Playing Blackjack

Blackjack is one of the most popular games in casinos today because it's fast, has some of the best house odds and has been the subject of some of the most intense research into how to "break the bank".

The object of the game is to have your hand of cards equal as close to 21 as possible without going over 21. All number cards are valued at their face value, Jack, Queen and King are all valued at 10, and Aces are valued at either 1 or 11 depending on how the player wishes it to be valued. Of course, the best hand to get is a Blackjack, which is an Ace and a Ten. This pays the player double and is always a great feeling.

Rules

Blackjack is a relatively simple game to play. The dealer deals a card to each player, then one to themselves face-up. Then each player receives another card. The dealer may or may not receive their second card at this point, if they do it is face down.

Players take it in turn to bet. Players can either Sit (hold the cards that currently make up their hand), Hit (get another card from the dealer to add to their hand), Double (double the bet on their hand and receive one only extra card from the dealer) or in some games the player can also Surrender (finish their hand before the end of the game and loose only half of their wager).

Players can Hit as many times as they want to until their hand reaches a total of 21. When the player is satisfied with their hand, they sit, and the game continues to the dealer.

The dealer usually has a strict rule of when they must Hit and when they must Sit. This is usually that the dealer must Sit on any hand that is a Soft 17 or higher, or else they must Hit.

If the dealers hand totals higher then the players hand the player looses. If the dealers hand totals less then the player, the player wins. If ether hand is over 21, then that player busts and looses the game. If the player and the dealer both have the same value, the hand is considered a Push and the players money is held for the next game.