|
|
 |
| |
| |
| |
Rules of Basic Blackjack
The rules of basic blackjack are the same, whether you are playing blackjack online or at a land-based real money blackjack casino. The game is played with one standard 52-card deck of cards which must be shuffled and cut before each hand. The aim is to get a "blackjack" - an ace plus a card with a face value of ten. This is called a "natural" and it is the strongest hand in basic blackjack.
The cards from 2 through 10 are counted at their face value. Jacks, queens and kings are valued at 10 points each and an ace can be a one or eleven.
Although a hand valued at 21 can be a winning hand, it does not win over a "natural blackjack". In other words, if the dealer has a "natural", the player loses even though his hand totals 21.
The player and the dealer are dealt two initial cards. The dealer always turns up one card. The player may draw up to nine cards, after his first two, as long as his hand does not exceed the value of 21. A hand exceeding 21 is called a "bust" and the player loses his bet. If, after drawing nine cards, the player has not exceeded the value of 21, he automatically "stands" - does not draw any more cards - and the dealer then plays his hand. The dealer must "stand" with a value of 17.
On a hand with a value of 9, 10 or 11, the player may "double down". Doubling down means that the player is betting that he will win with one more, final card, and then he stands. A "double down" bet is equal to the player's original bet.
A player may "split" his hand if he receives two cards of the same denomination, i.e. two queens or two eights. This means that he creates two hands and places another bet, equal to his original bet, on the second hand. If aces are "split" and the player draws a card with a value of ten, it is not considered a blackjack even though he has a value of 21.
If the dealer draws a blackjack after the player has "hit" (drawn another card), "split" or "doubled down", the player's entire bet is lost.
There is an additional side bet in basic blackjack called Insurance. The insurance bet means that the player is betting that the dealer will make a blackjack. This bet can be placed if the dealer's first card is an ace. The insurance bet is half of the player's original bet, and, if the dealer does not make the blackjack, the insurance bet is removed from the table and the amount is deducted from the player's credit balance.
All of this sounds a bit complicated on paper. But once you start to play, it becomes very easy, very fast and very exciting.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
