Premise of the Game
Blackjack is pretty simple. The basic goal of the game is that you want to have a hand that is closer to 21 than the dealers, without going over 21. Other players hands at the table have no effect on yours. Each player individually competes against the hand of the dealer.
The rules of play for the dealer are strictly dictated, leaving no decisions up to him. However, the whole table does work together to beat the dealer, when you’re just learning to play, don’t hesitate to show other players your cards and ask questions. There is no problem with the dealer or any of the other players at the table seeing the cards in your hand. In fact, if you’re playing at a shoe game, the player cards are all dealt face up.
There are two variations of blackjack commonly played. The first one is referred to as a shoe game, this is when four or more decks are used, they are dealt from a wooden box that allows the dealer to remove cards one at a time, face down, without actually holding one or more packs. Beginners should start off playing the shoe games. The advantage in this style is that all of the players’ cards are dealt face-up, so the dealer and other players can easily help you with playing questions and decisions. Don't be afraid to ask the dealer any questions you have, its part of his job to make sure you understand how the game works.
The other style of play is called a Hand-held game. This is when the dealer holds the cards in his hand and deals the player cards face-down. These games typically use 1 or 2 decks of cards. Fewer decks lower the casino’s advantage
The Dealer
The dealer is in charge of running all aspects of the game, from shuffling and dealing the cards to handling all bets. In casino play, up to eight individuals are allowed to be present at the table. Seven players and one dealer. The dealer remains standing, and the players are seated. The standard 52-card pack is used, but in most casinos several decks of cards are shuffled together.
The most popular card game offered in casinos is 6 deck Blackjack (312 cards). The casino Blackjack table is a green felt semicircle with an area for each player about the size of a coaster for placing bets on. There is another rectangular area for each player, where the dealer places the cards as they are dealt.
Value of The Cards
The cards from 2 through 9 are valued at their face value. The 10, Jack, Queen, and King are all valued at 10. The suits of the cards do not have any meaning in the game. The value of a hand is simply the sum of the point counts of each card in the hand. An Ace can be counted as either 1 or 11. You need not specify which value the Ace has. It is assumed to have the value that makes the best hand, and that may change as more cards are added to the hand. A soft hand is any hand where an Ace can be counted as either 1 or 11 without going over 21. The name reflects the fact that the hand can’t break if you draw another card. It’s “soft”.
The dealer thoroughly shuffles portions of the pack until all the cards have been mixed and combined. He designates one of the players to cut, and the plastic insert card is placed so that the last 60 to 75 cards or so will not be used. (Not dealing to the bottom of all the cards makes it more difficult for professional card counters to operate effectively.) When each player's bet is settled, the dealer gathers in that player's cards and places them face up at the side against a clear plastic L-shaped shield. The dealer continues to deal from the shoe until he comes to the plastic insert card. Once that round of play is over, the dealer shuffles all the cards, prepares them for the cut, places the cards in the shoe, and the game continues.
Chips and Betting
To play, you will need to exchange some cash for chips from the dealer. Wait for a break in the action, and place your cash out in front of you on the table felt. It is important to practice proper etiquette whenever handling money in a casino. Don’t try to hand your money to the dealer, he can’t take anything from your hands for security reasons. Just lay it on the table instead. Also, do not put it directly into the betting circle, as some casinos will assume this as a cash bet.
The dealer will exchange the entire amount of cash for the equivalent in chips, and drop the cash into a box on the table. Take a quick look at the chips to make sure you know the value of each color. Common chip colors are red for $5, green for $25, and black for $100. Buy in for at least enough cash to play several hands. A typical $5 player might buy in for $40 or so. Before the deal begins, each player places a bet, in chips, in front of him in the designated area.
Minimum and maximum limits are established on the betting, and the general limits are from $3 to $500. Once you are ready to place a bet, wait for the current hand to be completed, then push your bet into the betting circle.
Over the course of playing if you find you have a lot of low denomination chips in front of you at the table, you should trade them for the equivalent higher value chips instead. This is called “colouring up”. The dealer will have you push your chips into the middle of the table. He will count them down, and give you a smaller stack of chips that amount to the same value. This makes them easier to carry for you when cashing them in, this also allows the dealer to maintain his supply of smaller chips.
In some casinos there are side bets available like a lucky lucky square or some other variation, so its keen to have a small amount of lower chips to bet with. The lucky side bets differ from casino to casino, for instance the one I’m familiar with pays for the combination of the players two cards and the dealer upcard. Ranging anywhere from 3:1 to 1000:1 if you draw suited 7's.
Your chips should be in one stack when betting. If you are betting multiple denominations, make sure to place the larger valued chips on the bottom of the stack, and the smaller value chips on top. Once the cards have been dealt, you are not allowed to touch the bet in the circle. If you need to know how much you have bet for doubling or splitting, the dealer will count down the chips for you.
