Now that you know how the game works and which action a croupier takes we will explain the basic rules of the game.
Blackjack is very well known as "21". The game 21 that everybody plays at home is a little different to casino Blackjack. The idea of the game, to get the total sum of
your cards as close to 21 as possible without going over it is the same. It just differs in the payout of when you actually get "Blackjack". Blackjack is when
your first two cards are an Ace and one with a value of ten; this then has a total sum of 21 (ace being 11 and 10 being 10). Please do be aware that you
only have Blackjack when it is concerning the first two cards that you have been dealt. It is not blackjack when you have split
two aces and receive one or two tens.
Before you go any further you must know what the different card values are, this is very important as you will want to know what the total value of your cards are.
- The cards 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 and 10 have a face value. This is the value
that is stated on the cards themselves. This means that a three of clubs has a value of three and an eight of diamonds has a value of eight.
- The cards Jack, Queen and King all have a value of ten.
- An Ace has a value of 11 or 1. This may be decided as you play and is always in your advantage. You do not need to decide before you
play but during your buying or standing round you may decide.
Now you know what the values of the cards are you are able to play a straightforward game of blackjack.
Blackjack is a very simple game but only gets slightly complicated when you look into the details. These details are very important to you
as they can give you an edge on the casino. They can also turn against you so please be very careful when applying any of this extra option at a game of blackjack.
- Doubling down: you may double your initial bet. This is only done when you are at an advantage and not just because you feel lucky.
You can be at an advantage when your first two cards have a total value of 11 and the dealer has a 5 showing. This is usually when you
decide to double your bet. By placing your chips beside your original bet you are showing the dealer that you would like to double down.
The dealer shall then place your extra chips on top of your original bet and give you one extra card. For this extra privilege of being able to double
your bet during a game you have to pay a price. This price is that you only get one extra card, no matter what your total value is. As you are probably
thinking now, you can double on 11 and receive one extra card, which might be a 2, leaving you with a total value of 13. You may want to "hit" but
this is not allowed so just bare in mind that you only get one extra card when you are doubling down.
- Splitting: you are allowed to split your first two cards to have two separate hands. This is only allowed when you have received two cards
with the same value, the same value being very important. Many people think that the cards have to be the same (two Jacks or two Queens) but it is only
the value that has to be the same. This means that you can split when you have a Jack and a Queen because they both have a value of ten. If you wish to
split then you need to place the same amount as your initial bet beside your original bet. The dealer will then know what to do and will split the two cards.
The dealer will now give both cards an extra card so that you will be playing two hands. The game will proceed as normal, but you are playing two hands
instead one. It is a possibility that you may draw another card with the same value as your first card. This will then allow you to split again if you wish. This
may keep on going for a while but be careful if you are doing this, as it is pure gambling with the odds against you.
There is one exception to this whole splitting situation, Aces. If you receive two aces you are allowed to split but you will only receive one card on top of each
ace. This means that you cannot keep on buying but that you have to live with the cards that have been dealt. If you receive another ace on one of you initial aces
you are allowed to split these again but yet again bare in mind, you only get one card per ace.
