| The Game
of Casino Blackjack |
You begin a blackjack game by placing a bet on the table. You are
then dealt two cards face up and the dealer is dealt two cards, one
face up and one face down. You then have the choice to hit, stand,
double down, split or insurance.
Your aim when playing blackjack is to accumulate cards totaling 21
or as close to 21 as possible without going over 21. The dealer has
the same aim, to win the hand you must be closer to 21 than the dealer.
All cards are worth their face value except Jacks, Queens and Kings
which are worth 10 and the all important Ace which is worth either
11 or 1.
There are five possible outcomes in a hand of blackjack. These are
win, lose, bust, push and blackjack. If your cards are closer to 21
than the dealers you win the hand. If the dealers hand is closer
you lose. If both your hands are equal you push. If you exceed 21
you bust and lose even if the dealer busts.
Then comes the best hand of all, blackjack. When you receive a 10
and an Ace you have hit blackjack. Blackjack usually pays 3 to 2 and
is only countered by the dealer also having blackjack resulting in
a push.
Blackjack Pay Outs
These are the standard payoffs for blackjack at most casinos
A Win is paid 1 to 1, blackjack is paid 3 to 2 and insurance is paid
2 to 1
Hit - Take another card
You can receive another card as many times as you like however
if the card you are dealt pushes you over 21 you have a busted hand
and have lost. You lose regardless if the dealer also busts.
Stand - Stay with the original two cards
If you select to stand you get no more cards and the dealers face
down card is revealed. You then find out if your hand has won, lost
or pushed.
Double Down - Double you bet and get one more card
When you select to double down your initial bet is doubled and you
receive one more card. You cannot double down more than once per hand
Split - Divide your hand into two different hands.
If you receive two cards of the same value you can elect to split
the hand. Your initial bet is then placed on both hands and you can
continue from there. Each casino has varying rules regarding your
after split options.
Insurance
If the dealers upcard is an ace you are offered the chance to bet
on whether the face down card is a 10. This usually pays 2 to 1 and
is always only a bet that is half of your initial bet. This way if
the dealer has blackjack your win equals your lose so you push.
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