Nobody should feel surprised when knowing the blackjack is one of the favorite games that the public can encounter in more Canadian casino sites. Here pure luck plays a larger role than skill. But this doesn’t make the game boring by any means. Here a single card can determine a fantastic win or a catastrophic defeat, all of this brings tons of thrill and tension. Because of its apparent simplicity and great possibilities, blackjack has become one of the games that everybody who visits online casinos want to try nowadays.
Guide: How to Start Playing Blackjack online
Very few simple rules dictate how blackjack works. By comprehending how they intertwine, all gamblers can come up with their own unique tactics that can help them to obtain the best results, and enjoy a real and truly exciting gaming experience.
Basic rules
Every card deck of the traditional form is composed of 52 unique cards. Many casinos here use the concept of shoe. A shoe, unlike its literal meaning, simply refers to the total group of cards used in their own setup of the game. There is no rule that mandates a specific number of decks, therefore, this shoe can be made with one, or virtually infinite of them.
Before starting a gaming round, every gambler who intends to play must wager. All of them share the same simple goal, every player intends to have a hand with a total value that equals 21, or as near as possible to this value without overrunning it. The dealer is also part of the round, and in case an exact 21 can not be achieved by any player sitting on the table, the value of his hand must be closer to 21 than the value of the dealer’s hand. All the numeric cards have values equal to their displayed numbers. Also, the J, Q and K are equal to 10, while the A can take two values, 1 or 11.
After the respective hands are dealt, all players plus the dealer will check how much their hands are worth. A player or the dealer is said to have obtained a blackjack when he has an A and a 10. Remembering that the A can be 11, 11+10=21. In this case, the odds of winning to the extremely lucky player will be of 3:2.
If the dealer’s visible card is a 10, J, Q or K, he will check his secret card. In case it turns out to be an A, players will be asked by the dealer if they intend to obtain what is called an insurance. This is a bet whose cost is half of what was invested in the initial play. However, it will give a good payout of 2:1 if the dealer effectively was lucky enough to have a blackjack in his hands.
In the great majority of situations, neither of both will have a 21 on their hands, if this occurs the following stage begins, where everyone plays their hands. When more than one player is sitting in the table, they will play their respective hands following a clockwise order.
When it’s the player’s turn, he has two choices: hit or stand. The worst scenario is to be “busted”, which simply means to have a total value greater than 21. In this case the bet is lost.
Some variations of the game also give the option to surrender, this is simple to forfeit 50% of the wager, and withdraw from the round. While for some people it may look crazy to sacrifice half of the total bet, sometimes it is a less bad outcome than attempting to continue betting.
Later, if all players in a table are busted, the round will end immediately. If any remaining player decides to stand until the end, the dealer will reveal his face down card. Don’t worry about all the concepts used throughout this text, they will be explained in the glossary written later.
Understanding how a typical round looks like after dealing the cards
After revealing the hole card, the dealer must follow a set of very strict rules to determine how they continue playing. For example, if the dealer has a total value equal or less than 16, they will continue hitting. At the same time, if their value is higher or equal than 18, they will stand. This number may be reduced to 17 in some variations of the game.
If the dealer overruns the value of 21, then all players win their respective bets. If not, then it is necessary to compare how much the hands of each player and of the dealer are worth. If the player’s hand is more highly valued, he will win with 1 to 1 odds. If there is a tie, a push will occur in all the bets.
Some blackjack strategies
Many people have come up with their own strategies for facing a round of this game. They can be very different between each other. However, this section will explain some of the most frequent tips that rookie players can employ to maximize their probability for getting a win. Best casino reviews.
- Pay attention to the visible card that is in possession of the dealer. If it is between a 7 and a 10, hit by grabbing more cards until reaching between 17 and 21.
- Split your hand in case your hand is made by a low valued pair. For example, if you have two 2s or two 3s, it is a good idea to split the hand and allow each of them to grow by themselves.
- Consider making side bets. The insurance is a frequent choice, while others choose to go for the perfect pairs, because they are a great form to make something out of each round if the proper plays are executed.
- This is not about the game itself. Some casinos have implemented a 6:5 blackjack payout, which is different from the more traditional 3:2. In general in the 6:5 casinos the house has a substantial edge in its favor, so whenever possible, try to pick a 3:2 casino.
Blackjack Games Variety
Like most casino games, blackjack is one form of entertainment. However, it has many variants that are created by small variations to the rules. You can choose a casino with different blackjack games. Let’s review some of them.
European blackjack
The most popular variation. It works by following all the rules explained in the first section of the article.
American blackjack
Here players can make splits as many times as they want, and can decide to double down as many times as they please. Also, if the dealer completes a blackjack from his starting hand, he immediately becomes the winner.
Multi-hand blackjack gold
Tired of the variations of the game with only two cards on hand? Try this variation with five.
Blackjack Glossary
- Hit. When a player accepts to obtain a new card to increase the total value of his hand
- Stand. Decline to take further cards during a given round
- Double down. Double the bet, but by accepting a new card onto your hand
- Push. A situation where both the player and the dealer have hands that are of equal value. This situation applies if those values are between 17 and 21
- Split. If a player has two cards of the same kind, he has the option to create individual independent hands from each card
- Insurance. Players can make an additional wager in case if the dealer an A face up. Players can still recover part of their bets if the dealer obtains a blackjack
- Surrender. When someone thinks that the dealer has obtained a blackjack, he can choose to forfeit the round of the game and have the invested cash returned.