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You are here > In to Las Vegas > Las Vegas Gambling > Blackjack rules
Blackjack
Starting at the Beginning
Its easy-peasy…a game even a beginner would pick up in minutes. Walking up to the blackjack table, beginners will firstly need to see what the minimum bets are per hand, so they can actually afford to play! After getting seated the dealer will exchange the players’ cash for an equivalent amount of casino chips. The first bet is now ready to be made.
Object of the Game
Blackjack’s objective is to beat the dealer's hand by either
· Having a total that exceeds the dealer's total.
· Not going over 21 when the dealer does. Exceeding a total of 21 is known as 'busting". The casino's edge comes from the fact that players must go first and when they bust their hand they automatically lose even if the dealer subsequently busts.
What Are the Cards Worth?
All cards add up to their face value, with picture cards counting as 10 and the ace counting as either a 1 or 11. Card suits have no meaning in blackjack. The total of any hand is the sum of the card values in the hand. A hand containing a 4, 5 and 8 totals 17 and a hand containing a queen and 5 totals 15. It’s always been thought that the ace counts as 11 unless a player’s total exceeds 21, then the ace reverts to a value of 1. For example, Ace and 5 equals 16 but if a player draws 9 the total is then 15. Hands that contain an ace, which counts as 11, are known as soft hands and a hard hand is any that either does not contain an ace of if it does it counts as 1.
Making A Bet and Dealing the Cards
Players make a bet, before the cards are dealt, by putting chips in their appropriate betting boxes. Every player and the dealer will receive two cards. One of the dealer's cards (known as the dealer's upcard or face card) is dealt up so that players can see the value. The other dealer's card (known as the dealer's downcard or hole card) is face down. The two player cards can be either dealt face up, face down, or sometimes one up and one down. Usually, games that are dealt from dealing shoes (normally containing 4, 6 or 8 decks of cards), the player's cards are dealt face up. In this case player’s should not handle the cards. In games in which the dealer deals from the hand by pitching the cards to the players (single or double deck games) the player cards are usually dealt both face down (or sometimes one up and one down). In these games it’s all right for the player to handle the cards (with one hand only and the cards must always be above the table).
After the player has looked at their own two cards and has seen the value of one of the dealer's two cards, the player must make a decision:
· Hit - This means the player wants the dealer to give the player another card to their hand. In shoe games, the player indicates to the dealer that they want a hit by making a beckoning motion with their finger or tapping the table behind their cards with their finger.
· Standing - This means the player is satisfied with the total of the hand and wants to stand with the cards they have. In shoe games, the player indicates that they want to stand by waving their hands over their cards.
· Pair Splitting - If a player has two like cards (e.g. a pair of 6's or aces), they can split the cards. When splitting a player must make another bet equal to their original bet by placing their chip next to their original chip bet on the hand. By pair splitting the player plays each card as a separate hand and can draw as many cards as they like to each hand (except split aces, most casinos will only allow one draw card to each ace). For example if a player were dealt a pair of 8's (16) and split, they would have two separate hands containing an 8. The player would be required to play out one of the split hands first before the other. In shoe games the player indicates that they want to split by placing another chip next to the original chip. Most casinos will also allow players to split all 10 value cards such as a jack and ten or queen and king.
· Doubling down - This playing option allows a player to double their bet in return for receiving one draw card. In most casinos a player can only double down after they’ve received their first two cards and before drawing another card. To signal the dealer double down is taking place, the player just puts their chip next to their original chip bet on the hand (shoe games).
· Surrender - This playing option is sometimes permitted. It allows a player to forfeit the hand with an automatic loss of half the original bet. Player's can surrender their initial two-card hand only after the dealer has checked their cards for a blackjack. Once a player draws a card the surrender option is no longer available. If the dealer has a blackjack hand, then surrender is not available. When a player surrenders (to do so tell the dealer "surrender") the dealer will remove the player's card from the table and place one half of the players bet in the chip rack. The player is no longer involved in that round.
The above rule is known as late surrender. In some casinos players can surrender before the dealer checks their cards for a blackjack. This form of surrender is much more player favourable than late surrender, but it is rarely offered.
· Insurance - When the dealer's upcard is an ace, the dealer will ask players if they want to make the insurance wager. It is a side bet in which players are betting that the dealer's hole card will be a ten-value card. Players can make an insurance bet equal to one half of the initial bet made on the hand. To make the insurance bet a player simply places their chips on the insurance line, which is located right above the player betting box. A player wins their insurance bet if the dealer has a ten-value card in the hole. A winning insurance bet pays off at 2 to 1 odds.
· Even Money - When the player has a blackjack hand and the dealer has an ace showing the dealer will ask the player if they want "even money". Even money means the dealer will automatically give the player a 1 to 1 (or even money) payoff on their bet before the dealer checks their downcard for a potential blackjack. Taking even money yields the same result as making an insurance bet on a blackjack hand.
Dealers Playing Options
The dealer in blackjack has no playing option. Casino rules specify that a dealer must draw when the dealer's hand totals less than 17 and stand when the total is 17 to 21. In some casinos, dealer's must stand on soft 17 and in others they must hit (it's better for the player if the rules specify the dealer must stand on soft 17).
Win or Lose
If the player's hand exceeds a total of 21 the player automatically loses. If the player's hand exceeds the total of the dealer's hand, the player wins the hand and is paid at 1 to 1 odds. If the player and dealer have the same total, the hand is a tie or push and the player retains his bet.
What's the difference between Blackjack and Pontoon?
There are several big differences between the two games, though the most important one is that in the game of Pontoon, the dealer gets to decide whether they will hit or sit, whereas in Blackjack the dealer must sit if they're on seventeen or above and must hit if they're on sixteen or below. In contrast, a Pontoon dealer can have a look at their opponent's cards and then know whether to take another card!
Other differences involve paying the bet twice if the player gets five cards and are under or equal to twenty-one and allowing the player to throw back their cards and get two fresh ones, if they're on fourteen. Various other rules differ from place to place.
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