Gameplay, Beginning Instructions + The Deal
When all the players have placed their bets, the dealer gives one card face up to each player in rotation clockwise, and then one card face up to himself. Another round of cards is then dealt face up to each player, but the dealer takes his second card face down. The dealer will flip one of his cards over, exposing its value as the “dealer upcard”.
Once the initial hands are dealt, play proceeds around the table starting at the first seat to the dealer’s left, also called “first base”. The most common decision a player must make during the game is whether to draw another card to the hand, or stop at the current total.
Signaling Intentions
Remember that you are not allowed to touch the cards in this style of game. You will be required to make hand signals rather than just announcing “hit” or “stand” to the dealer. This is to eliminate any confusion or ambiguity in what you choose, and also for the benefit of the ever-present surveillance cameras. Each player in turn indicates to the dealer how he wishes to play the hand. When a player's turn comes, he can say "Hit" or can signal for a card by tapping the table with a finger or two or make a motion toward himself. When the player decides to stand, he can say "stand" or "no more”. He may also signal this intention by moving his hand sideways, palm down and just above the table.
Wins, Losses, and Ties
Once the hand is over, the dealer will move around the table to each position in turn, paying winning hands and collecting the chips from losing hands. After the dealer has paid you, you can remove your chips from the circle, and place your next bet. If you want to let your winnings ride, you will need to form one stack of chips from the two or more stacks on the table after the dealer pays you. Remember, higher value chips should be placed on the bottom of the stack.
The dealer will then play his hand. He will first flip over the “hole card” to reveal his two-card starting hand. The dealer is then required to play his hand in a very specific way, with no choices allowed. He must draw cards until he has a total of 17 or more. The dealer has no choice in how to play the hand. He must continue taking cards until his total is at least 17.
When the dealer has served every player, his face-down card is turned up. If the total is 17 or more, he must stand. If the total is 16 or under, he must take a card. He must continue to take cards until the total is 17 or more, at which point the dealer must stand. If the dealer has an ace, and counting it as 11 would bring his total to 17 or more (but not over 21), he must count the ace as 11 and stand. The dealer's decisions, then, are automatic on all plays, whereas the player always has the option of taking one or more cards.
If his total is higher than yours, you lose the bet, and he will collect your bet and put the chips in his tray. If your total is higher than his, you win the bet, and he will pay the entire amount you have bet. After he pays you, you’ll have your initial bet plus the amount you won in the circle. If you and the dealer happens to tie, with the same exact total? Nothing at all. A tie is called a “push”, and you do not win or lose your bet. Your chips stay in the betting circle where you can leave them for the next hand if you want, or you can add to or remove from them as you wish before the next hand.
A bet once paid and collected is never returned. Thus, one key advantage to the dealer is that the player goes first. If the player goes bust, he has already lost his wager, even if the dealer goes bust as well. This is why it's keen to watch the dealers card to see if he has whats called a "bust" card.
Blackjack; Natural or 21
If a player's first two cards are an ace and any 10 card, be it a pictured or numeric, making a count of 21 in two cards, this is a natural or "blackjack." If any player has a natural and the dealer does not, the dealer immediately pays that player one and a half times the amount of his bet. If the dealer has a natural, he immediately collects the bets of all players who do not have naturals, (but no additional amount).
If the dealer and another player both have naturals, the bet of that player is a stand-off and the player takes back his chips. This is commonly referred to as a push. If the dealer's face-up card is a ten-card or an ace, he looks at his face-down card to see if the two cards make a natural. If the face-up card is not a ten-card or an ace, he does not look at the face-down card until it is the dealer's turn to play.
A blackjack is therefore an Ace and any ten-valued card, with the additional requirement that these be your first two cards. If you split a pair of Aces for example, and then draw a ten-valued card on one of the Aces, this is not a blackjack, but rather a total of 21.
The distinction is important, because a winning blackjack pays the player at 3 to 2. A bet of $10 wins $15 if the player draws a blackjack. A player blackjack beats any dealer total other than blackjack, including a dealer’s three or more card 21.
If both a player and the dealer have blackjack, the hand is a tie or push. The dealer will usually pay your winning blackjack bet immediately when it is your turn to play. In the face down games, this means that you should show the blackjack to the dealer at that time. Some casinos may postpone paying the blackjack until after the hand is over if the dealer has a 10 card up and has not checked for a dealer blackjack. Other casinos check under both 10 and Ace dealer upcards, and would therefore pay the blackjack immediately.
Regardless, when you are dealt a blackjack, turn the cards face up, and smile. It only happens about once every 21 hands, but it accounts for a lot of the fun of the game. The combination of an ace with a card other than a ten-card is known as a "soft hand," because the player can count the ace as a 1 or 11, and either draw cards or not. For example with a "soft 17" (an ace and a 6), the total is 7 or 17. While a count of 17 is a good hand, the player may wish to draw for a higher total. If the draw creates a bust hand by counting the ace as an 11, the player simply counts the ace as a 1 and continues playing by standing or "hitting" (asking the dealer for additional cards, one at a time).
