While elite poker tournaments like the World Series of Poker make the headlines as the popular table game, it is a mistake to sleep on blackjack. While Hollywood films heavily romanticize baccarat, especially in the James Bond films, blackjack is one of the purest and highly sought-after table games. Straightforward and affordable, it is arguably the first card game that beginners gravitate towards to gain valuable experience. Whether you’re new or a seasoned blackjack pro, this guide is put together to help with common strategies and expert tips to call 21.
Basic Rules and Blackjack Terms
Unlike poker, blackjack doesn’t have the players going against each other. Instead, they all strive to have 21 or a playing hand that is better than the dealer’s. For this reason, blackjack remains one of the most popular card games because multiple players can play during a playing round.
Traditional blackjack variants call for the dealer to pass cards to all the players face up. In most blackjack variants, the dealer also passes themselves two cards. However, the first card is left face up and is known in blackjack jargon as the upcard. The second card is dealt face down. In European Blackjack, also known as Classic Blackjack, the dealer only gets the second card once all the players have made their moves.
Counting the cards in Blackjack
Not to be confused with the illegal card-counting strategy that can get players thrown out at retail casinos. To succeed at blackjack, players need to understand how to count the cards that were passed to them. The tens and the face cards all count for ten points. Aces, depending on the playing hand, count for one or eleven points.
There are no Jokers used in blackjack. The remaining cards count straight up. Most professional blackjack games played in person or at online casinos like BetMGM and Mega Bonanza also use six to eight decks. This works wonders, helping players form high hands and get to natural blackjack. Blackjack pays 3:2.
Making Moves Playing Blackjack
While getting a natural blackjack would be nice, the odds of that happening with regularity are too low to count. To win at blackjack most likely means knowing when to hit or to stand. To hit, assuming your first two cards don’t equal blackjack, means to draw an additional card.
There is no limit to how many times you can hit during the playing round. However, with every hit comes the risk of busting. Busting means having a playing hand greater than 21, which means an automatic loss to the playing round.
To stand means to finish the playing round with the hand you have and take your chances. Most blackjack games support splitting pairs. The concept of splitting means breaking your pair of identical cards into two separate playing hands.
Most blackjack players split aces because they automatically count for eleven points, and it’s impossible to bust out an additional card. If you are going to split, you will have to match your additional wager.
If you have a pair of tens, you are free to split them as well. However, the odds of you winning the playing round are incredibly high because you are already at twenty. Some blackjack games have special rules about splitting other pairs, like nines and eights.
Doubling down means the player draws one more card for the playing round. Also, they will have to match their original wager. Doubling down can put you in a position to win the playing round or perhaps get you over the hump to 21. However, doubling down might mean you’re trapped with a low-playing hand for the rest of the playing round.
Most blackjack experts consider doubling down if the playing hand is worth eleven to thirteen points. With an eleven, if you get a ten, you win the round and double the bet, plus blackjack. At the very worst, you don’t bust and might finish with a very high hand.
Rules for the Dealer
In most blackjack games, the dealer has to stand on a soft 17, although some of the rules of that change. The dealer deals with cards until they reach seventeen or more. This is also why players need to be careful about doubling down too early. Otherwise, you could be watching the dealer slowly pass you up and win the round.
In the event that the dealer and the player end the playing round with an identical hand, it is a push, and the original bet is returned to the player. In Spanish 21, if the dealer and the player both have 21, the player automatically wins. However, in Atlantic City Blackjack, the dealer can peek at his hole card to see if he has 21. If he does, the playing round automatically ends.
Insurance Bets
Remember the dealer’s upcard? The value of the upcard is vital to help players determine if they are going to hit or stand. Most blackjack variants support the insurance bet if the dealer’s upcard is an Ace. In this instance, players can take an insurance bet, meaning 50% of the original bet in the likelihood that the dealer gets to blackjack.
While the concept of the insurance bets sounds great, you can wind up losing more money in the long run. Even if you win, you can still lose half because you took out the insurance side bet. Online blackjack has evolved to support popular side bets like the 21+3 and Lucky Ladies. However, the house edge for these sides bets might not make them worth taking on.
Getting into Blackjack: Tremendous Access
Because we’re in the digital age, you now have 24/7 access to live blackjack. Of course, you can jump straight into the fantastic live dealer gameplay for an authentic experience. However, you can play non-live dealer blackjack against the AI-powered CPU. Some new blackjack players begin with a strategy chart to help them know when to hit or stand. Playing online blackjack also leads to the benefit of more personalized gaming with AI tools helping you improve your game.
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