How to play blackjack

December 6th 2007 by admin in Blackjack

Obtain cards with a higher point value than the dealer, without going over 21.

How to Play
To begin, click on the chips to place your bet. Then click the “Deal” button. For Barroom BlackJack, there is a minimum bet of $1 and a maximum bet of $200. For Vegas BlackJack, there is a minimum bet of $100 and a maximum bet of $1000.

The Deal
Each player is dealt two cards, face up. To get another card, click the “Hit” button. Press “Stand” when you are finished. Aces can be counted as either 1 point or 11 points. All royal cards (Jack, Queen and King) are counted as 10 points.

Split
If the player is dealt a pair of cards that have the same value, the player can “split” the cards into two separate hands, and play each hand separately. When splitting aces, the player may only take one additional card.

Double
When holding two cards, the player may double his or her bet and take exactly one more card. In this case, the player is betting that adding exactly one more card will beat the dealer’s hand.

Surrender
When holding two cards, the player can surrender half of his or her bet and not play the hand. Surrendering is often not allowed in actual casinos because it can be used to the player’s advantage (tip: surrender when the odds of winning are less than 25%)

Bust
Any hand over 21 points is called a “Bust.”

How the Dealer Plays
The dealer must hit (take additional cards) until her hand has a point value of 17 or higher. If the dealer has an ace and a 6 (a soft 17), for example, she must stand.

The dealer is dealt two cards, one of them face up, the other face down. Players must play their hands first, and the dealer plays her hand last if there are player hands on the table that have not busted (exceeded 21 points).

Blackjack
If the player is dealt an ace and a 10 card (a natural blackjack), and the dealer does not have blackjack, the player is immediately paid 1.5 times his or her bet (3 to 2). If the dealer is dealt a blackjack, and is not showing an ace, the player immediately loses his or her bet.

Insurance
If the dealer is showing an ace, the player will be offered insurance. Click “yes” to purchase insurance, which will cost 1/2 the amount of the original bet. If the player purchases insurance, the player will not lose his or her bet if the dealer has blackjack. If the player declines insurance and the dealer has blackjack, the player will lose his or her bet immediately.