How to play Blackjack

Introduction to Blackjack

In casinos around the world, blackjack (also bk or blackjack) is considered the most played card game when gambling. Card games in general have an old tradition and can be found in ancient China and Egypt. 52 card games have existed in Europe since the 14th century. These had tarot-like symbols and had different valuations.

The modern blackjack game rules of the casino are a descendant of the French “Trente et Un”, but the 31-point mark was decisive. In the 17th century, the first track of today’s blackjack game called “Vingt et Un” is found, where the 21-point mark makes the point. It is known as “Twenty-One” or “Seventeen and Four.” Another variant is the game Onze et Demi, ie Elfehalb.

In the early forms of today’s blackjack only two players played against each other at the time. It was only through the French gambling houses that the game against the bank became popular.

Nowadays there are many real money online casinos where you can play Blackjack from the comfort of your own home.

Blackjack the Game

Basically, blackjack is about not exceeding more than a maximum of 21 as the total number of cards played.

Blackjack is usually played at a special table, the so-called blackjack table. This is semi-circular and on its straight side sits the croupier or dealer (also banker, dealer). Up to seven players can sit on the rounded side of the table. However, blackjack is not a team sport, everyone plays against the bank on their own.

Nevertheless, the other players at the table have a certain influence on individual play. This is because it’s all about the cards already played and limiting the likelihood of which card might come next.

The Blackjack game rules

The online blackjack rules in online casino’s as well as offline are almost the same.

At the blackjack table, the croupier or dealer (also banker, dealer) and up to seven players sit opposite each other. There is a painted slot on the table for betting and some lines that determine which position the cards players are allowed to take.

This classic card game is played with 6 packs of French playing cards with 52 hands each. This means there is a total of 312 cards in the game. A typical blackjack card is bridge sized and has extra-large index marks with the English names for each image: K (king) for king, Q (queen) for queen, and J (jack) for jack.

The players themselves are not allowed to touch these cards, as the blackjack dealer handles those. All playing cards of the players are placed slightly on top of each other to determine better what value each card has.

The main aim of Blackjack is to score exactly 21 points or have more points than the live casino dealer with two or more cards. However, it can’t be more than 21, which is why it is particularly important to know and remember the values of each card.

Gameplay

Before the start of each game round, according to the blackjack game rules, you place your bet in the designated space on the table. There is usually a fixed maximum bet in the casino.

If you want to watch blackjack in a casino, you may be allowed to place a bet in a particular player’s field. However, you don’t have a say in the game, but you can enjoy the little extra kick of this gambling game — unless that player has already placed a maximum bet. Then no one can use it anymore.

Once all bets are placed, the dealer deals the cards.

Each player as well as the live casino dealer receive a card which is placed openly in front of them. After that, there is only a second card up for the players. The player to the dealer’s left starts and he can now either:

• draw another card “hit”, “card”, or “carte”
• no longer request a card “stand,” or “reste”
• share “split”
• or doubling “double down”

The idea when requesting / draw a card is to get as close to or exactly as possible to the 21 points without exceeding them. If 21 points are exceeded, you are, so to speak, “bust”, overbought and lost to the bank and the stake is withdrawn by the croupier.

Only when all players have completed their game does the dealer draw another card for his own game.

• In case the croupier has 17 or more points, he has to stop.
• Should there be 16 points or less, he or she must draw another card.
• If the dealer overbuys himself with it, i.e. scores more than 21, all players still participating in the game win.
• Otherwise, only players with a higher card value win.

The Blackjack Card Values

Aces can have a value of one or eleven points depending on the context. The value is decided once the player stops drawing another card. The dealer then counts the ace with the value which is in the favor for the player. This means that an ace always has to count eleven points unless the value is exceeded 21. In this case, the ace counts with one point.

Two to ten have the score according to the value shown on the card.

All face cards, that is, Jacks, Queens and kings, count ten points each.

Blackjack Payout Values

If a player wins, they usually get a 1 to 1 win equal to their bet. If the card value is exactly the same for both player and croupier, only the stake will be refunded. However, according to the blackjack game rules, there are also game variants where double the payout is possible.

This includes the plays

• Share (Split)
• Insurance (insurance against blackjack)
• Doubling (Double Down)

Higher profit margins are also available in the following cases:

Triple Seven

If a player scores 21 points through three sevens, he wins immediately at a ratio of 3 to 2, regardless of the dealer’s card.

Blackjack

You can hit a Blackjack when you get exactly 21 points with the first two cards. As an example, this could be an Ace and a King or Ace and a Queen. Should the deal not get Blackjack in the same game round, you then score a 3-2 win. If luck is not on your side and the live casino dealer also has a blackjack, the game is a tie.

Dealer Busts

Some casinos allow players to bet on the dealer overbuying in this round before the card is dealt. If the dealer actually gets 22 or more, this side bet will be paid out at a ratio of 5 to 2, otherwise the bet on that bet will be withdrawn by the bank.

Most Common Blackjack Terms

The following Blackjack terms are frequently used and can help you to develop a better strategy.

Draw or Stand

This is about the basic game strategy, whether another card is drawn (draw) or not (stand)

Hard Hands

A Hard hand is a card combinations without an ace or a hand with an ace if it is counted with only one point. This means, for example, that a combination A-6-7 is a hard 14.

Soft Hands

This is a card combinations including 1 ace which is rated with 11 points. This ace is a soft hand. An ace and an 8 can therefore be counted as 19 points. When you have a soft hand with two aces, you should usually split or double down.

Split

A player can split his hand and play with separate stakes when the first two cards are equal and receives as many cards as he wants in each split hand. If two aces are split, the player can only get one more card. Then the combination ace and picture or ace and ten no longer counts as blackjack, but as ordinary 21 points.

The reason: this card combination was not achieved with the first two cards. It is usually always advisable to split two aces. The exception is when the dealer also has an ace – in this case, the hand with two aces is considered “soft” and requires another card.

Double Down

A player can double the bet after receiving the first two cards, regardless of the card value. If a player doubles, he gets only one card after that. With double down, soft hand doubles and hard hand doubles can still be distinguished.

Insurance

If the dealer has an ace as the first card, you have the option to place a side bet against the croupier’s blackjack. To do this, just place a the required stake on the insurance line. If the dealer actually scores blackjack with the second card, the insurance is paid out at a ratio of 2 to 1. However, if the live croupier does not have blackjack, you win the insurance bonus.