Black Jack is all about getting closer to 21 than the dealer, regardless if you play black jack online or in a land based casino.
If you score 21 with an ace and a 10 point card you’ve got Black Jack, and that means you’ll get paid 3 to 2! If you are less lucky and make a higher score than 21, the dealer will take your money no matter what score he gets. This is where the house advantage lies. If the player and the dealer tie, it’s a push and you get your bet back. In many offline casinos the dealer wins even with a tie.
Black Jack is the most popular of all casino games and is played with one to eight decks of cards. Cards of rank 2 through 10 are scored according to their face value. Aces can be worth either 1 or 11 points, that’s up to you. All kings, queens and jacks are worth 10 points each.
A blackjack game starts with each player placing a bet in the circle directly in front of him. Then the dealer will give each player two cards before giving him self one card face up and one card face down. If the face up card is a ten or an ace as the dealer may have Black Jack, in which case all player hands will lose except those with another Black Jack. In the U.S. the dealer will check for Black Jack immediately, if one is possible, and then collect all losing bets right away if he does have it.
If the dealer has an ace as the up card he will also allow the players to insure their hands against a Black Jack. An insurance bet like this is much like any other insurance bet in which you bet against yourself. The insurance bet will give you 2 to 1 if the dealer has Black Jack.
When a player has Black Jack and the dealers face up-card is an ace, the dealer may ask “even money?” This is because if the player has a Black Jack the net result of both the Black Jack and the insurance bet will be even money win regardless of whether the dealer has a Black Jack. When all players have had their chance to accept or decline the insurance the dealer will check the face down card.
If the dealer does not have Black Jack the players can play their hands and then the following options are available:
Stand
If you wave your hand as if you wave the dealer away, this means you don’t want any more cards.
Hit
If you tap the table with your finger you are telling the dealer that you wish to take another card.
Split
If the first two cards are of the same value they may be split into two hands. Each card then becomes the first card of a new hand. You are allowed to resplit your cards up to 2 or 3 times if another splitting opportunity arises. It’s usually allowed to double after splitting. To tell the dealer you want to split the cards just put the additional wager next to the original wager.
Double
If you want to double your bet, it means you get to place another bet of the same size as the original and be dealt one more card. This option can be offered on the first two cards and sometimes on the first two cards after splitting. Just place another wager next to your original wager and the dealer will know your intentions.
Surrender
Last but not least, some casinos offer the opportunity to surrender on the first two cards. This means you get the chance to forfeit half the bet if you don’t like your cards. If the dealer is dealt an ace or a ten and you surrender your bet after the dealer has looked at his hole card, it’s called a “late surrender”. If the dealer does not check for black jack then you get to option for an “early surrender”. The latest option is the best for a player because if the protection against a dealer black jack.
When all players have played their hands, from the dealer’s left to right, the dealer will play his hand. The house rule for the dealer is often that he must hit until he reaches the score of 17 or more. If the dealer busts, all players that did not bust wins.
