Blackjack

BLACKJACK - Introduction

Blackjack is the most popular casino table game, it was devised in France and is known the world over as vinget-et-un, 21, pontoon, California Aces. As other casino games, Blackjack can be played both in brick and mortar casinos and in the casinos on the web. Blackjack is played with a standard 52 card deck, by one to seven players sitting at a semi-circular table play against a dealer. The functions that the dealer carries out include exchanging cash for chips, dealing the cards and playing the houses hand. The objective of Blackjack is to beat the dealers hand and this is possible in two different ways, first one involves drawing cards until your hand scores are higher than the dealers without going over 21 and the second way is not to draw cards and have the dealer bust, or exceed 21.

BLACKJACK - Rules

Blackjack players play against the dealer, the Blackjack actions starts with dealing each player two cards by the dealer. When happens player to has a value closer to 21 (without going over) than the dealer's hand, the player wins. The best possible hand in Blackjack, brings the name of the game blackjack (twenty-one in the first two cards) and consists of an A (ace) and a ten-valued card (10, J, Q, K). Blackjack payout is 3-to-2, this means that the player is paid three chips for every two chips bet. While the dealer has limited choices, the player has several choices after receiving the first two cards. The Blackjack player can choose to hit or draw, which means that he can take one or more cards to add-up to a better hand. If the player chooses to stand, means that he stops taking more cards. Player is also allowed to double down - to double the initial amount in cases considered more favorable. In a case the player chooses to split pairs, means that if the two cards are equal in value they may be played in two separate hands.

BLACKJACK - Basic Strategy

Unlike other casino games, where the house has a statistical advantage over the players, the game of Blackjack has an element of player choice, players can actually reduce the casino advantage to a small percentage by playing what is known as basic strategy. Blackjack basic strategy determines when to hit and when to stand, and also determines when doubling down or splitting is the correct action and is based on the player's point total and the dealer's visible card. Blackjack basic strategy involves some beneficial rules to the player that include doubling on any two-card hand except a blackjack, doubling after splitting, the ability to forfeit half player's wager against a face or ace before the dealer checks for blackjack (early surrender), normal (aka "late") surrender, resplitting Aces, drawing more than one card against a split Ace, as well as five or more cards with the total still no more than 21 as an automatic win.
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