – otherwise hit.
If you have a pair of fives: Double if the dealer has 2 thru 9 – otherwise hit.
If you have a pair of sixes: Split if the dealer has 2 thru 6 – otherwise hit.
If you have a pair of sevens: Split 2 thru 7 – otherwise hit.
If you have a pair of nines: Split 2 thru 6, and 8 or 9. Stand if the dealer has 7, 10 or Ace.
If you have a pair of tens: Always Stand.
Money Management
Much is said concerning this topic, but little understood, and less practiced. There are a cookbook full of recipes for disaster known as betting systems, almost all of which will lead to precarious chance of risking more and more money in the misguided hope of recovering some money already lost.
One of the more popular betting systems says to double your bet until you win. Only two problems here: you might not win until you hit the table maximum, or you might just run out of money first.
The best money management system is time-honored and very simple: Bet less when you are losing and more when you are winning. Easy to say, hard to do. The casinos know that if they get you in a place where you are losing steadily, the chances are that you might start to “chase” your losses with even larger amounts of money in an attempt to get out of the hole you’ve dug. Advice: go slowly and don’t try to hit home runs.