How to Play Blackjack

Blackjack is a super easy game to play and anyone can make a lot of cash playing it. All you have to do is get 21 points. The face cards are ten points, the aces are one or eleven (your choice) and then the numbered cards are their face value. So, there's a bunch of stuff you can learn about when you are playing that won't really affect your first hands, like insurance, splitting and doubling, but with the basics, you can sit in and double your money instantly.

The objective of the game is to get twenty-one points and the dealer has to either have equal to push (noone wins), or have less than you in order for you to win. A natural blackjack, one that is given to you with your first 2 cards, will get you 3 to 1 typically. Ok, so if you don't have 21 and you know that the dealer can only draw cards until he hits 17, you'll want to hit.

That means ask for a card. When you get the total that you want, you will stand. Once you have made your stand, the dealer will then flip his cards over and either stop at 17 or attempt to beat your score, that is unless you already lost to his hand.

This is not the only good site for gambling info and discussions about blackjack.  Other sites on the internet have further information regarding tips on how to play blackjack and advanced play strategies.  Another good site for online blackjack information can be found here.

More About Blackjack

Blackjack is one of the world’s most popular and most exciting games, played both in casinos and on-line. Its popularity grows daily as new Blackjack sites mushrooms on the Internet.

A beginner at this game cannot imagine how much fun he can have or how much money he can win in Blackjack.

The first thing that must be learnt is the basic objective of the game. This is very simple. It is to assemble a hand that equals 21 in value or as close to 21 as possible without going ‘bust’, exceeding it. The player also wants to be closer to 21 than the dealer. If the player’s first 2 cards total 21, that is called Blackjack. In order to get Blackjack the player must be dealt an Ace and a Picture card. In Blackjack the player is not playing against other players but only against the Dealer and this means that you don’t have to bluff the other players as to the hand you are holding. Likewise, the other players are not trying to bluff you.

Most important, you have to learn the betting rules. The betting is done before the cards are dealt and you have to place your bet in the square marked for this on the table. As soon as all the bets have been placed, the cards are dealt by the dealer.

Now you have to know the value of the cards so there is no confusion once the play starts.

An Ace is either 1 or 11, and you will decide, according to the cards you are dealt, which of these two you would like it to be according to how it suits your hand. The 10, Jack, Queen and King are all counted as 10. The cards from 2 to 9 are all counted at face value. The different suits do not count at all in Blackjack, so these can be ignored.

There are two kinds of hands in this game, a soft hand or a hard hand. A soft hand is one in which there is an Ace and a hard hand is one where there is no Ace.

What happens when the dealer deals out the cards? He starts by making two rounds around the table. He starts at his left and deals until everyone, including himself, has 2 cards. He starts the play by turning over one of his cards so that everyone can see it. This will help the other players decide how to play their hands when the time comes.

The player in the first position, the one to the immediate left of the dealer, looks at his own hand thinks about how he is going to play, now that he knows one of the dealer’s cards. At the same time all the other players are thinking of the strategies they are going to use.

Each player, now that he knows how many points he has in his hand, can decide to take another card, i.e. ‘Hit’, can ‘Stand’, can ‘Double Down’, can ‘Split’ or can ‘Fold’.

To ‘Hit’ means that he thinks he should add another card or cards to bring him closer to the score of 21.

To Stand means that he is happy with the score he has and will take his chances without adding another card.

To Double Down. A profitable move that a player can make is to Double Down.

A player can only do this when he is holding the two cards that were originally dealt to him. Doubling Down will allow him to double his bet and receive one more card. A player will do this when he thinks that one more card will bring him close to 21.

To Split. This can only be done when a player receives two of the same cards, i.e. 2 fives or 2 kings. What happens is that you can split this hand into 2 separate hands and play each hand separately. A pair of Aces should always be split, because this gives the player 2 chances of being dealt a Blackjack hand.

To Fold is to throw in your hand because you think you don’t stand any chance of winning.

When play starts it soon becomes clear that Dealer plays with a different strategy to the players. The dealer has to conform to the rules set down by the casino.

For instance, if he has a score of less than 17, he has to take a ‘Hit’. This can be very good for the Player because if he receives a high card he will ‘bust’, i.e. go over 21 in which case all the players win automatically. A score of 17 or higher means that that the dealer must stand. These rules may differ from one casino to another.

The players must always look at the dealer’s open card so they can get an idea of the total he may reach.

This is the basic information which will allow a beginner to play and enjoy this game confidently.

Blackjack: Basic Strategy for Winning

What follows here is the Blackjack Players Bible. Read it. Learn it by heart so you never have to think when you are playing!