All About Blackjack

Blackjack probably originated in the 16th Century France as vingt-et-un (20 and 1). The object of the game is to get as close to 21 without going over, or "bust". The game can be played with 1-8 ordinary decks of cards. The card value are as followed

The game begins with the player placing a bet in the circle in front of them. The player and the dealer will then be dealt two cards. Both of the players cards will be face up, but the dealer will have one card face up (the up card) and one face down (the hole card). The highest winning hand is an Ace and any 10 card, otherwise known as "Blackjack". A winning blackjack pays out 3:2. if the player does not have "Blackjack" then they have the option to hit and be dealt another card or cards in the hope that they will get closer to 21 than the dealer. Should the player exceed 21 then they will go "bust" and will automatically lose the round. The player, is however, free to stand at any time. The dealer must hit on all totals of 16 or less, and must stand on all totals of 17 or more. Again, if the dealer exceeds 21 then they will go "bust" and the player will win. A winning hand will pay out even money. If the dealer finishes closer to 21 than the player, then the player will lose their stake. If the dealer and the player have the same total then there will be a "push" or draw, and the player will have their stake returned. similarly, there will be a push if both the player and the dealer have Blackjack.

A number of players can play at the same time usually seven players. A player can have more than one hand at a time but each is counted as a separate bet against the dealer/bank. Working out what your hand totals is also very simple, you just add the face values of your cards together. Picture cards (Jack, Queen & Kings) all count as ten as does a Ten an Ace can count as either 1 or 11 at the choice of the player and all other cards are there standard value a Seven being worth 7 and so on.

We also suggest you read as much about the games tactics and strategies as you can but remember there is no substitute for practice. You can play for free thus practice for free at any of the casinos reviewed on this site. We suggest you try playing at intercasino as that tends to have a lot of other players online so there is a bit more social interaction and a transfer of knowledge.

Blackjack Terminology

Deal
After clicking on the amount you wish to stake, hitting the "Deal" option will instigate the start of the round.

Double
If after being dealt the first two cards the player feels they only need one more card to get as close to 21 as possible, they may choose to double their original stake. A w inning hand will pay even money on the doubled stake. Sometimes it is possible to double after splitting the first two cards, although this rule varies from casino to casino.

Hard Hand
Any hand where an Ace is counted as 1 not 11. For example if you had a 7, a 4 and an Ace the total would be 12 (7+4+1) since if the Ace was counted as 11 you would be bust.

Hit
The player can choose to be dealt another card by selecting the hit option providing that their total does not exceed 21.

Multi - HAnd Blackjack
A game of blackjack where the player can play up to 5 hands at any one time against the dealers hand.

Insurance
If the dealer has an Ace as an up card, the player has the option to take out insurance against the dealer having Blackjack. If the dealer does have Blackjack, the insurance will pay 2:1. However, even if you have Blackjack, do not take insurance. The following table shows the House edge, if you do take insurance, depending on the number of decks used.

Re - Bet
The re - bet option allows the player to place the same number of chips in the circle as they did at the start of the previous hand.

Single Hand Blackjack
A game of blackjack where the player is limited to paying only one hand each round.

Single Deck Blackjack
A game of blackjack that is played with 1 normal deck of 52 cards.

Soft Hand
Any hand where an Ace is counted as either a 1 or an 11, without the value of the hand exceeding 21. For example, an Ace and a 6 can be counted as either 17 (11+6) or 7 (1+6).

Split
If the player's first two cards are of equal point value they may split them into two separate hands. The player must make another wager of equal value to their first hand. Some casinos permit you to double after splitting. When Aces are split, the player is usually only permitted one more card on the two separate cards.

Stand
If the player is happy with their hand then they may choose to stand at any time providing that they have not already "bust".

Surrender
Occasionally in a 6 or 8 deck game, the player may have the option of surrendering their hand if they feel that they are going to lose. to do this, the player will forfeit half of the original stake. to be honest, this option is not available in any of the casinos I play in.