Even if you have not played Blackjack in a casino, the chances are you have seen people playing it at friendly gatherings. The famous 21 is a game of chance and strategy. It is quite simple because it is only you versus the dealer. Blackjack rules are quite easy to learn but it takes some time and effort to master them. However, once you learn the rules and strategy, it is pretty fun to play and win some good cash. I will quickly teach you how to play Blackjack and place your bets.
playnowpros : The goal in Blackjack is to have two or more cards with numerical values of 21 or less. If you get more than 21 you are busted and the good news is that if the dealer gets busted, everyone at the table wins. Your score is calculated based on the card value rules. The J, K, and Q are called face cards. The face cards and 10s are worth 10 points. Cards 2 through 9 have their face values and aces can have a value of 1 or 11. So, to calculate your hand, you just should add up the value of the cards you are holding. The winning hand IN Blackjack is the higher hand and the dead hand is any hand with a sum of 22 or more.
To play Blackjack, first, you should join a table and choose your seat-statistically all seats are equal for the basic strategy player. To read the steps in more detail, check out my How To Play Blackjack Online For Beginners detailed article. Then the dealer starts dealing the cards in a clockwise manner. Every player receives two face-down cards. The dealer will get two cards as well, one face up and one face down. Here things get a bit tricky. Because you should know what to do and how to signal it. To make things easy, I summarized the basic Blackjack rules as follows:
- If you have a natural- an ace and a face card- and the dealer does not, the dealer should immediately pay you one and a half times the amount of your bet. On the other hand, if the dealer has a natural, all the players who do not have naturals lose their bets without any additional amount.
- If you and the dealer have naturals, your bet is a stand-off (a tie), and you take back your chips. You are not a winner nor a loser.
- If the dealer’s face-up card is a ten-card or an ace, they check the face-down card to see if the two cards make a natural, if not, they do not look at the face-down card until it is the dealer’s turn to play.
- A soft hand is a hand in which you have an ace with a card other than a 10 card. For example, a soft 17 is an ace and a 6 card. It is called a soft hand because you can count the ace as one or 11 based on your hand. With a soft 17, you may want to draw for a higher total. If the draw creates a bust hand by counting the ace as an 11, you count the ace as a 1 and continue playing by standing or hitting.
- Hit: Means you want to take another card. To signal it, you should scrape cards against the table (in handheld games); tap the table with a finger or wave your hand toward the body (in games dealt face up).
- Stand: Means you want no more cards; also known as “stand pat”, “sit”, “stick”, or “stay”. To signal a stand, you should Slide cards under chips (in handheld games); wave your hand horizontally (in games dealt face up).
- Double down: This means you want to increase the initial bet by 100% and take exactly one more card. To signal, you should place additional chips beside the original bet outside the betting box, and point with one finger.
- Split: This means you want to create two hands from your starting hand where both cards have the same value. Each new hand gets another card so that you have two starting hands. Remember, to split, you should place an additional bet on the second hand. To signal a split, you should place additional chips next to the original bet outside the betting box; point with two fingers spread into a V formation.
Blackjack is considered a relatively low house edge casino game. It pays 3 to 2, or in some Casinos, 6 to 5. In other words, if you win against the dealer’s hand, your initial bet is paid off 3 to 2, or 6 to 5. The house edge in Blackjack is around 2%. Still, you can increase your chances of winning if you learn the basic Blackjack strategy and apply some tips. The basic Blackjack strategy refers to the manual for your action.
You should learn and memorize the basic strategy if you don’t want to waste your time and money. Even if you just want to burn some time, learning the strategy adds to the excitement because it helps you win. In addition to the basic strategy, make sure to remember the following tips:
- Manage your bankroll and never chase your losses.
- Never take insurance because the house edge in insurance is 5.9% in single-deck Blackjack.
- Never double down if: the dealer is showing an ace, you are showing anything higher than 11, and in the vast majority of hand. Because you should double down only if you are a clear frontrunner.
- Split 3s only if the dealer shows 4-7 and split 2s if the dealer shows 3-7.
- Always split a pair of aces. Because two hands with a value of 11 each, have much better opportunities of a win than one single hand valued at 12 or two.
- Do not split 5s- double down if the dealer shows 9 or less. Also, do not split 4s.
- If the dealer shows 7 or less, split the 7s. Also, if the dealer shows 6 or less, split the 6s.
- I suggest not to seat in the first base position.
- Always start small.
- Practice well before you get into real casino play and bet real money.
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