Blackjack – ‘Beat the Dealer’
Blackjack, also known as twenty one and pontoon is one of the most popular card games of the recent times. More of its popularity is because of the combination of luck, skill and decision making. The extra publicity of this game has made it even more popular. In Blackjack, players can turn the game in their favor by using good betting decisions and tested strategies. Card Counting is one of the most popular skills which are used by a few players. It’s a tricky skill which is mastered only by handful players.
The actual objective of the game is to ‘Beat the Dealer’. The entire game of Blackjack revolves around this concept only.
The game is played with one, two, four, six or eight decks of cards. Some casinos also use shuffling machines. The dealer holds the cards and deals them out in both, single and double deck games. The process followed in multi-deck games is a little different. Cards are dealt out of a box called shoe.
In hand held games, the cards are positioned facing downwards and the players are then allowed to pick his cards. A game in which a shoe is involved, cards are dealt face up and the player is not allowed to touch the cards. However, the basic rules for the both the games are same.
Objective of the Game
As stated above, the main objective of the game Blackjack is to beat the dealer. If the total value of your cards is higher than that of the dealer’s cards while staying under the mark of 21 then you will win the game. If you or your dealer’s total value comes out to be over 21, you “Bust”. Bust means that you lose automatically. You need to act first. In case, your total value is above 21, and the dealer will bust you and hence you will lose the game.
Card Standards
The suite of the cards does not have any effect on the outcome of the game. Cards numbered 2 to 10 are counted at the face value without any relation their suite. All face cards have the value of ten. The ace cards can be counted as 11 or 1. Queen card and five are seen as 15. Ace card and five can either be taken as a six or as a sixteen. A hand which does not comprise of an ace is known as Hard Hand while the one which includes an ace is branded as a Soft Hand.
If the player draws a soft hand and three cards in total, if you receive a number above 21 then your hand coverts into a hard hand.
Blackjack Betting Table
A special table is used to play Blackjack. This table is in the shape of a semicircle. A separate square or circle is available on the table for every player. The chips can be bought by the player from a dealer when they sit down to play the game. The casino chips can also be bought from another table. The player places his bet inside the circle which is allocated to him. The chips placed in the circle are counted as the bets, other chips which are out of the circle are not considered. Bets can be placed only after the game starts.
