Blackjack Game Guide

Blackjack, a popular card game worldwide, is known for its high excitement and rapid pace. Some major factors contributing to blackjack’s global popularity include its ease of play and the opportunity for high strategy. Besides being exciting and simple to play, blackjack provides players with very good payouts.

This article contains a comprehensive guide on how to play blackjack so you can fully understand the rules and terminology and how to make the most of the cards you’re dealt.

What is Blackjack?

Blackjack is a popular table game available in both online and offline casinos. The game is popular for many reasons and it is safe to say a casino without blackjack is not a real casino. Some of the reasons blackjack is popular include its high RTP rate which is at an average of 97%. Also, the game is quite fast paced and easy to learn. While it is easy to learn, winning at blackjack requires skill, and this is why the best players commit a lot of time to how to play blackjack successfully and learn its advanced strategies. Learn more about the game below.

Setup of Blackjack Table

Blackjack is usually played on a semicircular table that can fit a lot of players. The standard number of “spots” at a table is seven, but you can also find tables that seat five or even twelve people. There is always a circle, or sometimes a square box, called the “betting spot,” in front of each player. This is where the bet, made with casino chips, is placed. The dealer stands behind the card table and chip tray, with the players seated on the other side.

Goal of Blackjack

Blackjack, also known as Twenty-one, is a popular casino game played with a pack of 52 cards to beat the dealer by getting cards with a high value of 21. The game is usually played by one to six people (not counting the dealer), but up to eight people can play with a single deck of cards.

The goal is to reach 21 or a number closer to the figure before the dealer. You can achieve this goal when you understand how to play blackjack and apply the various rules of the game.

How to Play Blackjack – General Rules

Blackjack has a variety of rules and different numbers of decks. The most popular blackjack game is a 6- or 8-deck “shoe” (plastic card-dispensing device). This guide selects the most popular blackjack game, which is 6-decks. Here are the steps on how to play a blackjack game round of 6-decks.

Buy Chips

Before you start playing at the blackjack table, you need to buy chips. The days of casinos accepting cash play bets are long gone. Nowadays, you have to hand over your cash so the dealer can swap it for chips. You simply need to walk up to the dealer and put your money on the game table.

For safety reasons, dealers don’t take anything from players, and players don’t give anything to dealers. When you put money on the table, the dealer spreads it out so the cameras can see it, and then the pit boss checks it. After you’ve placed your bet, the dealer will count out chips in the appropriate denominations and slide them toward you. Now, you can handle the chips and begin to place your bets.

Place a Wager

Once you have chips, place your wager in the betting circle (or square, or sometimes just the casino’s logo) on the table. The table will have a small sign on the far left or right side showing the betting limits. For instance, most tables in the US have a minimum of $5 per hand. However, the minimum and maximum bets differ greatly depending on the casino you visit or the regulations of the casino’s jurisdiction.

Dealer Deals Cards to Players

After you place your wager, the dealer will deal one face-up card to each player at the table and also get one face-down card. Then the dealer will deal one more face-up card to each player and also get one more face-up card. Each player has two face-up cards in front of them, while the dealer has one face-up and one face-down card. It’s now time to play the game!

The Player Decides How to Play a Hand

The dealers begin with the person on their left, known as the first base, and wait for the players to play their hand. Since you have two face-up cards, you should add both values and arrive between 4 and 21.

You have a blackjack if you’re dealt an ace and a ten-value card. You can win 1.5 times your bet immediately if the dealer doesn’t have blackjack. If the dealer has a blackjack, you will not win anything, but you will not lose your initial bet either. If neither you nor the dealer has a blackjack, the dealer will proceed to the next player in line and allow you to decide how to play your hand. There are five different hands you can play, and they are: stand, hit, double-down, hit, and surrender.

Dealer Plays Hand

The dealer’s face-up card determines the best option any blackjack player can select. Based on what the dealer shows, you can make choices that conform to the basic strategy.

Payouts

After the dealer finishes playing a hand, the dealer either busts and pays even more money to each hand still in play at the table or makes a hand (17–21). If your hand is still active, it will become a competition to see who can achieve the highest hand value. You lose your wager if the dealer has a higher hand. Conversely, if your hand is higher than the dealer’s, you will win 1x your original wager. It becomes a push if you and the dealer have the same hand total. Your cash is returned, but no payout is made on the wager.

The round is now complete! The cards are discarded, and a new round begins.

Blackjack Terms to Know

In blackjack, there are several unique terms every player must know. The options you can select by hand are vital to understanding the game. The majority of the remaining terms are less significant but still useful, especially if you intend to learn how to play blackjack in a live casino. Understanding these terms helps you know how to play blackjack better. Here are some of them.

Split: This blackjack option comes in handy when you receive two cards of the same value. You have to split, matching your initial wager so that you can play two separate hands.

Hit: You hit when you wish the dealer would give you another card.

Stand: If you like your first two cards or have hit and picked another, you can choose to stand at any time, which means you won’t take another.

Double Down: If you’re lucky enough to get a good starting hand and the dealer looks weak, it’s time to double down and double your initial wager. However, you may win or lose, depending on how your hand holds up. Before you double down, ensure you have a good hand.

