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Introduction
Rules
Web Resources
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The Game
The basic idea of the game is that you want to have a hand value that totals closer to 21 than that of the dealer, without exceeding 21. Your game is only with the dealer, any other players at the table are inconsequential. The dealer's rules of play are set in stone, they can make no choices as to how to play.
Card Values
An Ace can be either 1 or 11, numbered cards are all at face value, all face cards are worth 10. The suit of the cards is irrelevant.
The hand's value is simply the total of the values of each card. The Ace can be counted as either 1 or 11, and it is assumed to always have the value that makes the best hand: for example, if you are dealt an Ace and a 6 your hand's value is either 7 or 17 - if you stop there, it will be counted as 17, if you draw another card and it is a 4 your total would be 21 (with the Ace as 11), if however you had drawn a 8 your total would be 15 (with the Ace as 1).
Note on terminology: a hand that contains an Ace is called a soft total if the Ace can be counted as either 1 or 11 without the total going over 21. However, if the Ace has to be counted as 1 to avoid 'busting' it is a hard total.
Playing the Game
Once all the bets are placed the dealer deals the cards to the players. They will make two passes around the table starting at his left (your right) so that the players and the dealer have two cards each. In some European Casinos the dealer only deals themselves one card, the second will be drawn when the players have all finished their hands. This difference can change a player's strategy depending on the casino's 'No Hole Card' rule. If the dealer has two cards they will flip one of his cards over, exposing its value (if the dealer only has one card, it will already be exposed). The casino can play any number of decks, a very few play single deck but more common is six deck Blackjack.
In real casinos if you are playing a shoe game (where the cards are taken from a card dispenser called a shoe) the players' cards will be dealt face up, and they are not allowed to touch the cards. In the hand-held games, the players' cards are dealt face down, and the players pick up the cards - there are some restrictions on how to handle the cards, but thankfully this is not applicable in online casinos.
Once each player has two cards play proceeds around the table and each player indicates to the dealer how they wish to play the hand (see below). Once the players have finished, the dealer will play their hand and pay out on, or collect the players' bets.
The usual decision a player has to make is whether to hit (draw another card), or stand (stop at their current total). In a real casino there are hand gestures to indicate what you want to do, luckily online casinos have buttons to indicate what to do. If you hit and your total now exceeds 21 you have bust and you have lost your hand. This is where the various playing strategies come into play based on your cards, and the dealer's visible card.
Another option to the player is whether to double down. This can only be done when the player has two cards in their hand. This option allows you to double your bet and receive one additional card. An example of when a player may double down is if their hand totals 11 and the dealer's visible card is a 5. In this case the player has a good chance of winning the hand, so it is worthwhile increasing the potential winnings.
A further option is made available if the player is deal two cards of the same value. It is possible to split your hand and play two independent games against the dealer. This will mean that the player must gamble the same amount on each hand. Once the hand is split the standard hitting and standing options apply. If you split a pair of aces you are only allowed to receive one more card on each hand. Some casinos allow split hands to be split again if appropriate, and allow doubling down on a split hand - this varies from casino to casino, the dealer will usually make it clear what your options are if you ask.
Insurance is possibly the least understood of the Blackjack rules, but this is no bad thing! In the majority of cases, the Insurance bet is a weak bet for the player, and it has a high house advantage. The simplest strategy has to be never bet on insurance (fully fledged card counters would argue against this when they know that more than a third of the remaining cards are valued at 10 thereby making the bet a potentially profitable one). For a full explanation of Insurance, see one of the worryingly detailed guides linked to from here.
Once the players have all played their hands, the dealer must play according to prescribed rules. There are two variations on the dealer's rules and they are indicated on the table:
- Dealer stands on all 17s: This is the most common rule and means that the dealer must continue to take cards until his total is 17 or greater. An Ace in their hand is always counted as 11 if possible without the dealer exceeding 21. The dealer will continue to draw cards until the hand's value is 17 or more.
- Dealer hits soft 17: Some casinos use this rule variation instead; this rule is identical except for what happens when the dealer has a soft total of 17 (such as Ace and 6). The dealer hits on soft 17 hands, and stands on soft 18 or higher, or hard 17 or higher. This rule slightly increases the house's advantage against the players.
The dealer has no choices to make in the play of their hand. They cannot split pairs or double down, rather they must simply hit until they reach at least 17 or bust by going over 21.
If the dealer's hand is less than the player's, the player wins and vice versa. If the dealer and player have equal hands it is a draw and no bets are lost, and no winnings paid.
Blackjack!
A blackjack is a total of 21 in the first two cards - a blackjack has to be an Ace and any card valued 10. If you split a pair of Aces and then draw a 10 card on one of the Aces, this is not a blackjack just a total of 21. This difference is important as a winning blackjack pays the player odds of 3:2. A player's blackjack beats any dealer total (including a dealer's 21) other than a dealer's blackjack. If both a player and the dealer have a blackjack the hand is a tie or push.
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