Splitting Pairs
If a player's first two cards are of the same value, such as two jacks or two sixes, he may choose to treat them as two separate hands when his turn comes around. The amount of his original bet then goes on one of the cards, and an equal amount must be placed as a bet on the other card. The player first plays the hand to his left by standing or hitting one or more times; only then is the hand to the right played. The two hands are thus treated separately, and the dealer settles with each on its own merits. With a pair of aces, the player is given one card for each ace and may not draw again. Also, if a ten-card is dealt to one of these aces, the payoff is equal to the bet (not one and one-half to one, as with a blackjack at any other time).
Splitting Strategy
For splitting, the player should always split a pair of aces or 8s; identical ten-cards should not be split, and neither should a pair of 5s, since two 5s are a total of 10, which can be used more effectively in doubling down. A pair of 4s should not be split either, as a total of 8 is a good number to draw to. Generally, 2s, 3s, or 7s can be split unless the dealer has an 8, 9, ten-card, or ace. Finally, 6s should not be split unless the dealer's card is poor (2 through 6).
When you are dealt a pair of cards of the same rank, you are allowed to split the pair into two separate hands and play them independently. Let’s say you are dealt a pair of eights for a total of sixteen. Sixteen is the worst possible player hand, since it is unlikely to win as is, but is very likely to bust if you draw to it. Here’s a great chance to improve a bad situation.
After splitting a pair, many casinos will allow you to double-down on a two-card hand that arises as a result of the split. For example, if you split a pair of eights, and draw a 3 on the first hand, it is valuable to be able to double-down on the resulting hand of 11. This rule is fairly common, and it helps the player by about 0.12%. As mentioned in the previous section discussion on pair splitting, there are several common restrictions on splitting Aces. You will receive only one card on each Ace after splitting. Some casinos will allow you to resplit if you draw another Ace, and some will not. That’s true even if the casino allows resplits of all other pairs. When the casino does allow resplitting of Aces, it helps the player by about 0.08%.
Resplitting
If you get additional pairs in the first two cards of a hand, most casinos will allow you to resplit, making yet another hand. Typically a player is allowed to split up to 3 times, making 4 separate hands, with 4 separate bets. If double after split is allowed, you could have up to 8 times your initial bet on the table! Note that you are allowed to split any 10-valued cards, so you could split a (Jack, Queen) hand. However, this is usually a bad play. Keep the 20. You will make more money on the pat 20 than you will trying to make two good hands from it.
Another oddity comes when splitting Aces. Splitting Aces is a very strong player move so the casino limits you to drawing only one additional card on each Ace. Also, if you draw a ten-valued card on one of your split Aces, the hand is not considered a Blackjack, but is instead treated as a normal 21, and therefore does not collect a 3:2 payoff. Some casinos allow resplitting Aces if you draw another, but many do not.With all these limitations, you may wonder whether it makes sense to split Aces. The answer is a resounding
YES. Always split Aces.
Doubling Down
Another option open to the player is doubling his bet when the original two cards dealt total 9, 10, or 11. When the player's turn comes, he places a bet equal to the original bet, and the dealer gives him just one card, which is placed face down and is not turned up until the bets are settled at the end of the hand. With two fives, the player may split a pair, double down, or just play the hand in the regular way. Note that the dealer does not have the option of splitting or doubling down.
Surrendering
Some games offer the player a chance to fold their hand, and forfeit half of their bet. This action, known as a surrender, must be the very first moved the player makes on the hand. So drawing a card and then surrendering is not an option. This makes surrendering rarely used by player. Often, the rules posted at the table won’t mention it even if the casino allows it. And many players just don’t like the idea of surrendering a hand. But for a smart player, it is a useful option, and reduces the house advantage by about 0.08%. In the most common variety (known as “late” surrender), a player cannot surrender until after the dealer has checked for blackjack. If the dealer has blackjack, you will lose your entire bet with no chance of surrendering for half the cost.
Insurance
Insurance in blackjack is often misunderstood by players, and is a big money-maker for casinos. Naming this side-bet “insurance” was a brilliant marketing ploy, and some otherwise solid players will frequently make this bad bet to “insure” when they have a good hand. But actually, insurance is not always a bad bet. For players who can recognize when the remaining deck is rich in ten-valued cards, this can actually be a profitable side-bet. So, what exactly is “insurance” in blackjack?
