The game of blackjack has a great history behind it. Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes gave the first written reference in his book. Cervantes, a gambler was famous for writing Don Quixote. The introduction of 21 in blackjack was done in the United States. Then, bonus payouts were offered by the gambling houses to arouse interest of players.
Introduction & blackjack rules
So, how to play blackjack? Blackjack is played between a dealer and a player or players. The game is not played by players competing with each other. They also do not co-operate each other. Player or players play blackjack against the dealer. There are 52 international cards in a deck.
More than one card deck are shuffled to increase the difficulty level of the game. The prediction of next card becomes a tough task for players or the dealer. Cards have different values.
The face value of cards from 2 to 9 is their point. Jack, Queen and King are signified as card of ten points while an ace can be valued 1 or 11 according to the player’s choice. The aim of the players or dealer is to make the sum of points of their cards 21 or close to that, but not more than that. Points more than 21 make you bust.
The player and the dealer are given two cards at the start. Players get both the cards faced up while the dealer has one face up and the other face down card (hole card).
At this point of time if any of the players or dealer have the sum of 21, it is called as natural or blackjack. That player or dealer wins. But, if both player and dealer have blackjack, then that is a tie. That player takes back its bet while others without naturals lose their bet.
In case, dealer face up card is an ace or an of J, K or Q, he/she can look at his/her face down card for a natural. But when it’s not the case, the dealer does not see the face down card until it’s his/her play.
Start of deal in blackjack
Players are given chips in exchange of money by the dealer or casino authority. Proportions and exchange rates vary from casino to casino. blackjack is played on the round table or online. Players put their bet at the start of the game and then deal starts. Players with their first two cards decide whether to stand or ask for a hit.
Stand means they do not want to draw any card from the deck, while hit means the opposite. The decision is based on the sum of points of their cards. The deal starts from the dealer’s left in a clockwise direction. Players keep asking for hits to make their points 21 or close to that magical number.
After players are done, the dealer goes for its face down card. According to blackjack rules, player or dealer with the greatest sum and nearest to 21 wins. If the player and the dealer have the same sum, the game is a push for that player. Remaining players lose at the same time.
Side rules, making simple blackjack interesting
Blackjack rules are made to keep it live till the final deal is done. Players have the option of taking advantage of side rules during the deal. The nature of the cards and the sum of the points encourages them to make use of side rules.
These rules make you to play safe. Utilising the appropriate side rule at the right time makes you a good punter of blackjack. Side rules of the game are as follows:
Insurance
It comes into play when the dealer’s face-up card is Ace. Any of the players play side bet up to half the bet of the original. The deal goes on the probability of blackjack with the dealer, i.e, the chances of the hole card or face down card being a ten-card is gambled.
If the dealer has blackjack, the player gets the double amount of the side bet made by him/her. Simple blackjack rules suggest the avoidance of this side rule, because in the long run this bet has more chances of losing money.
Splitting pairs
When a player has first two cards of the same value, he/she splits his/her cards and play bet on both the hands. Separate deals are made with both the hands. The player is given an additional card on both by the dealer.
Hit or stand starts from the hand on the left. When the cards are ten-valued, rules vary a bit from one casino to the other. Some of the casinos allow splitting on identical cards only, i.e., a Jack and a King cannot be separated.
Surrender
In this side rule player terminates its interest in the game by opting for half of the original bet. Players go with this rule when they have bad hands compared with the dealer. blackjack rules in some of the casinos have not made it applicable, when the dealer is having blackjack.
Doubling Down
Players take advantage of this side rule when, they are sure about their cards being better than that of the dealer. The bet is doubled by the player in this case. The player gets only one card after choosing a doubling down.
Blackjack rules do not limit the interest of the player to the fortune.
But, right action at the right time gives you more benefit. The probability of desired cards is to be kept in mind as well. Advantages of side rules are beautiful when you go for them with bold and brave intention.
The simple blackjack is not a trend now in modern casinos or online gaming sites. Various features are added to make it attractive and competitive with other games. But basic rules are the same and it will be as like forever. Those are the sole surprising elements of blackjack.
