Casino Game Blackjack Strategies
Before any cards are dealt, the player must wager. He does this by placing his bet in the designated space in front of his table position. Standard 52-card deck. Face cards (kings, queens and jacks) count as 10, ace counts as one or 11 (as the player chooses) and all other cards are counted at their face value. Because you can play an Ace either way, a hand with an ace is called a soft hand. One to either Five or Seven players at a table. The object of the game is to obtain a hand of cards totaling up to 21 or as close to 21 as possible without going over. HIT or STAND - Hit means to draw another card (which the player signifies by scraping the table with his cards or a similar hand motion) The dealer must draw cards until they have at least 17 and must stand at 17 or higher. DOUBLE DOWN - The player is allowed to double the bet on his first two cards and draw one additional card only to improve his hand. SPLITTING PAIRS - If the first two cards a player is dealt are a pair, he may split them into two separate hands, bet the same amount on each and then play them separately. After splitting, A-10 counts as 21 and not as blackjack. Depending on the game, the player's are either dealt their cards face up or face down. When you split two aces and one of your hands totals 21, this is not blackjack, it's 21. Insurance is not recommended and is considered a separate game/bet of its own. Play and win! If the dealer has blackjack, the insurance pays 2:1, matching the amount of your original bet. If you have purchased insurance and the dealer doesn't have blackjack, you'll lose your insurance bet. If you and the dealer both have blackjack, the game ends in a push.