Surrender: If you don’t like your initial hand, you can surrender it for half of your initial wager. Because dealers frequently confuse the surrender signal for the “hit,” it is safest to communicate verbally before making the signal for the camera.

Anchorman: When seated at the blackjack table, the last player to act before the dealer is called the “anchorman.”

Bust: “Bust” is the term used when you exhaust your money at the table.

House Edge: The house edge is the expected advantage of the casino in a particular game. For blackjack, the house edge is a little above 1% against players with a basic knowledge of blackjack strategy.

Flat Betting: When a player bets the same amount consistently, hand after hand, such a player is considered to be flat betting.

Pit: The table area you sit at for your blackjack game is called the pit, which is monitored by an often strict-looking casino team member called a pit boss.

A Common Strategy for Blackjack

There are several blackjack strategies that players can use to achieve their winning goal in blackjack. Most of these strategies are developed by the best players and some are computer generated. A computer will simulate thousands of hands to find the optimal strategy for each possible starting hand before arriving at the best options.

One of the most common strategies in blackjack is that players should always split a pair of 8s and aces regardless of the dealer’s up card. If you split your hands and start each one with an 8, you have a better chance of winning than if you just played one hand of 16 (and hit). Most players have used this technique to win consistently at the blackjack table and you can consider using it too.

Special Situations in Blackjack

There are a few instances when a blackjack game will steer away from the known procedures. It takes experience and deep knowledge of how to play blackjack to understand such situations. Some of these situations include:

Non-Insurable Dealer Blackjack

The dealer may play blackjack without providing insurance or even cash. Insurance is only provided when the dealer has an ace. If the dealer has a ten-up, they will almost always check their hole card before anyone else can play. The dealer has a blackjack if there is an ace under the card.

Dead Hand

A dead hand occurs when all players bust before the dealer plays their hand. The dealer will flip over the “hole card” so the cameras can see it and then sweep the cards up and throw them in the discard tray. Because they have already been beaten, players are no longer required to play the dealer’s hand.

Blackjack Rule Variations

Many blackjack variations can be found across casinos; each has strategies, rules, and odds. You should read the rules of specific variations while learning how to play blackjack. Some of the common rule variations include:

One Card Split Aces

This involves adding a new card to each ace, and the turn ends. The cards are regarded as 11-point cards. Note that no other denomination is subject to this process.

Early Surrender

This is an extinct rule that has not been in many casinos for a long time. Here, players can surrender before the dealer checks for blackjack.

Late Surrender

The player has the option to surrender after the dealer checks for blackjack. This is called late surrender.

Double-Down Restrictions

You can only use double-down on certain combinations. The dealer hits a soft seventeen (ace-six, which can be played as either a seven or a seventeen).

European No-Hole-Card Rule

Here, the dealer gets only one card, dealt face up, and does not receive the other until players have acted. Players could lose their original bet and any extra money they put in by splitting and doubling down.

6 to 5 Blackjacks

Some casinos that offer blackjack reduce the payout from 3 to 2 payouts to 6 to 5 payouts. This rule brings more money to the casino while draining players’ pockets. However, casinos that use this rule don’t usually have it on every table.

Blackjack Side Bets

Blackjack players also make some additional bets apart from the events in the main game, and these are called side bets. These bets usually revolve around speculating on the hands a player or the dealers will receive. Before the cards are dealt, you must place wagers, and each side bet is determined by chance rather than skill; you can count cards to help you select the optimal side bet combinations. You could try out the following side bets once you understand how to play blackjack:

Insurance

Insurance is a blackjack side bet available when the dealer’s card is an ace. The dealer will offer insurance before anyone plays their hand. If the dealer’s hole card is a ten, you may place a bet equal to half your initial wager or less, with payouts of 2 to 1. Insurance is typically not recommended for players. Skilled card counters are the only ones who should attempt the side bet.

Perfect Pairs

This side bet only requires the player’s cards and pays out if you have two of a kind, such as a colored pair, mixed pair, or perfect pair. Payout varies depending on the casino’s house edge and the number of decks used, ranging from 3% to 11%. A mixed pair pays 5 to 1, coloured pair pays 12 to 1, and the perfect pair pays 25 to 1.

21+3

This side bet involves the player’s two cards and the dealer’s flipped-over card. The bet pays out for a variety of different combinations, as shown below:

Flush: all cards are suited, and it pays 5:1.
Straight: all cards are consecutive and pay 10:1.
Three of a kind: not the same suit, pays 30:1.
Straight flush: a sequence of cards of the same suit that pays 40:1.
Suited triple: three of the same card, paying 100:1.

How to Play Blackjack: Tips and Tricks That Will Help Players

While learning how to play blackjack, the following tips and tricks will greatly help you.

Conclusion

Blackjack is a popular table game that is available at all casinos. The game is simple and provides gamblers with an exciting experience. Blackjack is predominantly a game of skill, although it does involve an element of luck. Hence, you must learn how to play blackjack to understand the specific betting techniques, rules, tricks, and other things that can swing the odds in your favour. Once you understand the rules of the game, its strategies, and tricks, you should be able to win consistently.