Blackjack
One of the most popular casino games is Blackjack. It’s easy to learn the basic rules and all casinos have it. Blackjack is played against a dealer from the casino and the the goal is to get 21 or closer to 21 then the dealer. To win in Blackjack you need discipline. A strategy player can reduce the casino advantage from around 2% to 0.5%. One of the most important is to know when to “split” and when to “double”. Blackjack is played with a dealer and at least one player.
Basics
The player starts by putting a bet on the table. After that, two cards are dealt to the player face up so everyone can see them. The dealer is also dealt two cards but only one of those cards are show, the other is dealt face down. The goal is to get 21 or closer to 21 then the dealer. The player can take how many cards he wants ( called “hit”), or he can chose to stand in which case the player is satisfied with the cards he has been dealt. If the players total card value is closer to 21 then the dealer, the player wins as much as he or her had bet unless the player have “blackjack” which gives 1.5 times the bet. If your two first cards is an ace and a 10 you have “blackjack”. Blackjack beats every other hand. All faced cards have the value 10. An ace have the value of 1 or 11. Note that the dealer have to hit when the combined value of his cards are less then 16 and he must stand if the sum is 17 or higher.
Double
You can double your bet after receiving the first two cards unless you have Blackjack. If you choose to double you only get one more card and you have to add a bet equal to the amount of the original bet. A classic example of when to double up is when you get a total of 10 or 11 with the first two cards. You then have a very good chance to hit 21 and win.
Split
If you get two cards with same value you can choose to split. This means that you play two hands instead of one, which gives you greater chance to win. The original bet goes with one of the hands and the added bet with the other hand. If you split two aces you only get to draw one more card for each ace.
When to double and and when split…
I always use this basic strategy guide when I play online. It tells me when to “hit”, “stand”, “split” or “double”. I recommend you to print it so you can access it easy while playing.
