How to Play Blackjack

The Table Layout

The typical Blackjack table has a simple layout with a curved shape. The dealer stands at one side, facing one to seven players. All bets are placed in the intended area (a circle or a square) in front of each player. The game always commences from the dealers left, as the first player position is know as "first base", and the last one to the right of the dealer is called "third base". Most experienced players avoid the third base, as it is believed to be a position of disadvantage. The chip tray is situated in front of the dealer. To his right is the currency drop slot, which is where the dealer deposits all the currency he exchanged for chips and to his left is the card deck or shoe.

The Fundamentals

The rules of Blackjack may vary according to the casino or country, but the basics remain the same. The goal of the game is to have a higher hand than the dealer, without exceeding the total pip count of 21. The payout for a winning hand is even with the bet. The only exception made is when the winning hand is a “blackjack” (a total of 21 comprised of an Ace and a 10-value card), for which the payout is 3-to-2.

Each player has to beat only the hand of the dealer, so the rest of the gamblers sitting at the table are irrelevant. Up to 8 decks of cards might be used for the game. The cards are shuffled by the dealer and cut by one of the players who inserts the cut card in the deck. The cut card is then placed on the bottom of the deck, serving as a marker for the cards to be shuffled again, when reached. Before the dealing starts, each player must place his bet. The dealer then burns the top card, showing it to all players and starts the deal from his left. Cards are dealt one by one until everyone has a hand comprised of two cards.

The cards could be dealt either face up, or face down depending on the rules of the casino. There is also a difference in how the players are allowed to handle their cards. In hand-held games, the cards of the player are dealt face-down and he is allowed to pick them up. There are certain rules to follow when playing a hand-held game:

• The player can touch the cards but must use only one hand.
• Cards must be held above the table.
• The player is not allowed to pick up any additional cards that are dealt to him, other than the first two.

In the so-called shoe game, the cards are dealt face up and the player is not allowed to touch them in any way. There are variations in the way the dealer’s hand is dealt. In some casinos, both of the cards in the dealer’s hand are dealt face up. Another variation is the No Hole Card rule, according to which the first card of the dealer is dealt face up and the second is face down. The second card is revealed only after the players finish their hands. If the first card of the dealer is a 10-count or an Ace, he would then look at his second card. If he scores a blackjack, the card is then revealed and all bets settled with the losing players. If a player has a blackjack as well, the score is a tie and the player retains his bet.

The Rules

Value

The card suits in Blackjack are irrelevant and the pip count of the hand is determined only by the value of the cards. Cards from 2 to 10 count as their face value. All face cards (Jack, Queen, King) count as 10. The exception is made by the Ace – it could count either as 11 or 1. The Ace automatically accepts the value that is most convenient for the player’s hand and can change during the play of the hand as many times as possible. As shown bellow, in the first case an Ace and a Jack equal 21 (natural blackjack) where the value of the Ace is eleven, but in the second case the more convenient value for the Ace would be 1.

Hard and soft hands

These are the two terms that are used to describe a hand. The soft hand is consisted of an Ace, which could be used as either 11 or 1 without going over 21. The hard hand is one which can’t change its pip count. If a hand doesn’t have an Ace it is always hard.

Player Rules

After the first deal is done, the bets are placed and if the dealer doesn’t have a blackjack each player takes his turn to decide how to play his hand. Blackjack has a very strong etiquette and usually, in the interest of fair play, the player indicates his next move using a specific sign.

Standing

After receiving his hand, if the player decides his score is good enough and taking another card would risk going over 21, he may choose to “stand”, or stay with the first two cards without drawing a third one. He can indicate this choice by moving his hand above the cards, from the left to the right, palm down.

Hitting

The player could ask to be given another card by saying “hit me” or by scratching the table. He could continue drawing cards until he decides his score is good enough, or if he total of the hand goes over 21, in which case he will “bust” and lose his bet.

Doubling down

The player has the option of doubling his bet, in case he thinks he has a good chance to win. He must then place in the betting area another bet of the same amount as his first one. Doubling down is only possible when the first two cards are dealt and the player hasn’t announced any other play. If he doubles down, he receives just one additional card, which is dealt face-down and is revealed only after all other player finish with their bets.

Splitting

If the hand of the player is consisted of a matching pair of cards, he could “split the pair”. Each card then would form a new hand which is played separately from the other. The player must place a bet equal to his first bet to cover for the two hands. Both cards are then played as separate regular hands. If the player decides to split Aces, he can receive only one card to each hand. If he scores 21 with any of the split Aces by receiving a 10 point card, this won’t be considered a blackjack and his winning would be at 1-to-1, instead of the 3-to-2 payout with a regular blackjack. If the player receives a third Ace, he could split again.

Insurance

The player could make a side bet by betting half of the amount of his original bet on the dealer having a blackjack. If the dealer indeed has a blackjack, the player loses his original bet but wins the insurance bet which pays 2-to-1. If the dealer doesn’t have a blackjack, then the insurance bet is lost and the hand is played as a regular one.

Surrender

This option is not available in all casinos. The player could decide to surrender only if he announces it at the beginning of his turn (after his first 2 cards are dealt and he hasn’t announced anything else), and the other condition is for the dealer to have a 10-point card or an Ace as an up card. The player could retrieve half of his original bet, but only if the dealer doesn’t have a blackjack.

Dealer Rules

The rules for the dealer’s play are strictly fixed. In most casinos, the common rule is for the dealer to draw if he is on 16 or less and stand if he has 17 or more. If there is an Ace in the dealer’s hand, it would always be counted as 11, if possible without going over 21. Some casinos use the "Dealer hits soft 17”, which slightly increases the advantage of the house. According to this rule, if the dealer has a soft 17, he would hit and stand on a hard 17 or higher, or on a soft 18 or higher.