A dealer acts for the house and stands behind
the table to deal the cards.
The following will teach you the how the game is played,
including table etiquette and the basic rules of the game.
The blackjack table in a casino is generally
set up with seven seats or betting stations, although some
games have as few as five. Each blackjack table will have
a sign that tells the table limits.
Find out what the rules are and what the
limits are whether you're gambling online or in a landbased
casino. By limits I mean how little or how much you can
bet per hand. Start low while you're learning.
Online gambling goes much faster so remember that a lot
of money can be bet in a short amount of time. Pace yourself
and take many breaks. I recommend single player games with
no distractions if online gambling. In a landbased casino
you can buy your chips right from the dealer. Try to find
a table with few people or better yet, find a dealer who
is standing and waiting for someone to sit down. If
you can go one on one with the dealer. That is the best.
After you receive your chips place your
bet in the circle in front of your seat. The blackjack dealer
shuffles the cards, and if he's dealing more than two decks,
he'll place the shuffled cards in a box known as a "shoe."
After he shuffles, he'll ask a player to "cut"
the deck, by using a colored card, known as the cut card.
The player simply slides the colored card into the deck
at any point. The dealer divides the deck at the cut point,
and takes the cut card and places it about two-thirds the
way into the deck. This deck "penetration" varies
from casino to casino, and sometimes even from table to
table. When the dealers changed as they frequently do, the
next dealer put the cut card about a third of the way up
the shoe.
The dealer then places the cards into the
shoe, or arranges them in his hand (for two or less decks).
The dealer will then discard-"burn"-the first
card, and check to make sure that all players have their
bets in the right place and in the right amount. Make sure
you see the burn card. If the dealer doesn't show it to
you ask to see it. After all, the count starts with the
burn card. The dealer begins distributing the cards to the
players from the front of the shoe or the top of the deck.
He'll begin with the player farthest to his left-known as
"first base"-and then proceed to give one card
to each player, including the dealer's "upcard."
He'll repeat the motion until every player has two cards.
He completes the deal by sliding his "hole card"
under his upcard.
In some casinos, the players are allowed
to handle the cards. In this situation, the players receive
their cards face down, and pick them up with their hands.
If you're playing this type of game, do not use
two hands to pick the cards up. Pick them up with
one hand and hold them over the table. Never remove
them from the table or shield them in any manner from the
dealer's view. The dealer is responsible for the
security of the cards, and must prevent them from being
replaced by other cards or otherwise tampered with.
In other casinos, the players' cards
are dealt face up, and the players are prohibited from touching
them. The dealer handles all the cards and chips.
The object of blackjack is to beat the dealer.
The winner is whoever has closest to a total of 21. You
reach 21 by adding up the values of the cards. Tens and
face cards are worth ten points, the other cards count as
their numerical values, and Aces are worth one or 11, at
the discretion of the player.
For example, a six of spades and a eight
of hearts is 14. A Queen of spades and a Jack of diamonds
counts as 20. An Ace of spades and a six of hearts can count
as 17 or seven.
You decide whether an ace is worth one or
eleven depending on what you need it to be worth to make
the best hand. In the last example, for instance, say you
draw an Eight to the Ace and six. That would "bust"
your hand if the Ace was counted as 11, so you drop it to
a one. In that situation, you count it as one, and you've
got a 15.
A "soft hand"
is a hand that contains an Ace which is counted as 11. A
"hard hand" is a one that does
not contain an Ace or a hand where the Ace can only be counted
as one point.
After the dealer gives each player two cards,
he'll return to first-base and start acting on each hand
individually. He will point to your cards when it is your
turn.
If you want another card-a "hit"-you
indicate by scratching the table with your hand.
The dealer will not accept a verbal command because the
hand signal must be given so that the security cameras can
see exactly what you want to do with that hand.
If you want to "stand"-take no
cards-you indicate by waving your hand, palm down. You use
that motion when you've decided to stop taking additional
cards, as well.
In the hand-held game, you scrape the table
with the edge of your cards to indicate you want to hit.
When you're satisfied with your hand, you slide your cards
under your chips in the betting circle.
If you take a hit and that card puts your
total over 21, you lose automatically. The dealer removes
your cards and your chips.In the hand-held game,
turn your cards over immediately if you've exceeded 21,
so the dealer can finish your hand.
At the end of the hand, if the totals of
your cards are closer to 21, you win! If the dealer's hand
is closer to 21, you lose. And if you tie the dealer-called
a "push"-no one wins or loses.
If the dealer hasn't busted, he will pay the winners and
take the loser's chips. If you have pushed, the dealer will
rap the table with his knuckles and leave the chips where
they stand. You are then allowed to increase, decrease or
remove the bet.
