Learn to Play Blackjack

So you want to learn to play blackjack? Good choice. The popularity of blackjack may lie in the fact that it is one of the few casino games where skill can dramatically increase your chances of winning. We’ll give you a basic overview of how to play blackjack here, followed by a chart of basic blackjack strategy and some more advanced information.

How To Play Blackjack

The simple objective of blackjack is to end up with a higher hand than the dealer without going over 21. A dealer stands at one side of the table, while there is space for up to seven players on the other side. Most games are played with multiple decks nowadays that are dealt from a box known as the “shoe”.

Keep in mind when learning to play blackjack that all tables have their rules posted on them as well as the minimum and maximum bets allowed. The first thing you’ll do at a blackjack table is place your bet on the circle that is in your playing area. After all bets are up, the dealer deals a card to each player.

Blackjack isn’t played the same everywhere, so the way these cards are dealt depends on where you are. In Nevada, for instance, blackjack games usually see players having their cards dealt face down. When cards are dealt face up, this is known as a “ London deal”.

As far as the value of the cards go, the face cards are worth 10, aces can be either 1 or 11 (whatever is best for you) and the other cards are worth their face value.

After you receive a card, you can either hit, stand, double down, split, get insurance, or surrender. Hitting is simply asking for another card, and you indicate that you’d like to hit by making a scratching gesture on the table. If you don’t want anymore cards, you indicate that you’re going to stand.

Doubling down is doubling your bet, but only receiving one more card. Splitting pairs is done only if you have a pair, in which case you may play each of the cards as a separate hand with their own bets. If the dealer has an ace showing, they may offer what is known as “insurance” against them getting a blackjack. If you take insurance, the dealer will check for a blackjack and if they have one, you will be paid 2 to 1 on your insurance bet. If you do not have a blackjack, you lose your original bet still. Some tables will also allow players to “surrender”, meaning that after the dealer checks for a blackjack, you can give up your hand and receive half of your original bet back.

Blackjack Strategy

If you really want to learn to play blackjack, you need to learn basic strategy. Playing “basic strategy” in blackjack will significantly reduce the house odds. Really what it's all about is going with the odds, being comprised of a system that lets you know when to hit, stand, or double down.

Blackjack Odds

Another key thing in learning blackjack. The different rules as well as the different situations in a specific blackjack game will affect the odds of a game in various ways. To become a good player, it is necessary to learn about these influences on the odds of the game. A handy chart is supplied for you below.

Card Counting

Simply knowing when you should hit and when you should stand will not give you an edge over the house in blackjack. To get any advantage at all, you need to know how much you should bet.

Various systems are used by hopeful players in an effort to gain an advantage over the house, but none of them seems to really work. Some people simply increase their bets while on a winning streak and decrease them on a losing streak. This will not help you sway the odds, however. The only thing you can do to even the score a little, and if you’re really good, get a slight advantage, is to count cards.

Basically, card counting involves assigning values to certain cards and keeping track of a main value in order to be aware of what cards are left in the deck.

For example, a popular card counting technique gives a value of 1 to the 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. The 10, Jack, Queen and King are assigned a value of -1. The other cards are just neutral. When cards are discarded, a player keeps track of these values and if the deck count is positive there are a higher number of cards with high values. Players have an advantage in a high value deck, so this is when you bet more money. Since the blackjack pays 3 to 2, and you’re more likely to get a blackjack in a high deck, this strategy can increase your winnings.

A card counter will do best in a London Deal game where they can see everyone’s cards, and they will also try to be in the “third base” seat, where they can see the cards that come before and after their deal. Card counting is usually done at tables with fewer players at them as well, and for this reason, many casinos close down tables if they don’t have more than one person at them. Another important consideration is the number of decks of card involved. The more decks, the less useful card counting becomes.