Black Jack Game Overview

Black Jack Information

Blackjack is a game of chance and skill, and if you pay attention to how you play and use the proper strategy you can actually give yourself a great advantage against the house.

One thing to keep in mind when playing blackjack is that the house advantage changes for every player. A player who has never played a round of blackjack a day in his life and sits at the table can expect to see a house edge of about -2 to -3 percent. But using the right strategy a player can turn this advantage around in no time.

Now it is important to note that among one of the reasons why blackjack is known as one of the easiest games to win at is because blackjack is one of the easiest games in which you can count cards. One of the most famous stories is of a team of computer engineers from MIT who developed a card counting computer and made millions playing the Los Vegas casinos before eventually getting caught. But it is important to note that since then the casinos have wizened up quite aSS bit. Today it is virtually impossible to card count in blackjack due to the number of decks that a casino blackjack game uses at any given time. Nowadays Blackjack is played with anywhere from 5 to 10 decks of cards making any kind of card counting virtually impossible. But this is not to say that you can't still use tactics to win at the game. In fact there is a much easier way to win at blackjack other than counting the cards-using strategy.

Black Jack Rules

Blackjack originates from France and is one the most popular casino games in the world. The main objective is to get as close to 21 without going over while still beating the dealer's hand. This is done by counting up the value of the cards in your hand. There is a 6 deck shoe in our Blackjack game. All cards numbered 2 through 10 are at face value. All face cards are valued at 10 while an ace is valued at either 1 or 11 at the player's discretion. Hands containing an ace valued at 11 are considered to be "soft" hands (i.e. A, 6 is a soft 17), while hands containing an ace valued at 1 are considered "hard" hands (i.e. A, 6, Q is a hard 17). A Blackjack hand is an ace and card valued at 10 (10, J, Q, K). A two-card Blackjack always beats three or more cards, which equal 21.Before receiving any cards the player must place a wager. Once the wager is made the player is dealt 2 cards face up. The dealer is also dealt two cards, one face up and the other face down. The dealer's "hole" card remains face down until the players have completed their hands. At this point the dealer turns over his hole card. If his hand totals a hard 17 through 21 he must stand. If his hand is 16 or under, the dealer must continue to take cards until either his hand is over 16 or "bust" (which means over 21). The dealer must hit on a soft 16.

Blackjack players have several betting and playing options:

Hit
This deals the player another card. If your 2 cards total 10 or less, you have nothing to lose by requesting another card since your total could not exceed 21.

Stand
This means that the player is satisfied with his hand and does not want to risk another card.

Double Down
A player, after being dealt his first two cards, is always given the option to double the initial wager. Once you have chosen to do this, click the "DOUBLE" button and you will be dealt a third card and no more. Your hand will only consist of 3 cards.

Splitting
If you are dealt two cards with identical value you can then split them (i.e. 8,8 or 10,Q). You would now be playing 2 separate hands, each starting with one of the two split cards. You will now be dealt a second card to one of the hands. After this hand is played out, the second hand will be dealt a second card and continued until that hand is played out. All regular rules apply to each hand with the ability to double down. You may only split your hand once and a new wager equal to the initial wager will be placed for each split hand. A split hand Blackjack pays out at 1:1 rather the normal 3:2.

Insurance
If the dealer's first card is an Ace, there is a possibility that he may have a Blackjack. The player can, if he believes the dealer's hidden card is a 10, insure himself against Blackjack. If you choose to insure yourself you have to pay an amount of half of your stake. If the dealer gets Blackjack, the insurance will pay 2:1 which corresponds to your original stake. If you have insured yourself and the dealer does not get Blackjack then you lose your insurance. Your ordinary stake is settled by whatever the dealer gets. Therefore, insurance is to be considered a game of its own within Blackjack, and it gives the player a chance to protect himself, when he thinks that the dealer will get Blackjack.

Payoffs
Players win their wager if their total hand is higher than the dealer's without going over 21. If the player busts, then the dealer wins the hand before turning over a card. All hands that total less than the dealer's hand lose. Hands that are equal in value will be considered a tie, or a "push", and the player's original wager will leave the table. If the player gets a Blackjack the payout will be at 3:2 rather than 1:1.