Next to slots, blackjack is the most popular game in online and land-based casinos. Like slots, it is extremely popular because it’s easy to play, but unlike slots which rely purely on luck, blackjack is a game of skill. If a player is good enough, the odds will often be in his favor.
In a game of blackjack, you compete against the casino dealer and not against other players at the table. Your objective is to have a hand of cards that is higher in value than the hand of the dealer without going over the value of 21, otherwise, you are said to be “busted” and out of the game. To get the value of your hand of cards, just add the value of your cards.
The Kings, Queens, and Jacks are worth 10 points each while Aces could be valued at either 1 or 11 points depending on what you think would give the total value of your hand a better chance of winning. All the other cards from 2 up to 10 are worth their face value. A hand that consists of any card worth ten points plus an Ace, which in this example, should be valued at 11 points to yield the total winning value of 21 is called a 2-hand card, which is deemed the best blackjack hand.
The basic rules of the game are equally easy to learn. The online player’s games must all place their bets before the cards are dealt with by the dealer. When all the bets are in, the dealer starts dealing each player two cards each facing up on the table. Then the dealer also deals himself two cards, with one card face up and the other card face down on the table. You then compare your two cards with the dealer’s exposed card and reckon whether you should “hit” or “stand.”
If you feel you need to increase the value of your hand, you should hit and the dealer will deal you an additional card. If you think that the value of your card is still too low, you may hit again but you need to be careful because if you go over 21, you get busted. But if you’re satisfied with your hand you stand, then the dealer can now reveal what his face-down card’s got. If his hand is lower than 16, he is obliged to hit. If your hand is higher than the dealer’s, you win 1:1, but if have a 21-point blackjack hand, you win 3:2. Know these basic blackjack rules by heart, then you can proceed to learn and master more complicated and advanced rules that many players find challenging and enjoyable.