Blackjack
In-Brief
The main objective in Blackjack is to get a higher total than the dealer
without exceeding a total of 21 or by having the dealer go over 21 when you
don’t. A bona fide Blackjack player knows the value of his cards. Basically,
cards 2 through 10 have their own face values, so a 10 would count as 10, a
4 worth a 4 etc. Face cards like Jacks, Queens, and Kings are all valued as
10. Aces can be counted as either 1 or 11, depending on the player’s
preference. A player can decide to hit and accumulate more cards, or stay
where he/she is (hereby called standing) and stop collecting cards. If the
player exceeds 21 on his hand value, the player officially “busts”, which is
a colorful word for losing the bet. If the dealer goes over 21, the player
is an automatic winner. If both participants do not reach 21, the person
with the highest value wins the game.
Blackjack Rules
The game of Blackjack starts with a placed bet. Dealers deal two cards in
the face-up position for both himself and the player. The dealer then slaps
another card on the table facedown to his hand. This face-down card is also
referred to as a ‘hole card’ The player can automatically win the game if
his first two cards are a combination of Ace and a 10 value card (10, Jack,
Queen, King) to make 21 (Blackjack) If his hand doesn’t fall into Blackjack,
he has the choice whether to hit or to stand. After a hit, the dealer is
required to ask the player if he wants to hit again or stand pat. The
distribution of cards to reach as close to 21 as possible may continue to
take place until the player chooses to stand, hits Blackjack, or goes over
21. If the player wants to stand, the dealer has to proceed in adding cards
to his own hand until he has a total value of 17 or higher, Blackjack, or
bust.
The dealer is required to follow a list of rules that spell out when he has
to hit, stand, double down, split pairs, or call it quits. Different casinos
both online and land-based have different Dealer rules, but there are two
universally accepted variations which are:
- The dealer must stand on all 17s. This means the dealer has to continue
hitting (adding cards to his hand) until it has reached a total value of 17
or higher. Aces can count as 11 (a factor in having the dealer decide
whether to hit or stand) if this value does not force the dealer into a
bust.
- The dealer hits on soft 17s. This means that the dealer has to keep adding
cards to his hand if the second card drawn is an Ace, even when the Ace and
number card total 17 or more. In this scenario, the Ace has a value of 1,
not 11.
Blackjack Playing Options
‘Doubling down’ lets players have the chance to increase their wagers in a
pretty comfortable situation. Basically, it lets players double their
original bets. When a player has a value of 9, 10, or 11 with his first two
cards, he is a candidate for doubling down. If the player decides to double
down, the dealer gives the player one more card and continues to draw cards
until he stands or busts on his own hand.
‘Splitting pairs’ occurs when a player’s first two cards are a pair. With
this, they have the option of playing two independent hands. This is done by
making a bet equal to the original bet amount before the split occurs. When
players split their Aces, rules are set in place to allow players to be
dealt one more card on each independent hand. In this scenario, hitting 21
is not considered a Blackjack.
‘Insurance’ occurs when everyone has been given their initial two cards and
the dealer-s face-up card shows an ace. In this instance, players are
offered ‘insurance; before anything else happens at the table. The player is
required to bet half of their initial bet and they receive a payback of 2:1
if the Dealer hits Blackjack. If the dealer hits 21, the amount the player
win’s is the same as the amount lost in the initial bet. However, if the
dealer fails to hit Blackjack, the player loses his insurance bet.
Regular wins, where the player gets a higher value total than the dealer,
pays the same amount of money. Blackjack wins (where the player hits 21 on
his first two dealt cards) awards him a payout of 3:2. When both Dealer and
Player tie (also referred to as a push), no one wins or loses.
The Science of Card Counting
The strategy of counting cards in Blackjack involves plenty of mathematical
thinking and is one based on chance. Card counting only requires players to
have the ability to count up to 12, by ones. This also goes into effect for
games where multiple decks are played. For instance, a deck that has cards
2,3,4,5,6,7 and 8 notably missing are more advantageous for a player while a
deck with little 9,10 and Ace cards are generally not on the player’s side.
An advanced gamer will pay attention and have the ability to figure out what
cards the deck is holding, which increases the likelihood of success.
