Blackjack is one of the most played online casino table games right now. The game comes with a favorable house advantage. And, you will not have to worry about being bored with monotony, there are so many variations that you can pick from. But if you are new to the gaming concept, here are the basic blackjack rules you should know about.
Blackjack Basics
Dealing the cards
Two cards are dealt face up on the table for each player and then two more cards are drawn by the dealer.
Know your card’s worth
Aces are worth 1 point while all other card values count as zero points or ‘0’s. All players receive 2 hands in total of 8-10 cards. If they want to play only one hand, they need to wager twice the amount of money. For example, $5 requires an initial stake of $10. This means that it takes at least $20 to get into the game. You can also opt for multiple hands which results in lower bets but higher winnings.
What Happens in the Event of a Draw
In case the first two drawcards come out equal or same value, the next four cards are checked for any matching numbers. These matchings do not affect the final outcome. Matching pairs are counted as doubles. Thereafter, three additional cards are revealed. Again, these three cards don’t matter much. They just confirm whether the winning combination has been formed.
Who Wins?
To determine who won the round, check the following options. Either the dealer was successful in hitting a 21 or losing their hand while the player hit a 21; in addition, the player must have gotten over 21 without going bust. Otherwise, the dealer would have had to go bust.
Any pair of cards that add up to 21 or 11 wins the round. In this instance, both players stand pat because no further betting rounds take place. However, if either player gets “21″, he receives his bet back plus another bonus payout.
A single ace counts as 10 points. Hence, when adding up the scores, the highest score becomes your final result.
Mastering Online Blackjack
When playing against the computer or machine, make sure to set the stakes such that you end up earning less than what you put down initially. It could be tough, especially during the beginning stages of learning how to beat computers. So keep practicing and eventually, you can start beating them!
When to Double Down?
After every seven consecutive losses, the player may choose to double down. He needs to place a second bet after seeing the first card. As long as the dealer doesn’t show a natural 20, the player’s original bet goes into effect. If the dealer shows a natural 20, the doubling option ends immediately.
What Happens When the Dealer Losses
Once the dealer hits a 17 or below, she gives herself the opportunity to split her remaining deck. She places half of her chips on top of her current bet and keeps the rest. Then she deals the second part of the pack to the player and proceeds to deal himself the third portion of the deck. Note: The rule changes slightly depending upon where you live.
Popular Types of Blackjack Games You Should Play
There are a lot of variations that you can try when it comes to the game of blackjack. The most popular ones include:
- Double Down – With this variant, you decide how much to raise your stakes before getting hit again. Say you had originally placed a $20 bet; after hitting, you could be forced to put up another $40. Only then would you see what happens. As mentioned earlier, the maximum bet allowed per hand is doubled. So you could end up losing your entire investment within seconds. On the contrary, you could turn around and make huge profits. It all depends upon your intuition.
- Classic Single Deck – This version of Blackjack uses 52 playing cards instead of the usual 44. If you find yourself attracted to this variant, we suggest you check our article titled “Which Online Casino To Play” where we explain why a single deck is considered better than standard decks. The rules and gameplay are identical to the classic double-deck game.
- MultiDeck – A variation that allows players to play against multiple opponents at once, in real time, on one screen. This means no waiting for your opponent’s turn! It also has an auto-dealer feature that will deal out cards automatically when it’s their go.
Conclusion
Now, you can go ahead and test out these rules to see if we have given you the right information. There are plenty more guides on playing blackjack that you can also use for extensive research of the game. Remember, knowing a lot will give you an upper hand when gambling.