Online Blackjack

Blackjack as a game originated in the 1900’s. It started in France called simply “twenty-one”. When Blackjack came to America shortly afterwards it did not catch on but the gambling houses of the day tried many things to make it more popular. Gimmicks such as extra payouts for particular hands, bonuses for getting an exact 21 with only two cards and others soon brought Blackjack to the attention of regular card players and it took off. The two card payoff was often known as “Blackjack” and that term stuck as the name of card game. Just as Blackjack began to really catch on the US outlawed gambling and card games went underground. When Nevada decided to legalize gambling the dawn of the gambling Mecca Las Vegas began, and Blackjack was at the head of the line up.

Blackjack rules are simple. If the player comes closer to the numeric value 21 without going over than the dealer, the player is the winner. A “bust” occurs when the player gets cards that equal a number greater than 21. All numbered cards are worth their face value and picture cards with the exception of the ace card are worth ten. The ace card is worth eleven except in the case that eleven would cause a player to “bust”. If an ace would go over 21 then it is worth one. If a player receives an ace card as an initial draw his hand is called a “soft hand” because the ace is worth 11 points and there is no way the player can “bust” no matter what other card is drawn.

The main point in Blackjack is to beat the dealer. The only way to win is to get 21 or closer to 21 than the dealer without going over. If a player busts, he still lose even if the dealer busts as well. If both the player and the dealer have the same number 21 or under both lose. That is called a “push”. No matter how many people are playing in the same game, each one is only playing against the dealer. So it is possible that there will be several winners in a single Blackjack game, or for some to win and some to lose against the dealer. One advantage players have against the dealer is that they can stop at any point before breeching 21 whereas the dealer MUST continue to hit until he has at least 17. Therefore the odds are greater that the dealer busts than a more cautious player who can stop at 16.

HIT: When a Blackjack player asks for another card hoping to stay at or below 21 he requests a hit. The non-verbal signal for this term is to touch with a finger to the table.

STAND: This term is also known as “stick”, or “stay” and means the player is holding his existing cards and not asking for more cards.

DOUBLE DOWN: A player can double-down or double the maximum bet placed and take one final card. The non-verbal sign for this is to place the appropriate number of chips next to the original bet, or to hold up one finger. There is another version of the Double Down where the player can increase his bet for an amount less than double the original bet. The term for that is Double Down For Less, but is not always allowed.

SURRENDER: Although not always allowed this is where a player can give up before the game is over and relinquishes only half his bet.

SPLIT: When a Blackjack player gets a pair he can split it to two independent hands. If the player then gets a new pair many Blackjack casinos allow him to re-split it. A pair of Aces can be splitted, too, but the player gets only one more card. If the next card is a ten, it doesn’t make a Blackjack and pays only 1:1 as a normal 21.

INSURANCE: If the dealer gets an Ace face up, a player can buy an Insurance for half of his original bet. If the dealer gets a Blackjack, the Insurance bet pays back 2:1 and the player breaks even. If the dealer doesn’t have a Blackjack, the Insurance bet is lost but the original bet is played as usual.

There are several strategies for Blackjack. The most popular Blackjack strategy is to count cards and requires an in-depth study of the probabilities involved. If you are playing Blackjack to win it is a good idea to study these methods thoroughly. Indeed, it is even more important to know the Blackjack strategies that are common but do NOT work.

Never Bust: This is a common and seemingly smart Blackjack strategy. After all, busting is a sure loss. However, those who attempt to avoid busting also never take the chances to get as close to 21 as possible and win much less often. It is certainly a fairly safe method of playing Blackjack, but also a fairly good way to lose in Blackjack.

Mimicking the Blackjack dealer: A player following this method will stop at 17 and never doubles or splits since the dealer is not allowed to. This Blackjack strategy gives the dealer much larger edge.

Whether you play Blackjack at a casino or play online Blackjack, whether you play Blackjack for fun, or for big money winnings, have fun.

There are several free online Blackjack games to give you a feel for the game before entering real money games. Online Blackjack is a very popular game because it is a fast game, can involve large bets and great payouts, and probably most important of all there is no need to read other players or to bluff. You either have 21 or less, or you do not. Blackjack is a very cut and dried game and there is a great deal of comfort for beginning players.

The most popular form of casino Blackjack strategy is card counting. This is a very complicated method and if a player is not very comfortable with counting cards it is not a good idea. The basics of counting lie in knowing how many high cards in proportion of low cards have already been dealt. A deck that holds a lot of high cards is more in the Blackjack player’s favour so the studious card counter will place larger bets when the deck is heavy with face cards and aces. Since aces can equal either eleven or one in Blackjack they are of less importance in card counting than the number of face cards that are always worth ten.