Blackjack is one of the most common games in the casino, but it’s also one of the most dangerous to your bankroll if you don’t know the right way to play. Once you go through this article, you will be familiar with all the rules and a few basic concepts of the gameplay.
Basic Concepts of Gameplay
In the game of blackjack, the basic concept of the gameplay is to beat the dealer. The player wins if his hand has a higher value than the dealers without going bust. They also win if the dealer busts and the player doesn’t.
Busting is when the total value of the hand goes over 21 and when players bust, they automatically lose regardless of whether the dealer busts as well.
Next, you need to learn the card values. Deuces through nines are all counted at face value while tens jacks, queens, and kings have a value of ten. Aces can be either 1 or 11 so if you’re dealt an Ace or a 5, your hand has a value of 6 or 16.
The most powerful hand is an Ace and any card with a value of 10. If a player deals a blackjack, they automatically win unless the dealer also gets a blackjack in which case the hand is a push.
Gameplay Rules
Each hand begins with everyone getting two cards. All cards are dealt face-up except for the dealer’s last card which is dealt face down. The players all have to act first and have four options i.e. hitting, standing, doubling down, or splitting a pair.
- Hitting means you want another card and in blackjack, you always use hand signals to tell the dealer what you want to do. If you want to hit, just tap the table in front of your hand.
- Players can take as many cards as they want until they either stand or go bust. If you are happy with your hand, just wave your hand over your cards to tell the dealer you stand.
- On certain powerful hands, you will want to double down. Doubling down means you make a second bet equal to your first and receive one and only one more card. To tell the dealer you want to double down, just place your second bet right next to the first one.
- If the player’s first two cards are a pair, they have the option of splitting them and playing two separate hands. To tell the dealer you want to split, just count out a second bet equal to your first in place outside at the betting box on the felt. The dealer will then split your pair and you will play two separate hands.
After all the players have finished building their hands, the dealer flips over their down card and decides whether they should hit or stand. Whoever has the highest hand without going over 21 wins and a blackjack automatically wins against everything except another blackjack. Winning bets payout at 1-1 unless the player wins with a blackjack which pays out at 1.5-1.
