Learn How to Play Blackjack and Join in the Excitement

blackjack 21

Do you know how to play blackjack? Many people can honestly answer “yes” to that question because they learned the game also known as “21” at the family kitchen table or in the break room at work.

Blackjack is a card game that uses one or more decks of playing cards, and the card rank is similar to that used in other table games. But there is a significant difference with blackjack. Until you understand this difference completely, it may be difficult to say, honestly, that you know how to play blackjack.

Compare the game of poker in a casino with that of blackjack and this difference becomes apparent right away. In poker, you are battling the other players at the table, while the dealer is there to distribute cards, collect chips and generally supervise the play.

In blackjack, the dealer does many of the same tasks, but has one other item to be concerned with. The dealer is also a player.

In fact, in blackjack, the dealer is the primary target, because players are trying to beat the dealer. Winning at blackjack involves getting a better hand than the gentleman or lady who is on the casino payroll. With blackjack online, this “person” is the computer program and the hands represented at the dealer seat.

One important guideline as you learn how to play blackjack is: When you are at a table where players hold the cards in their hand, you are at a single-deck game. In casinos, for the most part, blackjack is dealt from a box called a shoe, in which there are up to eight decks of cards. This is key information if you, or another player, is using any type of counting or card-tracking system.

In “shoe” games, the cards are dealt face up and the player is not supposed to touch cards on the table.

As you become more familiar with how to play blackjack, you will see that the goal is very simple. Most would say that players are trying to get a combination of cards that total as close to 21 as possible, without going over. But this is really not the final step. A player’s card total has to be better than the dealer’s total, no matter what the actual value. Going over 21 means “bust” and you lose. If a player gets cards first and busts it doesn’t matter what the dealer does. The dealer can bust as well, giving those players with 21 or less a win.

Card values are relatively simple to understand as you figure out how to play blackjack and win. The cards with 2 through 10 on them count at their face value. Jack, Queen and King count as 10. An Ace can be used as one or 11. For example, a King and a six would be 16. An Ace and six would be either 7 or 17. A common or table-slang term for a hand with an Ace is “soft.” A hand with other cards that can have only one value is a “hard” hand. If someone gets an Ace and a face card, which totals 21, that is known as blackjack. Tip: Suits don’t matter in casino blackjack.

A typical blackjack game would have the dealer giving each player two cards face up from the shoe, while the dealer gets one card face up and one card face down. The dealer then asks each player if they want an additional card, judging from the two cards in front of each player and the one card that the dealer has revealed in his or her hand.

As you learn how to play blackjack you need to know some of the basic moves or actions in blackjack: hitting, which means that you want another card and you indicate this by tapping the table, for example; standing, which means that you want to play the hand as it is and you indicate this by waving your hand over your cards.

Players can also double down by placing another bet next to your original bet and split if they are dealt a pair. With a split, the player also makes another bet. Players can also surrender, which means that you give up half your bet after the first two cards are dealt. This can be a good option when used sparingly. When you learn how to play blackjack, always check to see that the casino you are playing in offers this option. A few don’t. Players may also “buy” insurance by making a side bet that the dealer has a ten in the hole. If the dealer has a ten, the player wins the insurance bet but not the original bet. Use of insurance is a subject for studying strategy in winning at blackjack.

Those are just the basics, but should be enough to allow you to enjoy the game and maybe even win!

Progressive Jackpots

mega moolah

Quick Blackjack Tips

"Know your table – As you step up to a blackjack table in the casino or visit the “lobby” of an online casino, make sure you know the rules for that table. For example, a sign at the table might say that the dealer must stand on all 17s. "

See more blackjack tips »

Play Blackjack

Blackjack Casinos

Blackjack Articles

BackNext

Sign-up now for our Newsletter

Subscribe by Email

Latest Casino Articles

The Casino Affairs Bible

Snapshot Guide

Casino Links

gamcare