Blackjack is one of the most popular card games in the world, and it is the go-to casino game for millions of players. They are attracted to its simple rules and short play time. In casino games, players can quickly win or lose money and move on to the next hand, keeping up a winning streak or trying to turn around a loss.
As simple as the basic game is, there are some clever strategies to obtaining an edge over the dealer or other players. And even if you know the rules, you might not be familiar with all the changes that have occurred over the years and the way the game has been modified to reach modern players.
How Blackjack Is Played
In blackjack, the goal of the game is to reach as close to 21 without going over, which is called busting. Hitting a value of 21 is fine, but with anything more than that and you automatically lose.
Each card has its own value, with the number cards being worth their given number. The face cards (i.e. jacks, kings and queens) are each worth 10 points. The aces can vary in their value. They can be worth either 1 or 11. The value for the ace works in your favor. In most cases, they are worth 11, but if they would cause you to go over 21 points, then they are worth 1.
A “blackjack” is achieved when you have a combination of cards that gives you 21 points exactly.
The first person to bust forfeits the game, which is why blackjack works in the favor of the casino. They always allow the player to go first, so there is a greater chance that the player will bust and lose their money.
As you play you have a few choices as to how you can proceed. The game doesn’t start until chips or bets have been placed and the cards have been dealt. The dealer and all the players each receive two cards face down.
This is where your choice kicks in. Once you examine your cards and see what you have, you have the option to ask for more cards or to keep what you have.
Requesting another card is done by saying “hit me” to the dealer. The dealer can continue to give you cards until you say “stand”. This means you want no more cards and want to play with your current hand.
Advanced Blackjack Maneuvers
Those are the basic rules for blackjack, but many casinos allow you to use some other techniques beyond simply standing or requesting more cards.
- Double Down- If you request to double down, then you will receive another card and your original bet will be doubled. Now some casinos have rules about when you can double down. You may only be allowed to double down if the first two cards in your hand equal 10 or 11.
- Split- If the first two cards you received hold the same value, then you may be permitted to split them. This means you will create two separate hands, one with each of the cards you currently hold. This also doubles your bet, with a separate bet for each hand. Each hand is played in turn, as the dealer will give you another card for the first hand. Once that hand is played, and you win or bust, then the dealer will give you a second card for the other hand.
- Insurance- With insurance, you may come out even by losing the hand. You can only call for insurance when the dealer displays one of their two cards and it is an ace. If you think that the other card that is facedown has a value of ten, then you may call insurance. This assumes that the dealer has the cards to make a blackjack. Insurance gives you 2-1 odds on your call, and it is worth half of your bet. If youlose the hand but win the insurance call, then you would break even. This is known as “even money”.
Modern Online Blackjack
In traditional blackjack, only a single deck of 52 cards can be used. There are still online casino's that will operate like this, but the majority of them use a couple of 52 card decks. This is to prevent players for easily counting cards. By counting cards, you would be mentally determining which cards are left to play in the deck and what your odds are of finding the card you need to win. This is done by a process of elimination and paying careful attention to what has been played. But it is considerably harder to do when there are multiple decks in play. It is common practice for online casinos to use multiple decks as well, to help give truly random odds and to decrease the chance that the cards will be counted. Many online casino's have several different blackjack games to be played. Make sure to check them all out!
Blackjack Strategy
When playing with multiple decks, it will be far harder to guess at the value of the card that you will receive when you ask the dealer to hit you. While you would win if you hit 21, you have to be careful that you don’t receive a card that would put you over 21. Once you hit 12, the next card you ask for could potentially cause you to bust. Deciding whether to ask the dealer for another card or to stand will be determined by what you can afford to lose and what cards are already in view. In most blackjack games, you will be able to see what the dealer has, or at least the dealer’s first card This can give you a clue as to whether the dealer is at risk of busting or not. But keep in mind that the dealer has the advantage. If you decide to stand at a low number and the dealer gets closer to 21, then you lose your bet. Keep in mind that you have more clues as to what comes next than just looking at the cards. You can also look to the dealer for signs that he has a good hand or that he is about to bust. While this may be more difficult in an online game, it is still possible to pick up visual cues from a live dealer online.
