Last Updated on August 7, 2024 by Asfa Rasheed
As one of the world’s most popular casino games, Blackjack is played everywhere from Macau to Montreal. It revolves around the basic premise of getting the cards to add up to 21.
With sites like casino 777 offering games of Blackjack, more and more people are learning to play. It’s an easy game for beginners with not too many rules but plenty of chances to win.
It is not solely a game of chance, there is some skill involved. However, knowing simple things like the following can really help your hand:
- Going over 21 means bust
- The player with the highest hand (21 or under) wins
- You are playing against the dealer
Table of Contents
Basic Rules of Blackjack
The game is played with a 52-card deck with no jokers. In a casino, they usually use a number of decks, which they call a shoe, comprising two to eight decks.
There is a minimum and maximum bet for a table, you will see these on the table. A blackjack table looks distinctive, like a half moon, and is used in online casinos too.
Card values are as follows:
- From 2 – 10 are their face value
- Jack, Queen, and King are worth 10
- Ace can be worth 1 or 11, depending on the game and player’s choice
Even if there are other players at the table, you aren’t playing against them. The aim is to beat the dealer.
You are dealt two cards, then must make an action:
- Stand – keep your hand as it is
- Hit – get another card dealt to you
Then you decide whether your hand is strong enough to go against the dealer. The dealer then shows his cards, if he has less than 17, he must take another card.
Depending on the casino and game, there can be a number of side rules, making the game more complex.
What words are used in Blackjack?
Of course, everyone wants to win. That is why they seek out different strategies, and it’s what we’re here to show you.
Understanding the lingo used is important, as if you don’t know what people are talking about, it’ll be tricky. Here are some words you must learn:
- Blackjack – not just the name of the game, but a hand – when you get two cards worth 21
i.e., King and Ace, 10 and Ace etc.
- Hard – a hard hand is one which does not contain an Ace, or one where the Ace is used as one (a soft hand is the opposite)
- Hit – taking an additional card, i.e., “hit me”
- Hole – the hole card is the dealer’s card that can’t be seen until the end of the round
- House edge – this is the advantage that the house/casino has, a percentage taken from each bet
- Push – when a dealer and player have hands of the same values, no one wins
- Split – when players receive two cards of the same value, they can choose to split and make a second bet
- Stand – to make a decision to take no more cards
- Insurance – If the dealer has an ace in front of him, the players are offered insurance for half the price of their original bet. If the dealer gets blackjack, the insurance pays out at 2-1, so the player can break even.
- Surrender – some casinos give the option to give up your hand and lose only half your bet. This can be done before or after the dealer checks for blackjack. If your hand has almost no hope of winning, this is a good choice.
Basic Strategy
Gambling experts have studied Blackjack for years and come up with some strategies to help players do better.
Here are some pointers:
- When the dealer has 2 – 6, and you have 12 – 16, STAND
- When the dealer has 7 – Ace, and you have 12 – 16, HIT
- Whenever you have an Ace or an 8, SPLIT
If you’ve got 11, and the dealer has 2 – 10, then double your bet. You should memorize these tips for ease.
Another tip that regular players follow is to always assume that the unseen card has a value of 10.
Don’t split a pair of 5 or 10. Two 5 cards should be treated as a hard 10, and a pair of tens (20) is a strong hand.
If you get a pair of 9s and the dealer has Ace 7, then stand. You may want to split, but you’re likely to win slightly more if you stick.
Although insurance seems like a good bet, most experts advise against it. It’s simply another new bet, even if you get blackjack and the dealer does, it ends in your money back.
The payout for the insurance bet is less than the odds that the dealer has Blackjack. Thus, some call it a sucker bet.
Tips for Beginners
Many sites let you play practice games for free. There are also bonuses for your first deposit, which you can use to play the game with low bets.
Start small. If you get on a roll, you can raise your bet slightly but do not go in all guns blazing at the start.
If you play Blackjack regularly online, look out for promotions. Sites will reward you for playing the same game with free games and playing different times of day.
When you are playing, always check the dealer’s up card. If he has 2 – 6, these are bad, if he has 7 – Ace, these are good so play accordingly.
Have fun!
Blackjack can be a very enjoyable game to play, even when you’re not on a streak. It can be quite sociable too, so get to know other players in live games.
When you get familiar with the game, you can research more strategy.
Apart from this if you are interested to know more about Most popular variations of online slots games in 2022 than visit our gaming category.
