Playing the Game of Blackjack
Each player in turn, starting from the dealer's left, gets to finish out
his hand. If a player decides to stand, then play passes to the next
player. If a player decides to take a hit, the dealer gives him or her
an additional card until he or she decides to stand or busts (goes over
twenty-one). If that happens, the dealer removes his or her wager and
cards. If you're playing single- or double-deck blackjack, you must turn
over your cards immediately if you bust. After a player busts, the
dealer removes the used cards and places them in a discard rack face
down.
Once all the players get their chance to play their hands, the dealer
gets his turn. By always making the players play out their hands first,
the casino gains its advantage over the players. Even if the dealer
busts his hand, any player who busted still loses because he or she
busted first.
The dealer flips over his face-down card and determines whether to hit
his hand or to stand. The dealer doesn't have a choice: he must follow
strict rules. The dealer must take a card if he has less than seventeen
and must stand if he has seventeen or higher. Some casinos require the
dealer to hit his hand if he has a soft seventeen (one of his cards is
an ace). It's better for the players if the casino requires the dealer
to stand on all seventeens. If a dealer is required to hit a soft
seventeen, then there's a chance he can improve his hand (get closer to
twenty-one) but no risk of busting, because the ace would then be worth
only one.
After the dealer finishes out his hand, he makes a sweep of the players'
hands from his right to left. He evaluates each player's hand against
his, then takes the bet if the player has a lower count, pays off the
player if he or she has a higher count, or gives a push sign (indicating
a tie or standoff), meaning that neither wins the bet. The usual push
sign is for the dealer to pat the table in front of the player's wager.
Then, after taking care of all the bets, the dealer ends the hand by
removing all the used cards and placing them in a discard rack face
down.
Payouts in blackjack are simple. If you win, you get paid even money or
the amount you bet plus your bet remains. The only exception to this
rule is when you win with blackjack. You get paid three to two if you
win with blackjack or your bet plus half your bet. For example, if you
win with eighteen and you have $25 bet, then you win $25 and your
original $25 chip remains in the betting circle. If you win with a
natural or blackjack and you have a $25 bet, then you win $37.50 and
your $25 chip remains in the betting circle.
If you win after doubling down, then you win the total amount of money
you wagered. For example, if you initially bet $25 and then doubled down
(adding $25), then after you received one additional card you won with a
total of twenty, you'd receive $50 plus your two $25 chips would still
remain on the table. If you doubled down with only $10 on your initial
$25 bet, you'd win $35 and your $35 bet would stay down.
That's all there is to learn about the rules of blackjack. However, it's
applying the basic blackjack strategy that seems to confuse players and
keeps them from minimizing the house advantage. To become a good
blackjack player, you must be able to use proper basic blackjack
strategy. You may get lucky and win without using the basic blackjack
strategy, but over time the player who uses a good strategy will win
more than the player who doesn't.
Next... Blackjack Terms
