A Quick Guide to Blackjack

When friends meet on various occasions to party, one of the common card games everyone likes to indulge in is blackjack. My group of friends are loyal casino players, most of our planned meets often end up in casinos. Recently we were talking about when and how we learned to play various games.

I talked about blackjack and that took me down memory lane. My first game and introduction to various games. I thought it would be fun to share it with you guys as well so here’s a quick guide to blackjack.

Blackjack is another one of those classic card games. It is played between the house – meaning the player and the dealer. The baseline of the game is that the player has to get as close to 21 as they without going over.

How it works is –

• The dealer deals out two cards to each player betting and keeps two cards. 
• The dealer has one card face up and one down from the two cards he has with himself. 
• The players will then take turns trying to get as close as they can to 21. (Aces are equal to 1 or 11. Face cards are equal to 10. Number cards are face value.)
• The player calls “hit” to get a card and then stand to end their turn. 
• A player can also call “double.” This doubles the bet they placed and can only receive one card and the turn ends. 
• If a player has two identically numbered cards, they can split – this means they have to double their bet. They then get two more cards making two new hands that they can play. 
• After all the players’ have dealt and their turns are over, the dealer reveals their card.
• The dealer will then “hit” if the total of the cards is 16 or less and stands on 17 and higher. 
• The players who have a hand that beats the dealer without going over 21 wins.

If you are a beginner, it isn’t wise for you to play insurance. Even if you have played a few games, don’t let the confidence get to you. Unless you’re counting cards don’t make the mistake of making this move, which is essentially another new bet with new money based on whether the dealer has blackjack. The house usually had almost a 6 percent advantage over the player with an insurance bet, one more thing to take into account is that even if you have blackjack you will only win your original bet. If the dealer has a blackjack when you do, it’s a push—no win, no lose, so there’s no much point in making this move.

If you do want to, then make sure to check the dealer’s up card before you take any action, You should be aware of the dealer’s cards – is it bad i.e. 2 through 6 or good i.e. 7 through Ace? What the dealer has makes all the difference on what action the player should take to ensure a win.