Few have not heard about the game Blackjack. It has been depicted well in Hollywood movies. Perhaps you’ve watched them, but you are still wondering how it is played. In the following paragraphs, we’ll give you the full details on the game Blackjack – a game you can play at any licensed Blackjack live casino.
What is Blackjack?
Blackjack is a classic casino game that is played among two or more players with one or several decks of cards, depending on the variant. It has been around for a while – since the 17th century, in fact – and it was called Vingt-Un (or Twenty-One). The main goal of the game is to reach 21 points without exceeding it. The player who is the closest to 21, and has more than the dealer, collects 1.5 times the total of their bet and the dealer’s.
The game starts with every player placing a bet. The dealer then deals two cards to players – from left to right. The dealer is also involved in the game – he also receives two cards. One of the cards of the dealer is face up, while the other is turned face down – the so-called ‘hole card’. Both of the players’ cards are dealt face up.
Cards Point Value
Cards from two to 10 have face value attached to them. Two is two points; three is three points, etc. The J, Q, and K, are equal to 10 points each. The Ace can be either one point or 11 points. The player decides how to use the Ace.
Player Decisions
As soon as the cards are dealt, the dealer will ask players how they want to proceed. Remember that only one card in possession of the dealer is visible. The other is turned face down. The players have five choices: Hit, Stand, Double Down, Split, and Surrender.
If the player says ‘Hit’, he signals to the dealer that he wants another card. Again, the player aims to get as close to 21 as possible, without exceeding it.
If the player chooses ‘Stand’, this means he doesn’t want another card and has decided to use the total number of points he received from first the two cards.
If the player opts to ‘Double Down’, he gets to double his initial bet by adding the same amount of chips to it and receives one more card.
The ‘Split’ option can be picked if the point value of each of the two starting cards is equal. Each heap of cards is played separately – i.e. requires a second bet to be placed. Bear in mind that some casinos do not allow J-10, Q-10, and K-10 to be split.
The final option is ‘Surrender’. It means the player folds his cards and loses his bet for this round.
Popular Blackjack Variants
Various variants of Blackjack are playable online. Each comes with its own peculiarities, both in rules and overall format. We’ll provide a brief description of the most popular variants.
American Blackjack is the classic variant of the game. It is played as described earlier in this article. It is played with eight decks of cards, giving the house an edge of 0.5%.
The European variant is played with similar rules but is played with six decks. The house edge with this variant is 0.39%. The surrender player decision is now allowed.
Vegas Strip Blackjack is very similar to American Blackjack. While the rules are almost identical, it is played with four decks of cards. The house edge is 0.35%.
Progressive Blackjack is similar to the classic, but with a progressive jackpot that includes all player side bets. It is played with six decks and has a rather high house edge of 37.94%.
Spanish 21 is another popular Blackjack version. Here, the dealer has two options, to ‘Hit’ or ‘Stand’. It is played with six or eight decks. The house edge is 0.37%-0.79%.
Other popular variants include Super Fun 21, Blackjack Switch, Live Blackjack, Atlantic City Blackjack, and Double Exposure Blackjack, among others. It is best for you to try out the different variants to see what suits you best. The decision is entirely up to you.
Blackjack Strategies
Blackjack strategies aim to reduce the house edge as much as possible. Below, you can see the recommended actions for specific dealer and player hands for single-deck variants.
This is the basic strategy for single-deck variants of Blackjack. Other strategies exist for multiple-deck variants. Curiosity is the first step to learning how to play. From there on, it’s persistence and willingness to learn from your mistakes.
Conclusion
We hope this blackjack guide was helpful to you. We touched upon the basics of the Blackjack game. We explained what the game is; how it is played; and shed some light on the most popular variants. We also gave you a good strategy for single-deck variants. Of course, that’s not the end of it. You can learn to play this stellar game very quickly, but it takes years to perfect and devise your own successful strategies. Start by learning from others. Then, practice. Practice is, as always, the most important element of the training journey: 10,000 hours to mastery. Get a head-on start at Wildz Casino. There is a Wildz Casino bonus code for you to get your hands on.