Insurance is a proposition bet that is available only when the dealer’s upcard is an Ace.When the dealer turns up an Ace, he will offer “Insurance” to the players. Insurance bets can be made by betting up to half your original bet amount in the insurance betting stripe in front of your bet. The dealer will check to see if he has a 10-value card underneath his Ace, and if he does have Blackjack, your winning Insurance bet will be paid at odds of 2:1. You will still lose your original bet (unless you also have a Blackjack), so the net effect is that you break even (assuming you bet the full half bet for insurance.) This is why the bet is described as “insurance”, since it seems to protect your original bet against a dealer blackjack. Of course, if the dealer does not have blackjack, you’ll lose the insurance bet, and still have to play the original bet out. Insurance is simply a side-bet offering 2:1 odds that the dealer has a 10-valued card underneath their Ace. Not surprisingly, the casino has a substantial edge on this bet.
In a single deck game, there are 16 ten-valued cards. Assuming that you don’t see any other cards, including your own, the tens compose 16 out of 51 remaining cards after the dealer’s Ace was removed. For the insurance bet to be a break-even bet, the hole card would have to be a ten 1 out of 3 times, but 16/51 is only 1 in 3.1875. That creates a 5.88% house edge on the insurance bet in single deck. It’s even worse in six decks with a 7.40% house edge. Unless you are card counter and know the deck is skewed sufficiently, you should probably just ignore the insurance bet. It doesn’t matter whether you have a good hand or a bad hand
Taking “Even Money” on Blackjack
If you have a blackjack when the dealer turns up an Ace, he is likely to offer you “even money” instead of the insurance bet. If you accept, the dealer will pay you the amount of your original bet and discard your hand of blackjack, before he even checks under his Ace to see if he has a blackjack as well.
Many players think this sounds like a good deal, guaranteeing a profit even if the dealer has a blackjack. But that guaranteed profit comes at a price. You will win more money in the long run by holding out for the full $15 payout when the dealer does not have blackjack, even though you will sometimes end up empty-handed. “Even money” is nothing but an insurance bet on your blackjack, nothing more and nothing less.
The problem is that you are still making a bad bet on insurance, which costs you money. If you ignore the offer of even money, sometimes you get $15, and sometimes you get $0. But on average, you will collect slightly more than the $10 you are offered for even money. A player who does not count cards should simply never take the insurance bet, even the “even money” variety.
Basic Strategy
Winning tactics in Blackjack require that the player play each hand in the optimum way, and such strategy always takes into account what the dealer's upcard is. When the dealer's upcard is a good one, a 7, 8, 9, 10-card, or ace for example, the player should not stop drawing until a total of 17 or more is reached.
When the dealer's upcard is a poor one, 4, 5, or 6, the player should stop drawing as soon as he gets a total of 12 or higher. The strategy here is never to take a card if there is any chance of going bust. The desire with this poor holding is to let the dealer hit and hopefully go over 21. Finally, when the dealer's up card is a fair one, 2 or 3, the player should stop with a total of 13 or higher.
With a soft hand, the general strategy is to keep hitting until a total of at least 18 is reached. Thus, with a an ace and a six (7 or 17), the player would not stop at 17, but would hit.
Bust Cards; To hit or not
If the Dealer's Card is a 10, J, Q, or K There is still a 1-in-13 chance that the dealer has a blackjack and a 4-in-13 chance of a 20. This makes it vital that you have a strong hand to stand a chance. In this scenario you should hit 10 or less. An 11 gives you a good chance of making a 21 with a hit. But you are still in the risk of busting, so it's to the players discretion.It's favourable to hit 12-16, but one should stand at 17+.
Further more when the Dealer's Card is a 7, 8, or 9 there is a better chance of winning, as the dealer cannot make a blackjack. However it is possible that the dealer will get a better draw. Nevertheless, both 10 and 11 can give you a good chance of a winning 20 or 21. You will still need to risk busting so you should hit 9 or less as well as 12 through 16, and stand at 17 plus.
If the Dealers card is a mid number like 4, 5 or 6, it's very likely he will bust so the key here is to not bust yourself. At this time it is very wise to double down with a 9, 10, or 11. You should hit 8 or less and stand on anything over 12. If the dealer has a 3 there's a slight advantage to take a hit when you have a 12 but once again, players discretion.
In the instance where the Dealer draws a 2 the chances of the dealer getting 2 cards totaling 20 is roughly 10 %, so doubling down on a nine is no longer wise, just hit on 9 or lower, double down on a 12 and sit on anything over 13.
If you witness the dealer's card as an Ace, you've experienced one of the worst scenarios on the table. A good approach is to aggressively play the game by trying to get a good hand, ideally something over 17, to compete with the likely strong hand of the dealer. An inherent truth in blackjack is that a card with a value of 10, is more likely to appear than any other single card value. So when the dealer has an ace drawn, has a blackjack roughly 4 times out of 13. But to make it more frightening an Ace has more chances of drawing cards without getting busted so it highly likely the dealer will prevail.
Thanks for reading, I wish you the greatest luck!