Today we will cover the rules of one of the most popular games at any casino – blackjack. The famous card game is the main attraction among the casino tables and knowing the basic rules of blackjack could not only make you some money at the casinos, but it would also make you look knowledgeable to any company you may visit the casino with.
As forementioned, blackjack is both a casino table game and a card game. It is a table game, as in such it is played in the tables section of the casino. But unlike other casino table games, such as baccarat and roulette, it is played with cards only.
The rules of blackjack are very easy to grasp and memorize. So much so, that it is by far the most popular game at any casino, because of its simplicity. The goal for the player is to come as close to a total of 21 points (also called blackjack, which is where the game takes its name from) with their cards as possible, without going over 21, and at the same time have a higher total than the dealer. You can read and learn the game of blackjack is much more intricate detail at OnlineCasinoSnoop, a website focusing on online casino games and guides.
In any blackjack game, you have the dealer (representing the casino, or the “house”) and the players on the other side. Once bets are placed on the table, the game proceeds as follows:
The dealer deals two rounds of one card at a time, to both the players at the table and themselves. The cards which are dealt with the players are done so with the face-up, while the first dealer card is dealt with the face down, the second – face-up.
Once the cards are dealt, and a dealer has a face-up card with a value of 10 or 11, the dealer will check the face-down card to make sure they don’t have a blackjack. This is down either with a tiny mirror under the dealer’s card or, these days, with a machine that can recognize the cards’ values.
Next, the players inspect their cards (mentally counting the total, more on that a bit later) and try to guess what is the possible total of the dealer cards. Remember, since one of the dealer’s cards is face-down, the players don’t really know what the dealer holds.
Then, the final round begins. The player is given a choice by the dealer – hit, stand, double, or split. The player can split their cards and play two games at the same time, if they were dealt two identical number value cards, such as two Jacks, or two nines. They can double, which means they can double their bet and automatically draw a third card. If they decide to hit, they will receive another card (or more, if they haven’t gone over 21 or decided to stay). And finally, they can choose to stay.
When the player chooses to stay, the round is over and it’s time to compare the cards totals. The dealer finally flips over their face-down card, and if the total is under 17 points, they automatically draw new cards until either their total goes over 17 or over 21 (aka “bust”).
If the dealer “busts”, i.e. the total of their cards is more than 21, the player automatically wins. On the other side, if the player busts – the dealer automatically wins. If neither one busts and there are no blackjacks, the player wins if their total is more than the dealer’s and vice versa. If the player has blackjack at any point – they instantly win, usually double or time and a half their bet, depending on the casino rules. The same is true for the dealer. And if both the dealer and the player have the same total, including both having blackjack at the same time – the result is a “push” and no one wins or loses.
As you can see, playing blackjack at the casino is very easy and fun. Every casino offers many blackjack tables, with different bet sizes and side-bets. So knowing how to play this game is a guaranteed way to have some fun. And now that you know – head on to any casino and try your luck at the blackjack table.
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