Played with a standard 52-card deck, blackjack is a very simple game that requires some skill, depending on a certain amount of luck. Unlike most card games, blackjack is aimed at the dealer and not other players.
All face cards have the same value in Blackjack. They are worth 10 points each. The ace is not considered a face card. An ace can be worth either 1 or 11 points. An ace is always worth one point if being worth 11 points would cause the player to lose. Otherwise, it is worth 11.
Each player basically plays an individual game based on the cards they are dealt and what the player thinks the dealer has. When all players have placed their bets, the dealer gives each player a face-up card in a clockwise direction, and then gives himself a face-up card. The dealer then deals an undrawn card to all players and a hole card for their hand.
If your hand is closer to 21 than the dealer’s, you win an amount equal to your bet. If your hand has more than 21 points, you fail and lose your bet.
The Values of Numbered Cards
Cards with numbers from 2 to 10 bring corresponding points (with face value). The meaning of the cards corresponds to their numerical value from 2 to 10. Value cards are considered their natural value; jacks, queens, and kings (also called “face cards” or “pictures”) count as 10; Aces are worth 1 or 11, depending on the player’s choice. A hand where the value of an ace is considered equal to 11 is called a soft hand because it cannot be destroyed if the player draws another card.
If the player is dealt an ace and 10 cards (called “blackjack” or “natural”) and the dealer does not deal, the player wins and usually receives a bonus. If the dealer goes bankrupt, the player wins regardless of the final score. In blackjack, the player always starts first before the dealer shows his hole cards. The dealer provides insurance (or even money if you have blackjack) before anyone plays.
You can bet half your original bet or less, which will pay out 2 to 1 if the dealer has a ten as a hole card. When the dealer’s up card is an ace, either player can side-bet up to half of the original bet that the dealer’s hole card represents a ten, and therefore blackjack at home.
The Betting Habit of Croupiers in Blackjack
In some casinos, the croupier looks at the hole card and immediately pays or accepts the bet. When the players’ turn comes, they place a bet equal to the original bet, and the dealer gives the player only one card, which is placed face down and not turned over until the bets are settled at the end of the deal. Thus, each player except the dealer receives two cards face up, and the dealer receives one card face up and one card face down. In the case of Blackjack, the dealer’s second card is turned over and his hand is compared to yours.
This is an extra bet where the dealer has a ten-valued card as the hole card, giving the dealer blackjack. If there is an ace on the bottom and the dealer has blackjack, all bets on the table will be accepted, except for the player’s blackjack, who will simply raise. Insurance If the dealer’s top card (the card shown) is an ace, you can make an “insurance” bet. If the face-up card has a face value of 10, the dealer will look at the card face-down to check for blackjack.
If the dealer’s up card is a jack (J), queen (Q), king (K) or ace (A), he/she can check for blackjack by looking at his/her second card. The dealer’s hand is dealt his first card face up, and in “hole card” games he is immediately dealt his second card face down (hole card), which the dealer looks at but does not show unless the dealers are making a blackjack. If the dealer shows a ten, he will automatically check his hole card before anyone is allowed to play their hands.
How the Dealer Plays in the Case of an Ace
If the dealer does not deal the ace as a face-up card, the players are asked if they want to “collect” or “stay”. If a tie creates a hand when an ace counts as 11, the player simply counts the ace as 1 and continues standing or “betting” (by asking the dealer for more cards, one at a time). As soon as the last player has decided to keep his account, the dealer starts to take the second card.
If a player scores 22 or more points, they are out and therefore lose their bet immediately. If it is below zero, the player must make the minimum bets, since with such a distribution of cards, he will lose in the long run. If, on the other hand, the total expectation is greater than zero (unfortunately, this is quite rare), the player should bet high. Knowing the best play strategy and knowing the odds for each final score that the dealer and the player will score, the total expectation can be calculated.
Blackjack (ace and 10 card) outperforms all other combinations of cards. If the players’ first two cards add 21 (an ace and a ten card), it is called “blackjack” or “natural”.
Uncommon Situations in Blackjack Games
If you draw another card of the same value, some casinos allow you to split it into three hands (or even four plus eight). If your first two cards have the same value, such as two eights, you can split them into two separate hands.
When you split up in blackjack, you turn two cards face up side by side, and if you bet, make another bet the same as your original bet. If you are dealt another 8, you can split again and play three hands by moving the 8 next to the other two cards, or simply place another bet on the table equal to your two previous bets.
Doubling down and further splitting hands after a split can be restricted, and an ace and a ten card after a split is considered non-blackjack 21. Each split hand requires an additional bet equal to the first.
A split occurs when a player has two cards with the same value, here the player has two eights, the player can choose to split, thus he must double his bet and will now play them as two separate hands. If the score is negative, the player knows that many of the aces or 10 cards have already been dealt, meaning that there are many lesser cards left in the deck.