Most, if not all, casino games have this special quality about them that cannot be emulated by other forms of gambling. They are thrilling and blackjack have the potential to bring you lots of money if you play your cards right, both literally and metaphorically. Unlike betting on a horse race or a game of basketball, your profits or losses are mostly dependent on you – your skill as well as your luck. If there’s one casino game that stands out among the rest, it would undoubtedly be blackjack. Widely played, and ardently loved all across the world, blackjack would be an excellent gateway for a novice into the world of gambling.
Here is how to play blackjack.
To begin with, let’s start with your objective. When playing blackjack, your main goal is to beat the dealer, who you play against. Unlike other card games, where you play against other players, your dealer is your one and only rival, regardless of the number of people at the table. Next, we’ll move on to the gameplay. All the cards on the deck are assigned a value. The number cards 2 through 10 are worth their face value. This means that a 2 card will be worth 2 points, a 7 card will be worth 7 points and so on.
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The face cards, namely the jack, queen, and king; are worth 10 points each. Depending on what benefits the player at that moment, the ace can be worth either 1 or 11 points. At first, every player at the table, including the dealer, is given two cards. Both the player’s cards are face-up, and only one of the dealer’s cards are face up. Your main aim would be to get a total closer to 21 than the dealer without going over. This is why they call the game 21. At this point, depending on their cards, a player has many options. Let’s take a look at each of them.
1. Stand
If you feel like you have been dealt a right hand, then you decide to stay. At this point, the dealer reveals his second card. If the dealer has a total closer to 21 than you, you lose when you play blackjack. If the dealer has a lower total than you, they have to hit or take another card. Whoever is closer to 21 without going over–is no doubt the winner. If a player or a dealer goes over 21, then they’re busted, which means they automatically lose. If both the dealer and the player goes bust, the player loses.
2. Hit
After you’ve been dealt your cards, and you feel like your total is much lower than 21, you can choose or opt to hit, wherein you will be given an extra card.
3. Doubling down
This option is usually only available when you’ve been dealt with your two cards, or sometimes when you choose to split. This is when you bet extra, up to your original bet, after you’ve seen your cards.
4. Split
Splitting is an option that is offered by some casinos when you are dealt with two cards of the same value, two 9s or two 5s, for example. In such a case, you have the option to split your cards, in which case each of these cards will be treated as separate hands. To split, you would need to stake your original amount again, at which point you will be dealt a hand or given another card for each of yours. For each hand, you can either choose to stand, hit or double down or even split again if you are dealt two of the same cards still. That is unless you get 2 aces, in which case you cannot hit again.
There you have it, the basics of how to play blackjack. Always remember to bet wisely and have fun.
