Rules of Blackjack
Blackjack is played at a table
with one dealer and up to 7 players. In front of each player
spot is a betting square for bets to be placed.
The number of players is
irrelevant, because each player is playing ONLY against the
dealer.
Bets are in the form of colored
chips. Each color means a different denomination and vary from
casino to casino.
All bets are to be made BEFORE
each hand is dealt and once the first card is dealt bets cannot
be removed. If you do not place a bet the dealer will not deal
you any cards. Bets are to be stacked in a single pile, with
highest denomination chips on the bottom of the stack.
At each table there is a sign
clearly stating the minimum and maximum bets allowed at that
table. On the same sign, you will find any special instructions
for the game, (ie. this is where you will be able to note
whether Surrender is an active play). Find a table that
suits your pocketbook, (in other words, don't bet more than you
can afford to lose).
Because there are many table
games, it is important to make sure the table you are at is a
BLACKJACK table. On the table surface you will see the phrase:
"Blackjack pays 3 to 2" underneath you will find
the dealer instructions concerning draws and Insurance payment.
Now that you are at the correct
table, it is necessary to find out what KIND of game you are
playing. The choices are Multi-Deck and Single-Deck.
Multi-Deck vs.
Single-Deck
For a beginner, it has been
suggested to start with the Multi-Deck game which
consists of 6 or 8 decks and are dealt from a Shoe,
(a box for holding the cards). The cards are dealt "face up", so
all the cards in play are showing. The reason for this is to get
you, the new player, comfortable with the game and the casino
enviroment. Also when selecting a table for "getting
comfortable", choose one that has the lowest minimum bet in the
casino. The more decks being used, the more of an advantage the
casino has.
Once you play for awhile and get
the hang of the game, you may want to switch to the
Single-Deck game, where the cards are dealt face down and
the dealer only has one card showing face up.
Values for the Cards
Each player is given two cards,
either face up or face down, and the dealer gets one card face
down and one face up. The value of the hand is the sum of the
cards.
If anyone is dealt a "ten" and Ace
as their two dealt cards, they have twenty one and are paid back
at a ratio of 3 to 2.
The suits are ignored, they don't
count in the game at all.
The cards with two to nine showing
are taken at face value.
Tens, Jacks, Queens and Kings are
valued at "ten".
Aces
can be counted as One or Eleven.
Mission of the Game
The player's mission of the game
is to get a score higher than the dealer and as close to
"twenty-one" as possible. If the player or dealer exceed a score
of "twenty-one, this is called a bust and that person
loses the hand. If the dealer and player have the same score, it
is called a push and nobody wins the hand. As explained
before, the players DO NOT play against each other. The player
must play first, if the players hand exceeds "21", (busts), the
player loses their bet, even if the dealer busts on his hand.
Soft and Hard Hands
Because Aces are capable of having
two values, when they are first dealt, the value is
indistinguishable. For example, if you are dealt an A and 6, the
value of the hand can be viewed as 7 or 17. This is called a
SOFT hand because it doesn't exceed twenty one. If the player
asks for another card and gets an 8, it is now considered a HARD
hand because the value of the cards, (A+6+8, if the A is counted
as eleven), is more than 21.
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