 | | Blackjack
Blackjack Basics
The simplest description of the game is that you want to have a hand value that is closer to 21 than that of the dealer, without going over 21. Other players at the table are of no concern. Your hand is strictly played out against the hand of the dealer.
Card Values
- An Ace can count as either 1 or 11
- The cards from 2 through 9 are valued from 2 to 9
- The 10, Jack, Queen, and King are all worth 10
The suits of the cards do not have any meaning in the game.
The value of a hand is simply the sum of the point counts of each card in the hand. A hand containing a 9 and 10 would be worth 19. The Ace can be counted as either 1 or 11. It's assumed to always have the value that makes the best hand.
Blackjack dealing procedures
The player’s cards will be dealt face-up. The dealer deals 2 cards to each the dealer and player. From there the player may decide to choose from various decisions, which are offered in the bottom left corner of the screen. These decisions are covered in detail below in the “Player Options” section.
How the dealer plays Blackjack
The Dealer stands on all 17s. This is the most common rule. In this case, the dealer must continue to take cards until his total is 17 or greater. An Ace in the dealer's hand is always counted as 11 if possible without the dealer going over 21. For example if a dealer has a hand of an ace and a 6, he will not try to get any more cards.
Again, the dealer has no choices to make in the play of his hand. He cannot split pairs, but must instead simply hit until he reaches at least 17 or busts by going over 21.
What is a blackjack hand?
A blackjack, is a total of 21 in your first two cards. A blackjack is therefore an Ace and any ten-valued card, with the additional requirement that these be your first two cards. If you split a pair of Aces for example, and then draw a ten-valued card on one of the Aces, this is not a blackjack, but rather a total of 21. The distinction is important, because a winning blackjack pays the player odds of 3 to 2. A bet of $100 wins $150 if the player makes a blackjack. A player blackjack beats any dealer total other than a dealer's blackjack, including a dealer's regular 21. If both a player and the dealer make blackjack, the hand is a push.
Player options
Hitting
The most common decision a player must make during the game is whether to draw another card to the hand ("hit"), or stop at the current total ("stand").
If you think you can get another card without having a total of 21 then you should click on the “hit” button from the decisions menu, or you may click on the “stand” button which means that you do not wish to have more cards.
Doubling Down
Doubling down can only be done with a two-card hand, before another card has been drawn. Doubling down allows you to double your bet and receive only one additional card to the hand. A good example of a doubling opportunity is when you hold a total of 11, say a hand of 6 and 5 against a dealer's up card of 5.
Splitting Pairs
When you are dealt a matching pair of cards (ignoring the suits), you have the ability to split the hand into two separate hands, and play them independently.
A great opportunity to split would be a pair of ace, which would give you two independent hands with an ace.
Insurance
In the simplest description, Insurance is a side-bet, where you are offered 2:1 odds that the dealer has a 10-valued card faced down. The dealer will only offer insurance when he/she has an ace for the face up card. If you do purchase the insurance and the dealer has a 10-valued card faced down, you will win the insurance bet, but lose your initial bet because the dealer has blackjack. However if the dealer does not have a 10-valued card faced down then you will lose your insurance bet, and the cards are played out as they are normally.
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