How to Play Blackjack

Blackjack is one of the most popular games at casinos, it is also your greatest chance of winning money. It is a simple game of trying to get as close as you can to 21, here are the basics and tips to playing. Good luck!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• cards
• money

1. The rules are simple, you want to have a value of 21 or as close to it as you can without going over. If you do go over 21, you have "busted" and you are done for that round.

2. The card point values for cards 2 to 10 are equal to the number on the card. For example, the card 6 is equal to 6 points. Jack, Queen, and King all have a value of 10. The Ace has two values, it can be worth 1 or 11, this value is up to the player. If a player or the dealer has an ace and a ten (a ten can be the ten, jack, queen, or king) then that player has blackjack.

3. The dealer has special rules and it is important to understand how the dealer plays because you can use it to your advantage. It is important to note that you are playing against the dealer, the other players on the table are all on your team and you want the dealer to bust. There are essentially two different types of games, the casino will play one of the following:
   
   DEALER STANDS ON ALL 17'S
   The dealer will continue to "hit" until he/she has reached a value of 17 or above, the dealer must stay once he/she has reached this. The ace counts as 11 for the dealer unless it causes them to bust. So if the dealer has an ace and a 6, the dealer must stay. However, if the dealer has an ace, a nine, and a 6, the dealer has 16 and so the dealer must hit again.
   
   DEALER HITS SOFT 17
   For this case, the dealer must hit on "soft 17." Soft 17 means the dealer has an ace and so the cards can be either 17 or 7. For this game, the dealer must hit if he/she has this hand.
   
   Now let's begin the game!

4. First the bet is placed. This could be any amount that you feel comfortable betting, but it must be at least the table minimum.

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   Next, the cards are dealt to the players and the dealer. Each player starts with two cards. The dealer will only show one card while the players show both of their cards. REMEMBER, you aren't playing against the other players, you are playing against the dealer. If the dealer is showing an ace, the players have an option of buying insurance. Insurance allows the player to bet up to half of the original bet to protect them from the dealer having blackjack. If the dealer has blackjack, the dealer matches your insurance and you could essentially break even. If the dealer does not have blackjack, you lose the insurance and you play out the rest of the hand regularly.

6. If the player has a blackjack, the player will receive 3:2 odds from his/her bet.

7. When it is your turn, you have the choice to "stay," "hit," "double down," or "split." This is completely up to you but their are ways to help guide you to make the right choice (see step 14). I will explain each in the next four steps.

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   If you decide to "stay," you are saying that you don't want another card and you are comfortable with the value of your cards. To show you want to stay, show a flat hand and move it back and forth as if you were petting a dog. This is important because casinos video tap the games to ensure there are no errors such as the dealer miss hearing the player.

9. 
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   If you decide to "hit," you are saying that you want another card. If you have a value of 11 or less, you will want to hit every time because there is no way for you to bust. This choice is displayed has tapping the table with your fingers.

10. In order to "double down," you double your original bet and you get one more card. There are specific times when doubling down can be to your advantage (see step 14).

11. The idea of "splitting" your cards is to give you a better chance when you have a poor hand. For example, if you have two eights, you have the worst hand in poker and splitting would allow you to have a chance at a decent hand. Place a matching bet aside to the original bet to "split." Some casinos will allow you to "double down" on a split and you can even split a hand again. For example, if you split two 8's and you are given a 3 on an eight, you can double down on that. If your other split eight receives another eight, you can split that pair as well. If a player splits two aces and receives a ten on at least one of the splits aces, this is not considered a blackjack but is still worth 21 points.

12. After all players have decided to "stay" or have "busted," it is now the dealer's turn. The dealer plays as outlined in step 3. All players that have beat the dealer win their bets, players that lose to the dealer lose their bets, and if anyone ties the dealer this is called a "push" and that player doesn't win or lose any money.

13. This game continues until the player's leave the table or the casino closes (if the casino closes!)

14. If you want to learn how to count cards and increase your chances of winning, go to http://www.ehow.com/how_4904467_count-cards.html