How To Play Blackjack

A common belief amongst new Blackjack players is that they have to get as close to 21 as possible. They’re wrong, the aim of Blackjack is to beat the dealer, it certainly helps to be as close to 21 as possible but players should not base their entire strategy around this. For the most part, the cards you get in a deck are self-explanatory, our players have the numbers 2-10, an ace and three face cards (jack, queen, and king). The three face cards all equal 10 and the ace card can be used as either a 1 or 11. A player does not have to choose straight away what the value is, it will vary depending on the players total. If, for example, players are dealt an 8 and an Ace, they have a hard 19. However, if players have a ten and a nine, this would be a soft hand. This will be important later when strategies come into play.

Setting an appropriate bankroll in Blackjack is arguably more important than knowing how to play the game. If you look into the careers of Bryce Carlson, Russ Hamilton or Edward O. Thorp, every single one of them takes the patient approach and sets a bankroll that will last the length that they wish to play. Patience is key to all Live Casino Games but especially in Blackjack. Pick your ideal bankroll based on three criteria: expectations, time available and reality.

Once everyone at the table has set their bets, the dealer will typically deal cards from a dealing shoe which can contain between 200-1000 cards apiece. Each player will receive 2 cards, meanwhile, the dealer will place one of his cards down facing the table and another (known as the dealer’s ‘up-card’), facing up for all players to see. This is a vital card for the strategy behind the game as all players should play with the dealer's hand in mind, not just their own.

Once you find yourself in a situation with two cards, up against the dealer, two things should go through your mind. How does the dealer’s hand look, and how does my hand look? These are just as important as each other as dealers must always have a hand of 17 or higher. ‘Hit’ and ‘stand’ are the common-sense options here. Hitting gives you another card and standing means that the player is content with their total. Simple, right? Good start but choosing to ‘split’ might be a different challenge. If players have two cards of the same number or letter, they have the option to split. To do this, players must double down on their stake and another one card will be placed next to each split card to provide their final values. A warning here is that players can only draw one card for each, so while it is worth splitting when you have two 10s, it definitely is not worth splitting if you have two 2’s.

Blackjack Game Rules

When playing Blackjack live casino game the rules are the same as the traditional Blackjack card game.

• The player has to “buy” (hit) cards from the dealer after the first two cards are dealt, trying to get as close to 21 points as possible without passing that number.

• The player has to have more points than the dealer after the dealer’s hand is played.

• If the player buys more than 21 points the hand is “bust” and the player loses. If the dealer buys more than 21 points their hand is bust too (and the dealer loses).

• Split: if the player’s first two cards that are dealt are equal in numbers or in images (for example two 9’s or two Kings) the hand can be “split”. Subsequently, the player will get an additional card on each split card and thus play with 2 hands (with on each hand betting the same amount that was initially bet). The dealer cannot split.

• Stand: the player can decide to “stand” which means no more cards will be dealt while the total amount of points of the player’s hand is below or the same as 21 points. The player then has to wait for the dealers to play their hand.

• Push: a “push” means the value of the hand of the player is the same as the value of the hand of the dealer. In that case, the player neither wins or loses and holds the bet placed.

• Insurance: if the dealer hits an Ace as a first card the players have the option to “insurance”, (that is, double) their initial bet. In case the dealers subsequently hit Black Jack when playing their hands the player’s bet is paid out according to the pay table;

• BlackJack: “Black Jack” is 21 points formed by an Ace (11 points) and a 10 points card (see Live BlackJack card values). If a player gets Black Jack dealt with the two first cards received they immediately win according to the pay table. If the dealers get Black Jack they win over all players that have chosen to stand.

• The dealer must stand on 17, including on a “soft” 17 (17 points with an ace in it), and draw on 16;

• The player can double bets on (the first dealt) two-card hand, including split hands. If a player does so, automatically a card is dealt when it’s the player’s turn

• Split hands cannot be split again (no re-splitting).