Blackjack General Rules

Overview
Good choice! Blackjack is probably the most popular of all casino and online casino games primarily due to the fact that, when played correctly, the odds of winning are about even with the house. Let's take a look at the basic rules of play.

Gaming Items

• Standard 52-card deck.

• Standard blackjack table seating either 5 or seven players.

Object of the Game
The object of the game is to obtain a hand of cards totaling up to 21 or as close to 21 as possible without going over. Going over 21 is called "Busting." You are playing only against the dealer. If your hand beats the dealer's hand, you win.

Basic Rules of Play
Players place their bets prior to the cards being dealt. Tables and online casinos will have a minimum bet required to play the game. Once all bets are placed, each player and the dealer will receive two cards. Starting to the dealer's left side, the cards are dealt in a round one at a time to each player ending with the dealer receiving his second card face down. Depending on the game, the player's are either dealt their cards face up or face down.

Each card in Blackjack has a certain value. Card between 2 and 10 simply have their face value regardless of suit. Jacks, Queens and Kings always have a value of 10. An Ace can count as 1 or 11 depending on what is most beneficial to your hand.

Player's add the value of their cards and either decide to "Stick" or "Stand" with their current cards or receive another card, called a "Hit" or "Draw," hopefully raising their total closer to 21 without going over.

Once all players have decided to "Stand," the dealer reveals the face down card known as the "Hole" card. If the dealer's hand is between 17 and 21, he or she may not draw any additional card. If the dealer's hand is 16 or below, cards must be drawn until the dealer's hand has a value of 17 or higher.

Blackjack Bets
Blackjack can be won in a few different ways. If your first two cards total 21, you have Blackjack and win 3:2 odds (A $5.00 wager pays 7.5 additional dollars) on your bet automatically unless the dealer draws Blackjack as well causing a tie or a "Push." In the case of a tie, no money is won or lost. You win if your hand is closer to 21 than the dealer's hand. This type of win pays "Even Money" meaning that you win the same amount of money that you wagered. A $10.00 wager wins 10 additional dollars. Finally, if the dealer "Busts" or has a hand that exceeds 21 and your hand is less than 21, you win!

Double Down - A double down allows you to double your wager while you still only have two cards in your hand. You are required to take one more card once you double down and cannot receive any additional cards after this. A hand that initially adds up to 10 or 11 is often the hand to double down on. Why? The ten card is the most frequently occurring card in the game of blackjack. Remember that the 10, Jack, Queen and King all have the value of ten multiplied by all suits. Because of this, there is a high chance that the third card that you receive will have a value of 10 bringing your hands value to 20 or 21. Pretty smart.

Splits - You can double your stakes another way by using a split. If your original cards are of the same value (Ex. 7 and 7 or 9 and 9), you can split these two cards into separate hands creating two hands and a second bet equal to your original bet. You now are playing two hands separately and increasing their values by hitting each hand until you are ready to "Stand." The payout for winning on a split is always 1:1 or even money even if you have Blackjack. This is due to the fact that you did not get Blackjack using your original two cards.

Insurance - Insurance bets are not recommended for the basic player, as the odds of winning with this type of bet are low. Insurance bets can be made if the dealer's face card is an ace. The dealer might have blackjack meaning that you automatically lose unless you also have blackjack, forcing a "Push."

Buying insurance means that you are protecting yourself in case the dealer has blackjack. A $20.00 bet would cost you an additional $10.00 in insurance as insurance normally costs half of your original bet. If the dealer does not have blackjack on his turn, you lose your insurance wager and the hand continues to be played normally. If the dealer does have blackjack, you lose your original wager but win twice the amount of your insurance. In essence, you break even as insurance pays 2:1 odds. Again, insurance protects you from losing money in case the dealer has blackjack.