Blackjack

Commonly known as Blackjack, in this article, we will bring to you a popular global banking table game known as ‘Twenty-One’. The blackjack game is a comparing card game between one or more players and a dealer, where each player in shot competes against the dealer. Players don’t compete against each other. It’s played with one or more decks of 52 cards and is the most extensively played casino banking game in the world. Playing blackjack is all about some basic rules. But keep in mind that are plenty of types of blackjack, hence there are over 100 rule variations. Ever since the 1960s, blackjack has been a high-profile target of lead players, predominantly card counters, who track the profile of cards that have been dealt and adjust their wagers and playing strategies consequently. In response, casinos have presented counter-measures that can increase the difficulty of advantage play. Here, at online casino Betzest, we will simply the things for you, offering you a wide variety of online blackjack games.

If you are looking to become a blackjack pro, consider the rules as simple, care about the thrilling of the play, and bear in mind that there is an opportunity for a high blackjack strategy. In fact, for the expert player who mathematically plays a perfect game and can count cards, the odds are sometimes in that player's favor to win.

How to play blackjack

Let’s dive into the general strategy of blackjack and take an overlook of the basic rules. Players are each dealt two cards, face up or down depending on the casino and the table. For example, in the U.S., the dealer is similarly dealt with two cards, normally one exposed and one hidden. The value of cards two through ten is their pip value: 2 through 10. Face cards: Jack, Queen, and King are all worth ten. Aces can be worth one or eleven. A hand's value is the sum of the card values. Players are allowed to draw additional cards to improve their hands. A hand with an ace valued as 11 is called "soft", entailing that the hand will not bust by taking an additional card. The value of the ace will become one to prevent the hand from exceeding 21. If not, the hand is called "hard".

Once all the players have completed their hands, it is the dealer's shot. The dealer hand will not be completed if all players have either busted or received blackjacks. The dealer then exposes the hidden card and must hit until the cards total up to 17 points. At 17 points or higher, the dealer must stay. Now, you are betting that you have a better hand than the dealer. The better hand means that the sum of the card values is closer to 21 without exceeding 21. Below is the detailed outcome of the hand:

• If the player is dealt an Ace and a ten-value card ‘blackjack’ or ‘natural’, and the dealer does not, the player wins.
• If the player exceeds a sum of 21 ‘busts’; the player loses, even if the dealer exceeds 21, too.
• If the dealer exceeds 21 ‘busts’ and the player does not; the player wins.
• If the player attains a final sum higher than the dealer and does not bust; the player wins.
• If both dealer and player receive a blackjack or any other hands with the same sum, called a "push", and no one wins.

The Pack

The standard 52-card pack is used, but in most casinos, several decks of cards are shuffled together. The six-deck game is the most popular. The dealer uses a blank plastic card, which is never dealt but is placed toward the bottom of the pack to indicate when it will be time for the cards to be reshuffled. When four or more decks are used, they are dealt from a shoe, a box that allows the dealer to remove cards one at a time, face down, without actually holding one or more packs.

The object of blackjack

Every partaker tries to beat the dealer by getting a count as close to 21 as possible, without going over 21.

Card Values/Scoring

It is up to each individual player if an ace is worth 1 or 11. Face cards are 10 and any other card is its pip value.

Betting

Before the deal begins, each player places a bet, in chips, in front of them in the designated area. Minimum and maximum limits are established on the betting.

The Shuffle and Cut

The dealer thoroughly shuffles portions of the pack until all the cards have been mixed and combined. The dealer designates one of the players to cut, and the plastic insert card is placed so that the last 60 to 75 cards or so will not be used.

The Deal

When all the players have placed their bets, the dealer proceeds with the first round. Another round of cards is then dealt face up to each player, but the dealer takes the second card face down. Thus, each player except the dealer receives two cards face-up, and the dealer receives one card face up and one card face down.

Naturals

If a player's first two blackjack cards are an ace and a "ten-card", giving a count of 21 in two cards, this is a natural or "blackjack." If any player has a natural and the dealer does not, the dealer immediately pays that player one and a half times the amount of their bet. If the dealer has a natural, they immediately collect the bets of all players who do not have naturals, (but no additional amount). If the dealer and another player both have naturals, the bet of that player is a stand-off, a tie, and the player take back his chips.

