The blackjack game is a very popular online casino choice for players, and is one of the most played, thanks to its glamorous reputation as a result of its representation in many popular films and television shows. It is a so-called banking game, in the sense that players do not compete against each other, but against a single player, the dealer, or banker.
The aim of the game is for the player to achieve a hand of cards with a point total of 21 or as near to it as possible, and higher than that of the banker, without exceeding 21. Britain’s card players also have access to a card game called black jack, but this is a totally different game, essentially a variant of crazy eights.
The Rules for Playing Blackjack
Although there are standard rules that the majority of games adhere to, there are many variations, and the rules can change depending on which casino the players is accessing the game from, so it is always advised that the player double-checks these before beginning a game.
The blackjack game is played with a deck of 52 cards, without the jokers. Casinos usually make use of several decks mixed together, called a shoe, in order to hasten the speed of the game, since with more cards reshuffling after each hand is not required, and to throw card-counters off. Card counting is a technique that is used in order to gain a lead over the casinos, by keeping note of the amounts of various card values that are still in play.
The number of card decks used will differ from casino to casino, but the shoe usually contains between two and eight decks of cards. How often these are reshuffled also varies from casino to casino, and will also depend on how many decks of cards are in use, but shuffling is also a technique used by casinos in order to throw card counters off.
Betting and Winning with Blackjack
There is always a minimum and maximum bet for the blackjack game table, with the maximum usually being between ten and 20 times the minimum. Thus a table with a $5, or currency equivalent, minimum bet will have a maximum of $50 to $100. Players will be able to decide on how much they would like to wager before each deal.
There are four possible events that the player can look forward to when playing the blackjack game:
- A loss, whereby the player’s wager will be taken by the dealer.
- A win, wherein the player will win as much as he or she initially bet. If a $10, or currency equivalent, bet is made, then the player will receive his or her bet back and another $10 from the banker.
- A so-called blackjack or natural hand, whereby the player manages to reach a points total of 21 with the first two cards handed to him or her. In this case the player will win a total of $15 as well as receiving the initial $10 bet back.
- A push, which is what a draw is called when playing casino games. The hands of both the dealer and the player have an equal number of points, and the player will neither win nor lose any money, keeping his or her bet.
