Blackjack

Blackjack is the most popular casino table game in the world and combines luck with strategy to make one of the funnest and interesting casino games. The object off blackjack is to beat the dealers hand without going over a total value of 21. The principle of blackjack is quite easy but there are many elements to the game such as other players that can greatly affect its outcome. For this reason, it is best to learn about blackjack rules, strategy and etiquette before hitting the tables for any serious amount of money. This way, you can be well prepared and ready to take on the house when you decide to sit down and have a better chance of winning.

Blackjack Rules

As previously mentioned the object of blackjack is to beat the dealers hand without going over a combined total of 21. A blackjack table generally has room for six players known as spots and the cards are dealt from left to right (dealer’s perspective) or from right to left (players perspective) to all persons seated at the table and included in the hand. In offline blackjack, the dealer will make a wave by all of the spots which singles that all bets are closed for that hand and any player that has not already put their wager in the betting box may not enter the hand at that point. Next, the dealer begins bringing out the cards by going from left to right and giving each player at the table one card and one to themselves and then repeating the process until all players have 2 cards face up and the dealer has 1 card face up and 1 card face down. The point of this is to give the players some idea of what the dealers hand could be, and although you never really can know, this is very useful in using blackjack strategy explained in our strategy section.

Once all the cards are on the table and assuming that the dealer’s up card (the card showing) is not an ace or a face card, normal play will begin. If the dealers up card is a face, the dealer will check for blackjack (a face card/ten and an ace totaling 21) in which case all players would lose their bets. If the dealers up card is an ace, players will have the option to insure their hand (explained below) which can enable them to break even on the hand. Assuming these two actions do not occur, typical blackjack play will involve the following decisions and terms according to what happens throughout the hand.

Hit - This is a signal to the dealer that you would like another card and is used when you would like to increase your total. The player is free to hit as many times as they like as long as they do not go over 21 which would mean they bust, however using blackjack strategy there are certain situation where you should hit and not hit. For example, if you had a combined total of under 11 (such as a 5 and a 4 for your first two cards) you would want to take a hit to improve your hands value and get it closer to 21. Because your hand is under or at 11 total, you have no fear of busting (see below) so it is in your best interest to take a card. Hitting is signaled simply by tapping the blackjack table in front of you or online by clicking a hit button.

Stand - Standing means that the player has decided to stay with their total either after hitting and not going over 21 or if they are satisfied with the combined total of the first two cards they are dealt. Standing is signaled by waving over your hand or pressing the stand button in online blackjack.

Push - A push occurs when the player and the dealer have the same hand, meaning that their combined total card value is exactly the same.  In this case, the player pushes the hand and does not win or lost but is returned their bet for play on the next hand.  In the case of an ace for the dealer up card and the player having blackjack, the player can elect to get paid even money on their blackjack (equal to their original bet) or can wave even money and if no dealer blackjack be paid 2 to 1, or with dealer blackjack they will push.

Bust - A bust occurs when the player or dealer goes over 21 by hitting and getting a card that brings their combined hand total over 21. If this occurs to the player, they will lose their hand. If the dealer or house busts, then all players remaining in the hand will be paid. We say all players remaining in the hand because remember that the dealer always goes last, meaning that a player could bust their hand and the dealer could bust after.

Split - A split means that the player would like to separate their hand into two different hands. In most blackjack games, this is only permitted when the player has two of the same cards (ex. 5 and 5, 10 and 10) and is done by announcing split to the dealer or doing an upside down peace sign on the table. In order to split, players must put another bet beside their first wager that is equal to its amount and then play resumes with each now single card being given another card to make a hand. When you split, you are breaking one hand into two and play resumes after the split with your two hands. From there you are free to hit, bust or double.

Double - A double is a popular bet whereby the player elects to put an amount less than or equal to their original bet beside their hand and will only receive one additional card. Because of this, most players only choose this option when they have a high starting hand such as 9, 10 or 11 however in some cases players may do it with a lower hand if the dealer has a likely bust card showing such as a 6. This is explained more in our blackjack strategy section but generally speaking a double is a good way to get maximum value out of your hand if the circumstances are right.

Insurance - As previously mentioned, if the dealer’s up card is an ace, the dealer will inform the players that insurance is open allowing them to choose to purchase it. Insurance is a way of predicting whether or not the dealer has blackjack and costs half of your total bet (ex. $10 bet, insurance is $5). Insurance pays 2 to 1, meaning that if the dealer has blackjack you will lose your original wager but be paid 2 to 1 on your insurance bet, so you will break even on the hand. Please note that guessing correctly with insurance does not make you any profit, but protects your hand so that you break even on your wager. If you elect not to take insurance and the dealer shows blackjack, then all bets without insurance will be lost. If you purchase insurance and the dealer does not have blackjack, your insurance bet will be taken and you may play your hand out normally.

Popular Blackjack Games

Traditionally there was very limited blackjack game variety and most games incorporated the simple rules outlined above.  Nowadays, there are tons of blackjack games and each game features anywhere from 1 to 8 decks of cards incorporated into the shoe (where the cards are dealt from) and offer a variety of rules and twists on standard blackjack.  Below are a quick look at some of the most popular blackjack games available at different online casinos.

Single Deck Blackjack

Single deck blackjack is one of the most sought after blackjack games because of its simplicity and the ease of tracking cards otherwise known as card counting.  Single deck blackjack is pretty hard to find these days since the casinos are wise to the advantages it can give a player but it is still readily available in most online casinos and offers the best odds of winning.  Single deck blackjack incorporates one deck of 52 cards into the shoe and follows all of the normal blackjack procedures outlined above.

Multi-Deck Blackjack

Multi-deck blackjack is the most widely used blackjack game in both offline and online casinos and usually features between 6 to 8 decks of cards mixed into the shoe.  These are dealt from a traditional shoe or an auto shuffler, which means that the dealer never has to stop to shuffle and can deal continuously without pausing.  Multi-deck blackjack games are widely popular and many players enjoy playing them, however due to the high amount of cards in the shoe the outcomes are extremely randomized and thus it is harder to win long term in multi-deck.

Spanish 21

Spanish 21 is the most popular altered blackjack game in casinos and is a great game for new and beginning players who want to get down the basics before moving over to traditional blackjack.  Unlike usually blackjack, Spanish 21 has all the 10’s removed from the deck and incorporates some interesting twists to make the game more fun for the player.  These include

• Player 21 always wins and player blackjack always beats dealer blackjack
• Player may double on any two cards, and can surrender after doubling in which case they will lose half their bet if they are unhappy with the outcome of the hand
• 5 card 21 pays 3 to 2, 6 card 21 pays 2 to 1 and 7 card or more 21 pays the player 3 to 1
• A 6, 7, 8 or 7, 7, 7 of a mixed card suit pays 3 to 2 and the same combination of the same suit pays 2 to 1, if the combination is all in spades the player is paid 3 to 1

Those are the basic twists that Spanish 21 offers and as you can see it gives a lot more flexibility to the player which makes it an increasingly popular game in online casinos.