Blackjack, also known as twenty-one, is a comparing card
game between usually several players and a dealer, where each player in turn competes
against the dealer, but players do not play against each other. It is played
with one or more decks of 52 cards, and is the most widely played Casino BankingGame in the world. The objective of the game is to beat the dealer in one of
the following ways:
- Get 21 points on the player's first two cards (Called a “Blackjack” or “Natural”without a dealer blackjack;
- Reach a final score higher than the dealer without exceeding 21.
- Let the dealer draw additional cards until their hand exceeds 21.
Players are each dealt two cards, face up or down depending on the casino
and the table at which you sit. In the U.S., the dealer is also dealt two
cards, normally one up (exposed) and one down (hidden). In most other
countries, the dealer receives one card face up. The value of cards two through
ten is their pip value (2 through 10). Face cards (Jack, Queen, and King) are
all worth ten. Aces can be worth one or eleven. A hand's value is the sum of
the card values. Players are allowed to draw additional cards to improve their
hands. A hand with an ace valued as 11 is called "soft", meaning that
the hand will not bust by taking an additional card; the value of the ace will
become one to prevent the hand from exceeding 21. Otherwise, the hand is
"hard".
Once all the players have completed their hands, it is the dealer’s turn.
The dealer hand will not be completed if all players have either busted or
received Blackjacks. The dealer then reveals the hidden card and must hit until
the cards total 17 or more points. (At most tables the dealer also hits on a
"soft" 17, i.e. a hand containing an ace and one or more other cards
totaling six.) Players win by not busting and having a total higher than the
dealer, or not busting and having the dealer bust, or getting a blackjack
without the dealer getting a blackjack. If the player and dealer have the same
total (not counting blackjacks), this is called a "push", and the
player typically does not win or lose money on that hand. Otherwise, the dealer
wins.
Blackjack has many rule variations. Since the 1960s, blackjack has been a
high-profile target of advantage players, particularly card counters who track
the profile of cards that have been dealt and adapt their wagers and playing
strategies accordingly.
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| BlackJack |
RULES OF BLACKJACK
At a casino blackjack table, the dealer faces five to seven playing
positions from behind a semicircular table. Between one and eight standard
52-card decks are shuffled together. At the beginning of each round, up to
three players can place their bets in the "betting box" at each
position in play. That is, there could be up to three players at each position
at a table in jurisdictions that allow back betting. The player whose bet is at
the front of the betting box is deemed to have control over the position, and
the dealer will consult the controlling player for playing decisions regarding
the hand; the other players of that box are said to "play behind".
Any player is usually allowed to control or bet in as many boxes as desired at
a single table, but it is prohibited for an individual to play on more than one
table at a time or to place multiple bets within a single box. In many U.S.
casinos, however, players are limited to playing two or three positions at atable and often only one person is allowed to bet on each position.
The dealer deals cards from his/her left (the position on the dealer's far
left is often referred to as "first base") to his/her far right
("third base"). Each box is dealt an initial hand of two cards
visible to the people playing on it, and often to any other players. The
dealer's hand receives its first card face up, and in "hole card"
games immediately receives its second card face down (the hole card), which the
dealer peeks at but does not reveal unless it makes the dealer's hand a
blackjack. Hole card games are sometimes played on tables with a small mirror
or electronic sensor that is used to peek securely at the hole card. In
European casinos, "no hole card" games are prevalent; the dealer's
second card is neither drawn nor consulted until the players have all played
their hands.
Cards are dealt either from one or two handheld decks, from a dealer's
shoe, or from a shuffling machine. Single cards are dealt to each wagered-on
position clockwise from the dealer's left, followed by a single card to the
dealer, followed by an additional card to each of the positions in play. The
players' initial cards may be dealt face up or face down (more common in
single-deck games). .
The players' object is to win money by creating card totals that turn out to be higher than the dealer's hand but do not exceed 21 ("busting"/"breaking"), or alternatively by allowing the dealer to take additional cards until he/she busts. On their turn, players must choose whether to "hit" (take a card), "stand" (end their turn), "double" (double wager, take a single card and finish), "split" (if the two cards have the same value, separate them to make two hands) or "surrender" (give up a half-bet and retire from the game). Number cards count as their natural value; the jack, queen, and king (also known as "face cards" or "pictures") count as 10; aces are valued as either 1 or 11 according to the player's choice. If the hand value exceeds 21 points, it busts, and all bets on it are immediately forfeit. After all boxes have finished playing, the dealer's hand is resolved by drawing cards until the hand busts or achieves a value of 17 or higher (a dealer total of 17 including an ace, or "soft 17", must be drawn to in some games and must stand in others). The dealer never doubles, splits, or surrenders. If the dealer busts, all remaining player hands win. If the dealer does not bust, each remaining bet wins if its hand is higher than the dealer's, and loses if it is lower. If a player receives 21 on the 1st and 2nd card it is considered a "natural" or "blackjack" and the player is paid out immediately unless dealer also has a natural, in which case the hand ties. In the case of a tied score, known as "push" or "standoff", bets are normally returned without adjustment; however, a blackjack beats any hand that is not a blackjack, even one with a value of 21. Wins are paid out at 1:1, or equal to the wager, except for player blackjacks which are traditionally paid at 3:2 (meaning the player receives three dollars for every two bet) or one-and-a-half times the wager. Many casinos today pay blackjacks at less than 3:2 at some tables; for instance, single-deck blackjack tables often pay 6:5 for a blackjack instead of 3:2.
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