✕
Online casinos emerged around the 1990s, and if Blackjack was already well-known in traditional casinos at that time, now with the entire online world, it’s one of the most popular games.
You’ll be able to find this game in any casino where millions of people enjoy playing it!
However, Blackjack is not a simple card game; to play, you’ll need to know more or less the rules of the game, and to become a great player, you’ll need to know everything about it and have many hours of play.
To start playing Blackjack, you’ll need to learn several basic rules.
The objective of Blackjack is to get a hand of cards that reaches 21 or very close to it and win all other hands. If you go over 21, then you “bust” and are out of the game.
Blackjack is played with 1 to 8 decks of 52 cards each. Your only opponent is the dealer, or rather, the house, the casino.
You won’t be playing against other players. Let’s now learn some basic things about Blackjack that will be important to be able to play!
The value of the cards is very simple to learn since each card is worth the number it shows. That is, the 2 of Clubs is worth 2, the 6 of Hearts is worth 6, and so on.
However, there are some face cards whose value you need to learn. So, Jacks, Queens, and Kings are worth 10 points.
And then there is a special card, which is the Ace, that can be worth 1 or 11, depending on what is more convenient for your hand. Imagine that you get a face card and an Ace, with just two cards you’ve reached 21, you’re already winning a prize.
When you’re playing Blackjack, you must always pay close attention to the value of the Ace, as sometimes it may only be worth 1 point to prevent you from busting and going over 21 points.
The player cannot choose; the Ace must be worth only 1 point. For example, a hand composed of a 5 card and an Ace, you can either stay with a hand of 16 or continue asking for cards.
If an 8 card is drawn and added to the 16, you exceed 21. Therefore, the Ace will then be worth only one, and you will have a hand of 5, Ace, 8, totaling 14.
For the player to receive the cards to play, they must first place their bet on the table. That is, they place the chips on the table in the corresponding area.
The dealer deals one card face-up to each player, then one card face-up to themselves.
In another round of cards, another card face-up is then distributed to each player, but the dealer’s second card is dealt face-down.
In other words, the dealer’s first card is face-up, but the second card is face-down.
After the cards are dealt, it is up to the players to decide what they want to do: whether to continue playing or to surrender the hand.
If you choose to continue playing, depending on your hand, you can do various things. You can see here all the types of hands and actions you can take.
Still, if you decide to keep playing, you tell the dealer what you want to do. You can request more cards, you can stick with those two cards, or you can split the two cards if they match. It is at this moment that good players are distinguished from bad ones.
After the player decides, it’s the dealer’s turn to reveal the other card that was facing down. Here, they must follow the rules imposed by blackjack: if they have a hand of 16 or less, they must draw another card; if they have a hand of 17 or more, they must stand.
After that, the players’ hands are compared with the dealer’s hand. If the player beats the dealer, they receive a payout equal to the value of their bet.
A winning hand pays 1:1, but a natural blackjack hand pays 3:2. In case of a tie, the bet amount is returned. If the player’s hand exceeds 21 points or is lower than the dealer’s hand, then the player loses their bet.
Some game rules may favor the dealer over the players, making the odds of winning lower for the latter.
One unfavorable rule for players is the one requiring the dealer to stand on a total of 17 points. This means that if the dealer has 17 points, even if those points could be improved, they cannot draw more cards. This can be disadvantageous for players who are trying to reach a total of 18, 19, or 20 points and thus increase their chances of beating the dealer.
Another unfavorable rule for players is the one allowing the dealer to win in a tie. This means that even if a player has the same total points as the dealer, they still lose the hand. This can be especially disadvantageous for players trying to get a natural blackjack, as the dealer can win even if the player has a natural blackjack.
Additionally, some game rules may vary from casino to casino. For example, some casinos may limit the number of times a player can split their cards or double their bet, which can affect players’ chances of winning.
To identify rules unfavorable to players in blackjack, it’s important to read the game rules before playing and be aware of the differences between the rules of different casinos. Doing so can help players choose a casino with more favorable rules and thus increase their chances of winning.
In summary, playing blackjack can be as simple as explained here. If you follow these guidelines, you’ll be able to play and perhaps even win some money.
However, to become a skilled player and win big, you must study more and especially learn all about the types of hands in blackjack.
That’s where the player chooses which strategy to follow in order to beat the dealer.
