Learn to Play Blackjack

When you learn to play blackjack you will find that it has many different written and unwritten rules. It is not essential that you remember them all the first time but if you play blackjack more often it will help if you get to know them.

To start to play blackjack you must find the right  table; if you are novice then you should probably be looking to play blackjack with 6 decks. This is not too hard to find if you wish to play blackjack online simply go to “card games” or “table games” and you will find it. It can be more difficult if you want to learn to play blackjack in a land based casino as there are many different forms of blackjack and many different minimum bets and the last thing you want is to end up at a table where you do not understand the game and the minimum bet is well over your budget. The table you are probably looking for when you learn to play blackjack will have “Blackjack pays 2 to 1” written on it. You will probably be looking to play blackjack at a table with a low minimum bet as when you learn to play blackjack  you need to get to know the game and get accustomed to the way things go without using up your bankroll in the first 30 minutes. These are the blackjack tables that are normally very busy so if you find yourself wanting to play blackjack and sitting at a table that is not busy whilst other blackjack tables are then you should be looking around to see why that might be. The minimum and maximum bet of every table can be found on a board that is either situated on the right or the left of a table but if you are not sure ask the dealer.

When you have found a suitable table for yourself in order to play blackjack you will need to buy some chips which can be acquired at the table; just place your money on the table slightly towards the croupier and it will get changed. When you play blackjack do not try to give the croupier your money directly hand to hand as the dealer is not allowed to accept money in this way. In fact all chip buying at all the tables, blackjack or otherwise within a casino must be done in the same way; you place your money on the table and wait until the croupier picks it up and changes it for you. The reason for this is that by doing it this way nobody can suspect any kind of cheating or foul play during the chip buying process. If you place several notes on the table the dealer will pick up the money and recount it by placing each note back on the table one by one which is for the benefit of the overhead cameras which are recording permanently. When the croupier has finished changing your cash for chips he will push the stack towards you for you to pick up. If for some reason the blackjack dealer or other croupier does not change your money right away because he or she is preoccupied then do not push the money closer or try to attract their attention. Croupiers are highly skilled and trained in their work and see everything that happens on the table. If you are not helped straight away there will be a reason so just wait for your turn patiently. If there is money on the table it is highly unlikely that a dealer will deal the next cards or spin the wheel before that cash has been changed into chips. All of this is irrelevant if you play blackjack online.

Once you are sitting at the desired table and you have changed some cash for chips and you are ready to play blackjack and hopefully do some serious winning.

When you learn to play blackjack you will find in front of you on the table a line of circles or squares. If you want to place a bet you must choose the circle or square closest to the croupier within this line. This circle is only meant for the person sitting in the chair and for nobody else. If you ever sit down to play blackjack and someone is playing in this circle then they will remove their chips for you at your request. The person with his/her chips in this circle or square is called the “Box Holder”. There are many different rules for who is allowed to be the box holder when there is nobody sitting in the corresponding seat but that is going a little too far for the moment. When you place your bet in the correct circle or square you must remember to place the chips with the highest value at the bottom and the chips with the lowest value at the top. If you forget to do this the dealer will probably sort them out for you but try to remember this when you play blackjack. As soon as the first card has been dealt you are not allowed to touch your bet or even make any actions that may imply that you are going to touch your bet. These are important rules when you learn to play blackjack but normally dealers are sympathetic, will recognize you as a novice  and will help you to learn to play blackjack.

When every player (box holder) has been dealt two cards the blackjack dealer will start asking the players if they wish more cards (hit). This happens in a clockwise direction starting with the player immediately to the left of the dealer. If a player wishes to receive another card then in order to play blackjack correctly he must make an action with his hand. The appropriate action for receiving another card is moving your hand over the table from the croupier towards yourself or sometimes by tapping the table; take note of which convention is being used at the table you are playing. If you play blackjack this is compulsory because the cameras above your head want to see what is happening. All the blackjack games have to take place in a fair way and if there is any dispute then the casino can always look things up on the camera recordings. If a player wishes to pass (not receive an additional card) then another movement of the hand is required, moving your hand from left to right over the table. The croupier will move to each player in turn until every box holder has taken his or her turn. The blackjack dealer will then turn the banks cards face up for everyone to see. It is now the turn of the dealer to play blackjack and the bank will keep on drawing cards until it has a total of at least 17. The bank now has a score and the croupier will pay all winning bets and take away all losing bets. This is done in the opposite direction of dealing the cards, from his right to left.

When the dealer has finished paying/taking all the bets it is time to play blackjack again. When you play blackjack it is courteous to wait before you pick up your winnings from the table until the dealer has paid everyone at the table. If you leave your winnings beside your initial bet in blackjack then the croupier will add these to make one stack and you will be playing with all of it in the next round. This is frequently done by blackjack players so the dealer will not hesitate so make sure you are paying attention before your winnings are gone. If you play blackjack in an online casino your winnings will be added automatically to your stack. Following these simple rules will help you to learn to play blackjack very quickly.