How To Play Blackjack

By Author: David Hobson
Total Articles: 132
Comment this article

Blackjack is one of the most famous casino games of all time and if your wondering how to play blackjack then you have come to the right place. Players play against the dealer and the aim of the game is to get closer to 21 than the dealer does. If you go over 21 then you have bust. Your hand is considered dead and any money bet is lost to the dealer. In case you didn't know the cards Jack, Queen and King are valued at 10 and an Ace can play as either 1 or 11. If you get dealt any 10 value card and an Ace that is considered blackjack which normally pays 3 to 2.

The dealer will deal you two cards initially and deal two to themselves. One of the dealers cards will always be showing face up and both of your cards will be face up. Don't worry it doesn't matter if the dealer can see your cards because their decisions are always fixed in the rules. In most blackjack games the dealer must hit on 16 and stand on 17. This means that when they only have 16 they must take another card from the deck and when they have 17 they are not allowed to add any more cards to their hand.

So once you have your cards you then have to decide ...
... if you want to hit or stand. If you deicide to stand then whatever is in your hand at the moment will stand against the dealers hand. If you choose to hit then the dealer will give you another card face up from the deck. The value of this new card will be added to your total. Again remember if you go over 21 you have bust and your hand is dead.

If at any point during the game the dealer shows an Ace upcard to begin with then all players have the opportunity to take out an insurance bet. This bet is to guard against the fact that the dealer might have blackjack already in their hand. If the dealer does have blackjack then the insurance bet pays out at 2-1 . If they do not have blackjack then the bet is lost to the dealer. If in any hand you manage to beat the deal without blackjack then you will get paid 1:1 on your initial bet.

Players have two other options when playing blackjack. The first of the two options is double down. This means players can split their hole cards but they must double their bet and they only get to receive one more card from the dealer. The second option for players is to split a pair. If your first two cards are a pair then you can split them but again you must double your bet. You then play both hands separately from that point on with no restrictions.

In some blackjack games you will actually have a third in game option. This option is called surrender but is uncommon in most blackjack games. If the dealer is showing an ace and after they have checked for blackjack players can decide to surrender their hand and only lose half their original bet.
All blackjack players also like poker. Get the best Poker Bonus here. Another great online game at the moment is bingo. Try Bingo Deposit Bonus for some great deals.