Blackjack
Blackjack is the most popular casino card in the world. The reason behind Blackjack becoming the most popular game is two fold. Firstly the game is relatively easy to pick up and understand and the second is that with a little strategic thought you can actually alter the odds to tilt in your favour.
For example a blackjack player employing only the basic strategy can reduce the house edge to as little as 0.5%.
BlackJack is readily known as one of the “Beatable” casino games as a skilled player with a well-designed strategy can create a positive mathematical expectation.
Blackjack has also a lot of glamour and mystique surrounding it especially after the card counting scandles of the early nineties when the MIT Blackjack Team, a card counting team, made millions across the world. Card counting is where the player, or team of players, keep track of which cards have been played since the last shuffle.
BlackJack History
BlackJack is inherited from a game called Vingt-et-Un, Twenty-One, which appeared in French casinos approximately 300 years ago.
So why BlackJack, well when BalckJack was introduced to America it wasn’t very popular so a 10-1 bonus was introduced if the players hand was made up of the Ace of Spades and a black Jack. This hand became known as a “blackjack”, the game then inherited this title. And BlackJack was born. Although the 10-1 bonus was dropped relatively quickly.
Around 1919 green-felt was introduced to BlackJack tables and by 1931 BlackJack was the most popular card game in Nevada but only the third most popular Casino table game in Nevada after Roullete and Craps.
This all changed when in 1958 the first mathematical basic strategy appeared and BlackJack became the number card game and table game played in Nevada.
Online BlackJack
Online Blackjack can be played on your own with just the dealer or you can join a group of players. Classic BlackJack games played:
* Single Player
* Multi-Hand
* Multi-Player
* Multi-Split
* Private Room
Other BlackJack Varients
There are many other online BlackJack varients with additional added or altered rules have been added in the players favour.
* Progressive Jackpot
* Super Fun 21
* Pontoon
Blackjack - Rules
In Blackjack each player, and the dealer, is dealt two cards to start with. The goal of Blackjack is beat the dealer by accumulating cards that add up nearer to 21 than the dealers’ cards, without exceeding 21.
In Blackjack cards are worth there face value with face cards, King, Queen, and Jack worth 10. An Ace can be high or low, 11 or 1.
If at the end of your play you and the dealer have the same hand value then the deal is a Push and your money is returned.
If your hand adds up to 22 or higher you are said to have Busted and you loose your bet irrespective of what the dealer dose next.
You are only ever playing with the dealer, you are not competing with or playing against any other player. Although, it is important to keep an eye on what cards have been dealt.
Blackjack Rules
The following rules are based on the Atlantic City Blackjack rules, these form the bases of most online casino black rules, however there are exceptions so check with your preferred casino.
Summary of Blackjack rules:
* 8 packs of cards are used
* The deck is re-shuffled after each hand
* Dealer stands on all 17’s
* Doubling after splitting allowed
* No re-splitting of cards allowed
* No surrender
* Only one additional card allowed on each Ace when splitting a pair of Ace
Select how much you would like to bet, the minimum bet is printed on a sign on the table, this can vary from casino to casino and table to table. After the initial wager is placed, the dealer deals the cards.
Each player receives two cards face up and the dealer receives one card face up and one card face down.
Now you can do one of the following depending on the card you’ve been dealt:
Hit
Receive another card. You can Hit as many times as you like but if your cards add up to more than 21 you are bust and have lost your wager.
Stand
You will receive no more cards. This is the hand you will try and beat the dealer with.
Split
If you have received two cards of the same denomination then you can split your cards in to two hands. You will than play each hand sepeperatly. Your original bet will have to be posted for the new hand.
Double Down
Immediately after you receive your first two cards, when it is your turn, you will oferered the opportunity to double your bet and receive only one more card.
Insurance
If the dealers face card is an Ace you will be offered the opputunity of buying Insurance on the dealer having Blackjack, this will cost half of your wager. If the dealer does have Blackjack then you will be paid 2-1 on the insurance.
Blackjack
If you have an Ace or any picture card or ten you have Blackjack and will be paid 3 to 2.
Payoff
- Winning Hand 1 to 1
- Blackjack 3 to 2
- Insurance 2 to 1
Basic strategy is based on the value of your cards added together and comparing this with the dealers face, or up, card. Using basic strategy you can alter the casinos house edge to only a small percentage.
Basic strategy determines when you should hit, stand, double down or split.
A players hand is said to be soft if an Ace is counted as eleven. This is because the player cannot bust if one more card is received.
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