How To Play Blackjack - Rules & Tips

Nowadays, the amount of people getting hooked on blackjack--both in physical casinos as well as on free online blackjack--is increasingly getting higher and higher. Actually, it is now considered to be one of several commonly played and most-loved casino games. This is probably because it is fairly easy to learn how to play blackjack and with proper strategies, players can lower the edge of the dealer while simultaneously gaining an advantage to winning the overall game. You have to have an in-depth knowledge not only of blackjack rules, but you also to learn blackjack strategies as well as on how to win at blackjack.

The Basic Rules of Blackjack

As stated above, learning how to play blackjack is easy. Blackjack, just like poker, is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. However, most casinos use more decks. Players (up to 7) have to beat the hand value of the dealer by having a total hand value higher than that of the dealer’s, but the total hand value should not exceed 21. This is the reason why blackjack is commonly called 21.

Here are the basic rules those learning how to play blackjack need to know:

• Rule One: You have to know the card values in order to learn how to play blackjack and win. The numbered cards have values corresponding to their number, while the face cards have a value of 10. The Ace, on the other hand, can either have a value of 1 or 11, depending on how much you will need to make a winning hand.
  

  Ace with value 11

  Ace with value 1

• Rule Two: This is an essential rule that those learning to play blackjack should know. Players need to come up with a hand value higher that is higher than the dealer’s, but not more than 21. Should your hand value total to more than 21, you automatically lose the game, and this is called a “bust”. In case the dealer has the same hand value as a player it's called a “push,” or “tie”.
  

  Hand value 23 - Bust

  Dealer has 18

  Player 18 - Push

• Rule Three: All winning bets are paid at a 1 to 1 odds;for example, if you bet $10, you will win $10. A “blackjack” (ace and face card) is paid at a 3 to 2 odds, and if you bet $10, you will win $15).
  

  Blackjack pays 3 to 2

  Winning bet pays 1 to 1

Playing the Blackjack Game

After you learn how to play blackjack using the basic rules, you will need to learn how blackjack games are played. Below, you will find some different scenarios between players and dealers to help you learn more about a how to play and win at blackjack.

Players Actions

The biggest part of the house edge in blackjack is based on the fact that players have to draw before the dealer, and the draw is based on the following rules:

1. First players make a bet. Then, the dealer hands two cards to each of the players (face up or face down). The dealer also receives two cards, one of them is face up and the other is face down.
   

   Place bet

   Receive cards

   
   
2. The players then have the most important basic drawing options:
   
   

   Hit - if you feel your hand value does not have a good chance of beating the dealer’s hand Stand - if your hand value has pretty good chance of beating the dealer’s hand

3. There are also advanced betting options players should get familiar with not only to learn how to play blackjack online, but also to maximize your chance of winning:
   
   
   • Surrender - If you do not like your first two cards you can surrender (if the particular blackjack rules allow it) losing only half of your bet. When players learn blackjack and use this option effectively (usually when the dealer has card 10 up and the player has a card value of 15 or 16), it can further decrease the house advantage which is essential to learning how to consistently win at blackjack.
   
   
   • Split - You have this option if you are dealt a pair. You have to place a new but same-sized bet to split and play each hand separately. Basicblackjack strategy recommends to split up certain cards like aces etc. A split is another important option to know when learning how to win at blackjack.
     
   
   
   • Double Down - Double the bet initially placed when your first card is strong. You should always decide based on your first card and up-card of the dealer. An ideal situation is when you have a higher card than the dealer has. This option can be important when learning more aboutblackjack tournaments strategy.
   
   
   • Insurance - If an ace shows up in the hand of the dealer, then you can go for insurance. You have to place half of your initial bet and if the dealer has a blackjack, you will lose the original bet but insurance will pay double. If a dealer doesn't have a blackjack, you will lose both bets. An insurance bet is not recommended and players that know how to win blackjack games never place this bet.
   
   

Dealer Actions

The dealer does not have to make very many decisions. The dealer’s actions are based on the basic rules of blackjack. It's very easy to learn the actions of a blackjack dealer and the game could easily be dealt by a machine.

• Hit - The dealer hits unless he reaches the required total hand value, most of the time it’s 17. Each casino has a rule whether or not the dealer hits a soft 17 (ace has soft value - 11 and a hard value of -1). The online blackjack game where the dealer hits a soft 17 is less favorable with a higher (around 2%) house advantage.


• Stand - The dealer stands when he reaches the required card value. If he has more than 21, the dealer busts and players that did not bust win.