BlackJack Rules - The Rule for Blackjack
Blackjack is fairly straightforward once you grow
accustomed to playing it, but many players prefer to
read all of the rules before they sit down, and this is
likely a good idea. Blackjack rules are not set in
stone. In fact, they vary from game to game depending on
a small set of variables that the house chooses for the
game.
Generally stated, each blackjack player competes only
against the dealer (i.e. the bank/casino), not against
other players. Your goal as the player is to beat the
dealer by drawing cards until your hand comes close to
21, without exceeding it. If your first two cards total
21, you have what is known as a 'natural blackjack'. If
the dealer gets closer to 21 than you without going over
themselves, they win. The dealer follows a strict set of
blackjack rules written just for them, and knowing what
the dealer must do at the table is as important as
knowing what you yourself can do.
Learning blackjack rules online is a great
deal easier than trying to learn at a table in a
land-based casino. Besides the pressure you feel from the
players around you, and the dealers themselves, you are
expected to wager your money as you learn. This is
something everyone prefers to avoid. Playing online eases
this concern, as you may play unlimited amounts of
blackjack on a free play version before placing any real
bets. To try playing for free, download the online casino
software suite from online casino black jack sites such as
Golden Palace casino; it includes both free and real
versions of all our popular games.
Blackjack rules online are the same as in a land-based
casino, and as mentioned previously, can vary slightly
from establishment to establishment. To playing online is
very simple, since the software won't let you make any
real errors, playing is as simple as clicking your mouse.
Open our software to see how many bet denominations are
readily available. To place a bet for a specific
denomination click on the chip, the software will
automatically place this chip in the betting area for you.
To remove a bet, right click on the stack in the betting
area.
All standard forms of blackjack rules dictate that the
numerical values of the cards are: (10, J, Q, K) = 10,
(Ace) = 1 or 11, (other cards) = face value (3 = 3).
Blackjack rules for the dealer are very simple. If the
dealer's hand is 16 or less, they must take a card. If the
dealer's hand is 17 or more, they must stand. Note that
some casinos allow the dealer to hit on soft 17, which
gives the house a very small additional advantage. In the
GoldenPalace.com software the dealer must stand on all
seventeen's. The dealer's strategy is fixed and they do
not change their decisions in an attempt to beat the
players.
The player can do most anything they want as far as
hitting and standing goes. Should a player get a natural
blackjack (first 2 cards are an Ace and a ten) standard
blackjack rules payoff at 150% (or 3 to 2) the original
bet. For example, betting $10.00 determines the payoff to
be $15.00. Doubling down is restricted to 2-card hands,
totaling 9, 10, or 11. When the option to double down is
available, the software will ask you if you wish to --->
more blackjack rules
After you double down, if that was your choice, the dealer
will give you one more card only, and will move onto the
next hand. If you have a pair that you want to split, the
software will also prompt you to determine what you wish
to do. The original bet will go with one card and the
software will place an equal amount of chips in the
betting box near the other card. You are now playing two
hands, each as though they were regular hands adhering to
normal blackjack rules, with the exception being that if
you have just split two aces, you only get one more card.
If it is a ten, that hand's total is now 21 but the hand
isn't considered a natural blackjack. That is, you are
paid 1:1 and not 1.5:1 as for a natural.
The suit of the card doesn't matter in blackjack, only the
point value. With that in mind, paying attention to your
potential total on the next card is the main thinking part
of the game.
There is no way to win automatically in blackjack; the
closest you can get is being dealt a 21 with your first
two cards without the dealer doing the same. This of
course is simply called getting blackjack, or getting a
natural blackjack, or sometimes simply called a natural.
If both you and the dealer happen to get blackjack, it's a
push and you don't get paid, you just get your money back.
If you win on a natural blackjack you are paid a bonus
that, as stated earlier, is usually 3 to 2 on your bet.
Part of learning to play blackjack well, or as some call
it, becoming an advantage player, is learning when to bet
more and when to bet less. Blackjack is a game with a
variable house edge, and the amount of money you walk away
with isn't determined by unalterable numbers each time (as
would be the case in a game of roulette). This house edge
fluctuation is only useful if we know how to take
advantage of it, and there is one area where most people
fall short, that area is doubling down.
Doubling down is the player's ability to increase their
bet mid-hand if they feel they have a particularly good
opportunity to win. This is the major variable that lets
blackjack be played at a low house edge. The problem is
that people don't often take advantage of this fact!
Without taking advantage of when you should double down,
the house edge soars as high as many games you'll be
warned to never play. When people are presented with an
opportunity to double down it's natural for them to think
'That must mean I have a good chance of winning, and since
I'll win either way, I don't really need to double my bet,
I'll be happy with just winning, I don't need to risk
more'.
Of course this leads to people not doubling down even
though it may be advantageous to do so. Keep in mind
though that the house edge gained from a good strategy is
only attainable if you take advantage of those double down
situations. There is no better money-making opportunity
than the double down that Blackjack rules offer.
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