How to play Blackjack
Big Gains No Pains Guides - How to play Blackjack
The game of Blackjack is very simple to play and is a good starting point for all card novices. The game is played with one of decks of 52 Cards and all players at the table play against the dealer - rather than each other. The majority of Online Casinos will allow you to play a 1 on 1 game with the Dealer or a 'Multi-Hand' form of Blackjack - where you can play the Dealer with more than one hand - although this means increasing your stake thereby increasing your risk.
The purpose of Blackjack - is to get the sum of your cards as close as possible to the value 21 - and should you complete this in two cards - an Ace and a Picture Card/Ten - this is referred to as 'Blackjack' and you will get 2x your bet back.
Generally played at a semi-circular table - players will sit around the arched side while the dealer will face them all as an opponent would do in any strategic game. (See first picture on the right for table layout)
As you can see there are six seats at this particular table and the dealer position, as mentioned before, is facing them. Having placed the bets that the players would like to wager, each player is now dealt two cards (including the dealer) and these two cards will determine what you have to do next. So let us imagine that there is only one person playing the Dealer - and that they are now dealt two cards each. The closer these cards are to 21 - the more likely they are to win. However, should the value of the cards ever exceed 21 - it is known as 'Bust' and the player will forfeit their money to the Dealer.
As you can tell by the photo - the Dealer's second card is laid face down as to not reveal too much before the game has started.
Now the player has several options once the cards have been dealt - they may 'Stand' which translates to do nothing more as the total of their hand is adequate to them; they may 'Hit' which means that they will be dealt another card on top of their standing two; they may 'Split' if both of the cards they have been dealt are the same value (e.g. Two x 10's) and this would mean them doubling their bet and having the opportunity to not only play with two hands against the dealer - but to win twice with these hands OR the player could 'Double Down' which involves them doubling their bet in return for just one more card - but this would be the only card they could receive Since the player has '20' as their value - it is highly unlikely for them to do anything but 'Stand.'
Now the dealer has a King showing as his face-up card and this means that it is possible for him to beat my 20 without hitting again - simply by getting an 'Ace' and calling 'Blackjack.' Bear in mind that in other hands once the value of a dealer's cards exceed 17 - they may not hit anymore and have to stand with whatever they have.
Should the player leave his hand intact and the Dealer exceed the value of 21 or not beat his total - the player will get twice his/her bet back. This means that if he/she has bet £10 - he/she will now get £20 in winnings.
One other important thing to note - if the player and the dealer equal each other's totals - this normally counts as a draw and both the player and the dealer will get their money back. However in some casinos - this could mean that the dealer wins and you lose your money - be sure to check the rules on this before you play big. Also when the dealer has an Ace as his face-up card - you are offered the chance to buy 'insurance.' If you think that the Dealer has a Ten, Jack, Queen or King as his face-down card - this would be a good option as it means you will get your money back for the hand and not lose anything. However if he does not have a ten value card as his face-down card - then you will lose the Insurance bet and continue the game - albeit with the knowledge that the Dealer does not have 21 in his hand.
Just in case anyone is still unsure - here are the values of the cards in Blackjack - and the totals with recommendations of what to do (remember it is impossible to get under 4 in Blackjack as anything less that this would involve an Ace and could be used as the value of 11:
In the Total/Outcome table - the word 'CHECK' implies to see what face-up card the dealer has got and if it is lower than a seven - take a chance and Stand - if higher than a seven - it may be worth taking the chance to Hit again. Also a 'Blackjack' call is an automatic winner unless the dealer too has Blackjack - and you will be paid out immediately. Should you have two eights, two nine's or or two ace's in your hand at the deal - this may be worth splitting if you have the cash available - and playing two hands against the dealer as hitting on these values would be dangerously risky. Two ten's would be worth sticking on as you have a good valued hand.
Also be aware that any card value where you have an 11 available to you (e.g. a Five and a Six) might be worth doubling down on - since you would have a 4/13 chance or a 31% chance of drawing a card with the value of 10 and finishing on 21. This means that having doubled your stake - you would win twice as much if the dealer cannot beat you.
Finally I would like to draw your attention to a variation of Blackjack that can be found at the Online Casinos and the different rules that apply (if any).
Blackjack Surrender
Played with exactly the same rules as Blackjack - a new option becomes available at the deal if the Dealer has a face-up Ace, where as the Dealer checks to see if he has Blackjack, the player can 'Surrender' which would involve them losing just half their original bet but they would be unable to recoup their loss of half the bet for this round.
There are other variations of Blackjack available but these are less prominent and require a whole different set of rules - ones that will only confuse at this point in time. Should you find yourself playing one of these - it is best for you to read the Rule Books available through the 'Help Guide' at all Top Casinos.
I hope this has helped you understand the Basics of Blackjack and feel free to check out some of the Casinos on the side where you can play this - or some of the recommended ones as featured below.
