The Ultimate Blackjack Guide
Entertainment, Gambling
Blackjack tables have become as much a part as the casino landscape as slot machines. Its simplicity has made it a favourite of casinos everywhere. There is also a thriving online Blackjack community designed for both newcomers and veterans alike. Budding players can hit, stand, split or double down their way to beating the dealer to 21 with the below Ultimate Blackjack Guide with tips and tricks to win, wherever they go.
What is Blackjack?
Blackjack is based on the card game Twenty-one, or Vingt-et-Un as it’s called in the original French. Twenty-one originated in 17th century France, but little more is known about the origins of the game. Twenty-one eventually made its way to the United States and began to thrive during the 19th century.
Twenty-one saw a surge in popularity after American gambling houses began to offer special odds to would-be players. These special odds offered a ten-to-one payout if the player managed to get the Ace of Spades and either the Jack of Clubs or the Jack of Spades. This special combination came to be known as a “Blackjack”. Though the ten-to-one payout eventually died out, the name stuck, and Blackjack was born.
Blackjack has become a popular staple of casino games due to its relatively low house odds. It’s been calculated the house’s chances of winning are only about 1 percent higher than players.
Blackjack has continued to evolve over the years and today there exists numerous versions of the game. Some examples of these are Progressive Blackjack, European Blackjack, Atlantic City Blackjack, and Vegas Strip Blackjack to name a few. Each has its own particular rules that set them apart from each other.
Winning at Blackjack
Every Blackjack player is playing against the dealer, not each other. In order to win, a player or the dealer must get the sum of their cards’ value as close to 21 as possible without going over. The total number can equal 21 exactly but cannot go over. Going over 21 counts as a “bust”, which is an instant loss.
There are three ways to win a hand of Blackjack. Firstly, any player that beats the dealer’s score is a winner and will receive a one-to-one payout in line with their bet. Secondly, if the dealer busts then any player that has not bust will win.
A third way to win is for a player to receive a “Blackjack” or “Natural” consisting of an Ace and any card with a value of 10. This includes the 10 card as well as the various face cards. Naturals only beat the dealer if the dealer doesn’t get a Natural themselves.
Players lose to the dealer if they bust by going over 21 and the dealer does not. Players also lose to the dealer if they fail to beat the dealers score by the end of the round.
Blackjack card values
The values of Blackjack cards are simple to learn and offer nowhere near the complexity of something like Poker. Blackjack is played with a regular 52-card deck complete with both numbered cards, face cards, and of course the Aces.
The value of numbered cards are simply whatever number shows on the card. The “2” card counts for 2, the “3” card counts for 3 and so on. Face cards on the other hand count for 10. Whether Jack, Queen or King, they all count for 10.
Aces are the most complex of the card values to grasp. This is because an Ace can have a value of either 1 or 11 depending on the other cards laid out.
For example, a player might be dealt a numbered 5 card and an Ace. In this instance the Ace counts as 11, giving a total of 16 (5+11). If the player then receives a 10 card, the Ace then counts as 1, again adding up to a total of 16 (5+1+10). If the Ace only counted for 11 then the total would be 26 which is definitively a bust.
Aces are handy in this way in that they allow a player to hit without fear of a bust.
The Blackjack table
Blackjack is generally played between up to 7 players and a dealer. The game is played around a semi-circular table that allows the dealer to deal to all players in turn. Each player has a space for their cards and their bets. The layout and shape of the table also does not change between land-based and online casinos.
How to play Blackjack
Before play can begin, each player must buy chips. This is done by giving money to the dealer in exchange for chips. In a land-based casino the money must be placed on the table in front of the dealer and checked before chips are handed over. Online gambling requires no such system.
The next step is for players to place a wager above the minimum and above the maximum before a round can start. A table will always have minimum and maximum bets per hand stipulated. A player’s wager is placed in plain sight in front of the dealer, usually on a demarcated space on the table.
Once bets are made the dealer will deal one card face-up to each player clockwise around the table. The dealer then deals one card face-down to themself. The dealer then deals a second card face-up to each player and then to themself.
Any player that has a Natural 21 on their first two cards immediately has a Blackjack. This player will receive 1.5 times their bet in payout, as long as the dealer doesn’t also receive a Blackjack. If the dealer and player both have a Blackjack then the player receives their bet back, this is referred to as a “push”. If the dealer has Blackjack and none of the players have Blackjack, they must all forfeit their bets.
In the case that no one around the table has Blackjack, then play continues as normal.
The dealer will go around to each player clockwise and ask whether they want to “hit” or “stand”. If a player chooses to hit then they will receive a card, adding it to their current score. A player can receive as many cards as they want until they bust or decide to stand. When a player chooses to stand, they must stick with their current score as the dealer moves onto the next player in line.
Instead of hitting, a player may also choose to “double down” if they feel they have been dealt a particularly good hand. Doubling down allows a player to double their bet, though they will only be able to hit for one card from the dealer.
If a player receives a pair of cards with the same value, they can choose to “split”. This allows the player to split the two cards into two separate hands with two separate bets. Players may split using different face cards such as a King and Jack. This is because they have the same value of 10.
Players who do not like the hand they are dealt can choose to “surrender”. Doing this allows the player to give up half their bet in order to be dealt a new hand.
Once the dealer has dealt each player their cards, they will deal cards to themself until they either stay or bust. Any player that scores higher than the dealer or scores the same with fewer cards will receive 1 times their bet in addition to their bet. Any player that does not beat the dealer loses the chips wagered. Any player that has the same as the dealer keeps their bet.
Once this whole process has gone through the round is over and new bets must be made before doing it all again.
Blackjack Basic Strategy
With so many options on a Blackjack hand it can be hard to know what to do. Thankfully, there is a mathematically based basic strategy followed by many budding Blackjack players. This strategy helps players to figure out what they should do on their turn.
First, a player should figure out if they should surrender because once they have hit then surrender is not an option.
Secondly, A player should decide if they should split. A player cannot split if they don’t have two of the same value cards. It isn’t always a good idea to split. For instance, it might be a bad idea to split on two face cards because the combined score of 20 is a very good score.
Third, a player should decide whether or not to double. This should only be done on particularly good hands.
Fourth and finally, a player should decide whether or not to hit or stand.
Ready to play
Players who have read this guide and feel confident enough to dive into some online Blackjack can visit Spin Casino. All of the above should be enough to get any aspiring Blackjack player started.
