How Do You Play Blackjack At The Casino?

Finally, the one game that we have been mentioning over and over again as the game with the lowest house edge and the game that allows for the best bet in a casino – Blackjack is the name and getting as close to 21 as you can is the game.

How to Play Blackjack

The idea behind the game is to get 21 with either two cards (an ace and a picture card) or a combination of cards that come as close to 21 as possible without going over. So let’s get started.

The Card Values

• An Ace can count as either 1 or 11
• The cards from 2 through 9 are valued at their face value.
• The 10, Jack, Queen, and King are all valued at 10.

The suits of the cards do not have any meaning in the game. The value of a hand is simply the sum of the point counts of each card in the hand. Once all the bets are placed, the dealer will deal the cards to the players. He will make two passes around the table starting at his left (your right) so that the players and the dealer all have two cards each. The dealer will flip one of his cards over, exposing its value as the "dealer up-card.” In games dealt from a shoe, the players' cards will be face-up, and players are not allowed to touch the cards. If you are just beginning, this is the best kind of game, because you don't have to worry about handling the cards.

Player Actions

After receiving your cards, it's your turn to act based on your hand and the dealer's up-card. Common options include:

• Hit - Take another card to improve your hand.
• Stand - Keep your current hand and end your turn.
• Double Down - Double your bet and receive one more card.
• Split - If you have a pair, split into two separate hands.
• Insurance - If dealer shows Ace, place a side bet that dealer has Blackjack.

Use basic strategy for best decisions.

The Dealer

After all players have acted, the dealer reveals the hole card. If the dealer has Blackjack (Ace + 10-value card), players lose unless they also have Blackjack. Otherwise, the dealer must hit until reaching 17 or more and then stand. This completes the hand, with closest to 21 winning.

Practice Blackjack at Top US-Friendly Casinos

Now there are many terms used in this game and you can easily find them by researching the game or simply by going to an online casino powered by Real Time Gaming that offers Instant Play and choose Blackjack in Demo Play. In this way you will begin to understand the ins and outs of blackjack and eventually you will be able to hit the real money tables in no time.