The rules the dealer must play by
are very simple. If the dealer's hand is 16 or
less, he/she must take a card. If the dealer's hand is 17
or more, he/she must stand. Note that some casinos allow
the dealer to hit on soft 17 which gives the house a very
small additional advantage. The dealer's strategy is fixed
and what you and the other players have is immaterial to
him/her as far as hitting and standing is concerned.
There is one way to win automatically, and
that is to receive a total of 21 in the first two cards.
That requires a ten-value card and an Ace. This is called
a "natural" or a "blackjack."
When a player receives a blackjack, he wins
a bonus. Normally, all bets are paid off at even money when
playing blackjack,but when you get a blackjack, you receive
a three-to-two payoff. If you've bet $10, you'll get paid
$15, for example.
If you're playing the hand-held game, you
should turn your cards over immediately to get paid.
The only time a player can receive a blackjack
and not get paid immediately is if the dealer also has an
blackjack. In this case, it's a push, and no one gets paid.
You can protect yourself by taking "insurance."
If the dealer has an Ace showing he will ask all players
if they would like insurance. The insurance bet is a side
bet in which you can wager half of your original bet. To
place an insurance bet place chips in the amount of half
your original wager on the table in front of your original
bet. If the dealer does have blackjack your insurance bet
will be payed at 2-1 and you will lose your original bet.
If the dealer doesn't have blackjack you will lose your
insurance bet but continue play with your original bet.
In general, the insurance bet is not a good bet
unless you are counting cards and you have determined that
there is a high probability of the dealer having blackjack.
There's an old saying, "scared money never
wins". Knowing that insurance doesn't pay
in the long run and yet feeling like you really need it
is a good example of this scared money saying. If you are
playing and take insurance despite knowing you shouldn't,
maybe you're playing over your head or are just tired and
need to quit.
The bad news is that you can't decrease
your bets once you've made them. The good news is that you
can actually increase your bets in the middle of a hand.
One of the times when you may increase your bet is when
you double down. This means the casino
will allow you to make a second bet equal in size to your
first bet. In return for this right, you agree to accept
only one more card for your hand. You can double down only
after looking at your first two cards. You cannot take a
hit and double down.
Many casinos allow you to double
down for less than the amount of your original bet. This
should be avoided because if the situation is worth doubling
down, it is worth betting as much as you can, which is the
amount of your original bet.
To tell the dealer you want to double down,
you slide a second wager next to your original wager in
the betting circle. Do not place the additional bet on top
of the original wager, because the dealer may think you
are trying to cheat by increasing your bet illegally. No
hand signal is necessary. The dealer will see your double-down
bet and give you one card, generally placed horizontally
across the first two cards. In the hand-held game, the dealer
will place the card under your chips in the betting circle.
You may pick up the card to see what you've been given,
but you'll get more respect if you wait until the dealer
settles all bets to expose your hand.
If you win your bet, you'll be paid even
money for the two bets, and receive double your original
wager. If you lose, of course, both bets are taken away.
In the event of a push, you keep both bets, but are not
paid.
Another way of increasing your bet mid-hand
is splitting. If the two original cards
dealt to you are a pair, such as a seven of clubs and a
seven of hearts, you can then split your hand if you wish,
thus giving you 2 separate hands to play. To do this a wager
equal to your original bet must be placed along side your
initial wager.
If you have a pair that you want to split
and your cards are dealt face down, turn them over and place
them a few inches apart. If your cards were dealt face up,
point to your cards and say "split" when the dealer
prompts you for a card. The original bet will go with one
card and you will have to place an equal amount of chips
in the betting box near the other card. You are now playing
two hands, each as though they were regular hands with the
exception being that if you have just split two aces. In
that case, you only get one card which will hopefully be
a 10. If it is a ten, that hand's total is now 21 but the
hand isn't considered a BlackJack. That is, you are paid
1:1 and not 1:1.5 as for a natural (BlackJack).
After splitting your cards the dealer will
deal cards to your 1st hand until you decide to stand. He
will then deal cards to your next hand. Keep in mind that
stand, hit, split, and double-down rules apply to each new
hand being dealt. Casino blackjack rules vary on how many
times a player can split his cards. For example, if you
draw a pair of eights, split them, and are dealt another
eight, most casinos will allow to you split again and start
a third hand. Ask the dealer what the split rules are if
you do not know them. Or better yet, before you start playing
find customer service and ask them. Sometimes they even
have a pamphlet or card printed up for each game in the
casino.
If you have any more questions about Blackjack,
please feel free to contact me using the Live Help link
above.
