How to Play Blackjack
Learning to play Blackjack isn’t a difficult endeavor - the simplicity of it makes it an excellent card game for beginners to learn how to play. One of the nicest things about Blackjack is that at times it is possible to statistically hold the edge over the casino, if you play it right.
Basic Rules of Blackjack
The basic rules of Blackjack are straight forward and simple. The object of the game is to receive cards which add up to as close to 21 as possible, without going over. The face cards, which are Kings, Queens, and Jacks are worth 10. Aces are worth 1 or 11 points, you choose whichever number you think is best at the time. All the other cards in the deck are worth points according to what number they show (9 card is worth 9 points, for example).
To win at Blackjack, you have to beat the dealers hand without busting. Busting is what happens when the total amount of your cards goes over 21. If a player and the dealer have the same point total then it is referred to as a ¨push¨ and there is no winner in the hand. If you receive an ace and a 10 (or face card) on the first two cards dealt to you, then you have what is called a Blackjack. This is an automatic win for the player, and pays out at 1.5 to 1. This is the ultimate rush in Blackjack.
Casino Blackjack
Playing Blackjack at a casino is great fun and I definitely recommend it to anyone. If you´re playing at a casino then you´ll need to place a bet to begin playing. The dealer will deal two cards each to the player. The dealer then gets two cards, one card face up and the other face down. At this time, each player in turn will either say ¨hit¨ (which gives them another card) or ¨stay¨ (which holds their hand).
Once all the players have finished their turn and are either still in or out (busted) then it is the dealers turn. The dealer must “hit” until their hand reaches 17 or above, at this point, the dealer must stay. The players that win the hand are the players with a total larger then the dealers. If the dealer goes over 21 then all the players still in the hand automatically win!
As you can see learning how to play Blackjack isn´t a difficult process, and can be a ton of fun, too. If you’re new to the exciting world of gambling then Blackjack is the ideal casino game to start off with. There are variations to blackjack but the blackjack game outlined on this page is a normal game that you would expect at a online casino or brick and morter casino.
Playing like a Blackjack Pro
Blackjack pro’s use complex card counting systems to increase their odds of winning. The basic idea of card counting is keeping track of the cards that have been dealt and better predicting what cards will likely come next. This is the study of blackjack odds and very good professional blackjack players are able to use this information to beat the house.
Picking where you play is another thing that professionals are very careful about. They don’t want to pick a game where the blackjack rules have been modified to give a bigger edge to the house. You need to be very careful on what the “house” blackjack rules are. One thing is how much they pay for blackjacks. Casinos have started to only pay 6 to 5 rather then 3 to 2. This works out in the houses favor so it is important to try to only play games that give you the true 3 to 2 blackjack odds.
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