Casinos and that kick of adrenalin rush are two things that completely go hand in hand. But the only hitch is that, if you aren’t well adept at the game, forget the rush, all you will end up with is a big burnt hole in your pocket. So, the key is to know your game, buck up your confidence and go with the flow. Coming to knowing your game well, blackjack is one such game which involves few essential rules, without which you will be left clueless at the table.
Blackjack Basics:
The key figure that blackjack revolves around is 21. Your basic aim is to play a hand such that it sums up to more than the dealer, without actually exceeding the value 21. The rules can vary slightly depending on where you are playing, so it is advised to keep a track of where you are playing to ace in it.
Now that you know that the game revolves around 21 points, let us focus on how to actually play this game. A regular pack of fifty two playing card are used for this. Usually to prevent any discrepancies in the game, such as counting cards and so on, the dealers mix different decks, often termed as shoe. At a time simultaneous 8 players can match up against each other, where in the dealer coordinated the game.
The game starts with 2 cars each for the dealer and you. Your cards will be faced up and the other way round for the dealer.
Understand the denominations and card values:
The game is played with 4 differently colored chips, which has different denominations associated to it. The highest denominations chips are the black ones which are worth 100 USDs followed by the green ones worth 25 USDs. The red and the white ones comes next being 5 USDs and a dollar each.
Now, that you know the chip values let’s get into card values.
King: Ten points
Queen: Ten points
Joker: Ten points
Ace: Eleven or one points, the value you can choose
Number Cards: These cards are valued on the associated number, i.e. a 4 is a 4, a 5 is a 5 etc.
Placing Your Bets:
You have to place you bets on the table, in the circle/box assigned to you. Though there are betting maximum and minimum limits, nevertheless the betting amount pretty much depends on you. When the minimum bet is decided on, the maximum amount can be raised to maximum 20 times that. Once each player has decided on the bets, the dealer starts dealing.
Understanding your hands:
There are 4 terms associated to hands, namely:
- Win: Here you pretty much win the amount you had staked along with the money actually betted.
- Lose: You lose to the dealer and the amount you bet is taken back.
- Push: This is not winning not losing situation. This happens if you as well as the dealer both have a blackjack.
- Blackjack: This is the most lucrative hand where you take back one and a half times the bet placed. If you hold a king or queen along with as Ace is called a natural 21 or blackjack and you bag the game instantly if not the dealer has a similar set.
With these essential points in your mind, go ahead and try your first hand in a game of blackjack.
