Blackjack

Blackjack (also called Twenty-One) is a card game and one of the most popular casino games in the world. It is considered the casino game with the best odds of winning. It involves gambling, or betting money. Players typically compete against the house, or the casino. Specifically, players compete against the dealer, a casino employee who deals cards and handles bets during a game.

Background

Blackjack requires a minimum of one standard deck of fifty-two playing cards. Most casinos use several decks. The cards are assigned values. Aces are worth one or eleven. Twos (also called deuces) through tens are worth their face value. Jacks, queens, and kings (also called picture cards) are worth ten. The total value of all the cards in a player's hand is calculated. For example, if a player is dealt a queen, a seven, and a deuce, the player has a total of nineteen.

The object of blackjack is to get a higher total than the dealer without going over twenty-one. Players, therefore, try to get twenty-one or get as close to twenty-one as possible. If a player or the dealer is dealt twenty-one right away, meaning their first two cards are an ace (worth eleven) and either a ten or a picture card (worth ten), this is called blackjack, and they win. If a player or the dealer goes over twenty-one, this is called a bust, and they lose.

Overview

A blackjack hand begins with each player placing a bet. Bets are made with chips that represent money that each player places on the table. Each blackjack table has minimum and maximum betting limits. These limits typically are between $2 and $500. After the bets are made, the dealer deals each player and themselves one card face up, called an up card. The dealer then deals each player another up card and deals one card face down (called a down card) to themselves. If the dealer's up card is an ace, meaning the dealer potentially has blackjack, they offer insurance to all the players. Insurance is a side bet of one half the initial bet that the dealer has blackjack. If the dealer has blackjack, the players who took insurance win double their insurance bet. However, the hand is over, and the players who do not also have blackjack lose their initial bets. If a player has blackjack, they win one and one-half times the initial bet. If both the dealer and another player have blackjack, this is called a push, or a tie, and the player takes back their bet.

If the dealer does not have blackjack, the hand continues for all players except those who have blackjack, as they already won the hand. Each player must decide whether to hit (take another card) or stand (not take another card). If a player chooses to hit, the dealer deals the player another up card. This continues, one card at a time, until the player stands, reaches twenty-one, or busts. Once all the players have had their turn, the dealer turns over their down card. Based on the total, the dealer then either hits or stands. Blackjack rules mandate that the dealer must hit on sixteen or less and must stand on seventeen or more. The dealer must continue to hit until their total reaches seventeen or more.

Aces may be played as either one or eleven, depending on the other cards in the player's hand. Coupled with a ten or a picture card, an ace is worth eleven, as this would be blackjack. With an ace and a nine or lower, called a soft hand, the player must decide whether the ace is worth one or eleven. For example, a hand consisting of an ace and a four is called a soft fifteen because the player can play the hand as either five or fifteen.

The player's decision to hit or stand is based on two main factors: the player's total and the dealer's up card. If the player has sixteen or less, and the dealer is showing a seven, an eight, a nine, a ten, a picture card, or an ace—which are considered good cards—then the player typically should hit until their total reaches seventeen or more. The reason behind this strategy is that there is a good chance that the dealer's down card is a ten or higher, giving them at least seventeen. If that is the case, the player with sixteen or less does not have a chance of winning unless they hit. At the same time, the player should be cautious about hitting if they are close to twenty-one. For example, a player typically should not hit on nineteen, as most cards would create a bust. If a player has twelve or more and the dealer is showing a deuce, three, four, five, or six—which are considered poor cards—the player generally should stand. Chances are high that the dealer will bust, so the player should not risk busting by hitting on twelve or more.

If a player is dealt a pair, or two of the same cards, they may split the pair. This means the cards become two separate hands with two separate bets. The player must place another bet equal to the initial bet, giving them a chance to win twice as much money. The two hands are then played separately. Certain pairs should always be split, including aces and eights. Conversely, certain pairs should never be split, such as fives, tens, and picture card pairs. The dealer cannot split pairs.

Players also have the option to double down, or double their initial bet and receive one more card. As with splitting pairs, doubling down gives players a chance to win twice as much money. Doubling down typically should be done when a player has a total of ten or eleven, and the dealer is showing a nine or lower. It also should be done when a player has a total of nine, and the dealer is showing a poor card. With one more card to come, there is a good chance that the card will be a ten, a picture card, or an ace, giving the player twenty-one or close to twenty-one. If the card is a poor one, however, the player is stuck with that low total and does not have the option to hit. The dealer cannot double down.

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