The game of Blackjack is very simple to play and is a good starting point for all card novices. The game is played with one of decks of 52 Cards and all players at the table play against the dealer - rather than each other. The majority of Online Casinos will allow you to play a 1 on 1 game with the Dealer or a 'Multi-Hand' form of Blackjack - where you can play the Dealer with more than one hand - although this means increasing your stake thereby increasing your risk.
The purpose of Blackjack - is to get the sum of your cards as close as possible to the value 21 - and should you complete this in two cards - an Ace and a Picture Card/Ten - this is referred to as 'Blackjack' and you will get 2x your bet back.
Generally played at a semi-circular table - players will sit around the arched side while the dealer will face them all as an opponent would do in any strategic game. (See first picture on the right for table layout)
As you can see there are six seats at this particular table and the dealer position, as mentioned before, is facing them. Having placed the bets that the players would like to wager, each player is now dealt two cards (including the dealer) and these two cards will determine what you have to do next. So let us imagine that there is only one person playing the Dealer - and that they are now dealt two cards each. The closer these cards are to 21 - the more likely they are to win. However, should the value of the cards ever exceed 21 - it is known as 'Bust' and the player will forfeit their money to the Dealer.
As you can tell by the photo - the Dealer's second card is laid face down as to not reveal too much before the game has started.
Now the player has several options once the cards have been dealt - they may 'Stand' which translates to do nothing more as the total of their hand is adequate to them; they may 'Hit' which means that they will be dealt another card on top of their standing two; they may 'Split' if both of the cards they have been dealt are the same value (e.g. Two x 10's) and this would mean them doubling their bet and having the opportunity to not only play with two hands against the dealer - but to win twice with these hands OR the player could 'Double Down' which involves them doubling their bet in return for just one more card - but this would be the only card they could receive Since the player has '20' as their value - it is highly unlikely for them to do anything but 'Stand.'
Now the dealer has a King showing as his face-up card and this means that it is possible for him to beat my 20 without hitting again - simply by getting an 'Ace' and calling 'Blackjack.' Bear in mind that in other hands once the value of a dealer's cards exceed 17 - they may not hit anymore and have to stand with whatever they have.
Should the player leave his hand intact and the Dealer exceed the value of 21 or not beat his total - the player will get twice his/her bet back. This means that if he/she has bet £10 - he/she will now get £20 in winnings.
One other important thing to note - if the player and the dealer equal each other's totals - this normally counts as a draw and both the player and the dealer will get their money back. However in some casinos - this could mean that the dealer wins and you lose your money - be sure to check the rules on this before you play big. Also when the dealer has an Ace as his face-up card - you are offered the chance to buy 'insurance.' If you think that the Dealer has a Ten, Jack, Queen or King as his face-down card - this would be a good option as it means you will get your money back for the hand and not lose anything. However if he does not have a ten value card as his face-down card - then you will lose the Insurance bet and continue the game - albeit with the knowledge that the Dealer does not have 21 in his hand.
Just in case anyone is still unsure - here are the values of the cards in Blackjack - and the totals with recommendations of what to do (remember it is impossible to get under 4 in Blackjack as anything less that this would involve an Ace and could be used as the value of 11:
In the Total/Outcome table - the word 'CHECK' implies to see what face-up card the dealer has got and if it is lower than a seven - take a chance and Stand - if higher than a seven - it may be worth taking the chance to Hit again. Also a 'Blackjack' call is an automatic winner unless the dealer too has Blackjack - and you will be paid out immediately. Should you have two eights, two nine's or or two ace's in your hand at the deal - this may be worth splitting if you have the cash available - and playing two hands against the dealer as hitting on these values would be dangerously risky. Two ten's would be worth sticking on as you have a good valued hand.
Also be aware that any card value where you have an 11 available to you (e.g. a Five and a Six) might be worth doubling down on - since you would have a 4/13 chance or a 31% chance of drawing a card with the value of 10 and finishing on 21. This means that having doubled your stake - you would win twice as much if the dealer cannot beat you.
Finally I would like to draw your attention to a variation of Blackjack that can be found at the Online Casinos and the different rules that apply (if any).
Blackjack Surrender
Played with exactly the same rules as Blackjack - a new option becomes available at the deal if the Dealer has a face-up Ace, where as the Dealer checks to see if he has Blackjack, the player can 'Surrender' which would involve them losing just half their original bet but they would be unable to recoup their loss of half the bet for this round.
There are other variations of Blackjack available but these are less prominent and require a whole different set of rules - ones that will only confuse at this point in time. Should you find yourself playing one of these - it is best for you to read the Rule Books available through the 'Help Guide' at all Top Casinos.
I hope this has helped you understand the Basics of Blackjack and feel free to check out some of the Casinos on the side where you can play this - or some of the recommended ones as featured below.
