How to play Blackjack
How to play Blackjack
The Blackjack rules are internationally almost uniform. The following rules apply in most German casinos, in Austria and in the casino of Monte Carlo.
In the past, Blackjack in America was simply called “21”, because that is the number around which the whole game revolves. The goal is to get as close as possible to the number 21 with your cards. The players play against the croupier and not against the other players at the table, which is often thought by inexperienced players.
card game | photo: pixabay.com
The total value of your cards must be higher than the dealer’s, but must not exceed 21. All cards have their numerical value, except for the face cards. King, Queen and Jack are counted as 10 and an Ace can be seen as one point or eleven points. This is decided by the player depending on the situation and their needs.
When the game starts, each player places his bet and gets 2 cards face up. The dealer also gets 2 cards, but only one is revealed. Now is the only situation in which the actual Blackjack can occur. A Blackjack is the combination of an Ace and a card of value 10, which together have the value 21. In this situation you get 1.5 times the amount of the bet, also called 3:2 win. This can only be prevented if the croupier also has a Blackjack.
If you do not have Blackjack, you have another 5 turns to play:
- StandYou don’t want another card and you bet on the fact that you are either higher than the dealer or that the dealer even sells himself, i.e. comes over 21. This is called a bust by both the player and the dealer.
- HitYou ask for another card to have a chance to get a higher score. If you win the game in this way, the win is exactly the amount of the bet, so it is a 1:1 win.
The next 3 actions can be performed only after receiving the first two cards.
- Double DownIn German called Doppeln. The original bet is doubled, but only one more card can be asked for.
- Splits: If you have a pair with the first two cards, you can split it into two hands, double your bet and thus play these two cards like single games. After splitting, one can additionally double up.
- InsuranceAlso called insurance, because you “insure” yourself against a Blackjack by the dealer. This works only if its first card is an ace. Here the player puts half of his bet on the insurance line. If the dealer has a Blackjack, the player wins this amount 2:1. This is the only move you can make if you have a Blackjack yourself.
Only when all players are finished, the bank starts to draw. Up to then also no profit was distributed. At the bank, however, the course is regulated, nothing is left to the discretion of the dealer (another misconception of beginners). Because, if the dealer is at 16 or below, he must draw another card. If it is over 16, it must remain. An ace is counted as 11, unless he gets over 21, then it is counted as 1.
If one is above the croupier, one wins 1:1. If you are the same (push), you only get your stake back, so you have neither won nor lost anything. This also applies to two-sided blackjack. If the player is lower than the bank, he loses the bet. If there is a bust, you always lose, even if the dealer himself has a bust. The stake doubles with every round won.
