Tips to play Blackjack
Blackjack might not be one of the easiest ways to spend your free time but it is the way to have lots of fun and bring home the bacon when you play casino games. Blackjack can be played literally anywhere, you can even host a blackjack party at your home and whatever your preference is you will need a solid basic knowledge of the basics of blackjack and the best strategy to increase your winning odds.
Know your suits
A classic French deck of cards features 52 cards that are divided into four different suits which are, Clubs (♧), Diamonds (♢), Hearts (♥) and Spades (♤). The spade and clubs are colored in black while diamonds and hearts are covered in red. A traditional deck has 13 ranks and each suite has one card per each rank. The first card is the ace (A), but it is not exactly equivalent to a 1 but it is the highest-ranking card of the deck. Then it is followed by a string of numbers from two (2) to ten(10) and the last three are Jack (J), Queen (Q), King (K) which they are also known as the face cards.
How to count the scoring
Blackjack has some restrictions when it comes to using suits. Scoring in blackjack depends on the ranks a player holds in their hands and it is their ability to count them according to the rules. So, each Ace is worth either 1 or 11 points, for all that belongs to the two-to-ten string, the rule is the same – their rank equals their point value. If you hold an 8 then you hold 8 points exactly and from every face card like Jack, a Queen or King is worth 10 points.
The rules
When you play a game of blackjack, you always play against the dealer. It does not matter how many people are playing at the same time but there are always only two hands in play – the player’s hand which is you versus the dealer’s hands. A Blackjack is a hand 2-card hand that has a total of 21 points. The losing hand or dead hand or the bust is every hand with a total sum of 22 or higher. That is because if your hand goes over the 21 point limit, you are out of the game. Regardless of the dealer’s score. Unfortunately, that is not the only losing hand in Blackjack because each hand that is less than 21 or less than the dealer’s score, that is also a losing hand.
A typical casino Blackjack table has enough space for seven players plus a dealer. Dealer must draw to 16 and stand on all 17s, table limits which means minimum or maximum bet is allowed.
If a player and the dealer hold the same score in their hands then the result is called a Push, this means that your initial bet is returned to you and it does not matter if you win or lose. Blackjack pays 3 to 2 or in some cases like some casino will pay you 6 to 5. This refers to the payoffs and odds.
With insurance pays 2 to 1, you are offered to put an additional bet on whether or not your dealer will get a Blackjack or not. With this, your hand can lose to the dealer’s hand but you might cover up your lost bet with a win on the insurance bet.
Hit or Stand
Blackjack starts with all the players exchanging their money for chips and place them on the designated spots on the table as their bets. The dealer then peeks to check if he is dealt with a Blackjack. If not, players are invited to hit or stand. There are another three options to choose from, players can split, double down and even surrender.
Hit means you can take another card to your hand if it is not over 21.
Stand means you can stop taking cards if you feel like your hand is already enough or if it is 21.
If you choose to split, you need to have two of the same rank of cards. You then will receive 2 cards more, one of each of the cards you are originally dealt with, then pay a side bet and start playing with two independent hands. Both of the bets and payouts are independent too.
To double down, you need to place an additional bet for that hand after which you will receive one card more to your original hand.
The rules for surrender varies from one casino to another. In a sense, some are offered an early surrender choice where players can drop their hands before the dealer checks his cards for a Blackjack. Other than that, you will also get a later surrender option, where you must wait until the dealer is done with that. You are also allowed to surrender half of the bet and free to walk away with the rest.
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