If the dealer's face-up blackjack card is a ten-card or an ace, they look at their face-down card to see if the two cards make a natural. If the face-up card is not a ten-card or an ace, they do not look at the face-down card until it is the dealer's turn to play.

The Play of a blackjack game

Now let’s illustrate the ongoing of the online casino blackjack game. First goes the player to the left and he must decide whether to ‘stand’ by not asking for another card or ‘hit’ by asking for another card in an attempt to get closer to a count of 21, or even hit 21 exactly. Thus, a player may stand on the two cards originally dealt with them, or they may ask the dealer for additional cards, one at a time, until deciding to stand on the total. In the latter case, the player loses and the dealer collects the bet wagered. The dealer then turns to the next player to their left and serves them in the same manner.

An example: with a ‘soft 17’, an ace and a 6, the total is 7 or 17. While a count of 17 is a good hand, the player may wish to draw for a higher total. If the draw creates a bust hand by counting the ace as an 11, the player simply counts the ace as a 1 and continues playing by standing or ‘hitting’ by asking the dealer for additional cards, one at a time.

The Dealer's Play

When the dealer has served every player, the dealer’s face-down card is turned up. If the total is 17 or more, it must stand. If the total is 16 or under, they must take a card. If the dealer has an ace and counting it as 11 would bring the total to 17 or more but not over 21, the dealer must count the ace as 11 and stand. The dealer's decisions, then, are automatic on all plays, whereas the player always has the option of taking one or more cards.

Signaling Intentions

When a player's turn comes, they can say ‘Hit’ or can signal for a card by scratching the table with a finger or two in a motion toward themselves. When the player decides to stand, they can say ‘Stand’ or ‘No more’.

Splitting Pairs in Blackjack

If a player's first two blackjack cards are of the same denomination, such as two jacks or two sixes, they may choose to treat them as two separate hands when their turn comes around. The amount of the original bet then goes on one of the cards, and an equal amount must be placed as a bet on the other card. The player first plays the hand to their left by standing or hitting one or more times; only then is the hand to the right played. The two hands are thus treated separately, and the dealer settles with each on its own merits. With a pair of aces, the player is given one card for each ace and may not draw again. Also, if a ten-card is dealt with one of these aces, the payoff is equal to the bet.

Doubling Down

Another option open to the player is doubling their bet when the original two cards dealt total 9, 10, or 11. When the player's turn comes, they place a bet equal to the original bet, and the dealer gives the player just one card, which is placed face down and is not turned up until the bets are settled at the end of the hand. With two fives, the player may split a pair, double down, or just play the hand in a regular way.

Insurance

When the dealer's face-up card is an ace, any of the players may make a side bet of up to half the original bet that the dealer's face-down card is a ten-card, and thus a blackjack win for the house. Once all such side bets are placed, the dealer looks at the hole card. If it is a ten-card, it is turned up, and those players who have made the insurance bet win and are paid double the amount of their half-bet - a 2 to 1 payoff. When a blackjack win occurs for the dealer, of course, the hand is over, and the players' main bets are collected - unless a player also has blackjack, in which case it is a stand-off. Insurance is invariably not a good proposition for the player unless they are quite sure that there is an unusually high number of ten-cards still left undealt.

Settlement

A bet once paid and collected is never returned. Thus, one key advantage to the dealer is that the player goes first. If the player goes bust, they have already lost their wager, even if the dealer goes bust as well. If the dealer goes over 21, the dealer pays each player who has stood the amount of that player's bet. If the dealer stands at 21 or less, the dealer pays the bet of any player having a higher total, and collects the bet of any player having a lower total. If there is a stand-off, no chips are paid out or collected.

Reshuffling

When each player's bet is settled, the dealer gathers in that player's cards and places them face up at the side against a clear plastic L-shaped shield. The dealer continues to deal from the shoe until coming to the plastic insert card, which indicates that it is time to reshuffle. Once that round of play is over, the dealer shuffles all the cards, prepares them for the cut, places the cards in the shoe, and the game continues.

What we illustrated above are general blackjack rules that you can find easily everywhere. But here at Betzest, you can access at any time online blackjack. Plenty of bonuses will be accorded to you and the friendliest staff will be there to assist you.