Blackjack is played on a special
half-round table with six to seven spots that serve
as the designated betting areas for the players.
The game uses a standard deck
of 52 cards.
All designated cards numbered
2 through 10 are counted at face value.
The court, or picture cards
all count as 10s, with kings, queens and jacks having
no special value.
The same is true of the different
suits: spades, clubs, hearts and diamonds are not
relative to any of the game results.
Aces are different from all
other cards because they can be counted as either
a 1 or 11.
The choice of how to count
the ace is up to the player, not the dealer.
You will also find many casinos
that used 2 decks for blackjack, and others who use
a box-like device to deal multiple decks of 4, 6 and
8.
The game begins...
You must wager before any
cards are dealt out by the dealer.
Each player does this by placing
his or her bet in the center of the designated spot
in front of his or her position.
The placard on the side of
the table will alert you to the minimum and maximum
bets for that specific table.
The dealer begins by shuffling
the cards and one player cuts the deck.
The dealer then begins to deal
cards from left to right, one card to each player
and then one for the dealer.
The dealer then deals a second
card in turn to each player.
Cards can be dealt either face
down or face up. In single and double-deck games,
they will normally be face down, but anything involving
more decks are typically face up.
It is also important to note
that one of the dealer's cards will be turned face
up, and the other face down.
This is important to you when
it comes to make decisions about what action needs
to be taken with your hand.
After the cards are dealt,
each player is given the opportunity to play his hand
in turn, starting at the dealer's left and going around
the table from left to right.
After all players have acted
on their hands, the dealer will play his hand.
Helpful hint: Always look at the two cards
that have been dealt to you and then look at the dealer's
up card.
How
to win the game:
Some people think the object
of the game is to get 21, or to get closer to 21 than
the dealer without "busting," which means
going over 21.
This
is incorrect!
The real objective of the game
is to beat the dealer. There are 3 ways in which a
player can beat the dealer:
The player receives an ace
and a 10-value card for blackjack.
The player gets closer to 21
than the dealer.
The dealer goes over 21 and
the player, regardless of what the total is in his
hand, does not.
Blackjack
Trivia and Facts:
It is well documented that
Napoleon played and loved the game 21.
Is it chips or checks? What's
the official name for the disc or token that is imprinted
with a cash value and used in place of money at casinos?
Casino management uses the work check, whereas the
general public uses chip. You can consider the two
words interchangeable.
Blackjack is the most popular
casino game.
You as a player have lots of
options, whereas the dealer can only hit on 16 and
under and stand on 17 and above.
