• Get to Know the Cards

When playing blackjack the dealer doesn't have any options when it comes to playing his hand out – but you have many.  This is why so many people love blackjack.  In this article you'll get to know the basic moves that all players need to know before sitting down at a blackjack table and putting up real cash.

For card values all face cards (J, Q, K) are equal to 10 points.  An ace can be a one or 11 depending on how you want to use it.  The rest of the cards are worth their face value.  Unlike other card games, such as poker, card suits (clubs, spades, diamonds, and hearts) do not have any effect on your hand's value in blackjack.

• Game Play and Table Etiquette

Before you get any cards in a blackjack game you'll need to place your bet.  This is done in casinos with real chips or cash (yes it is legal to put cash on the table but I wouldn't recommend it for security reasons).  At online casinos you'll also have virtual chips with different colors to denominate the different values – each casino is different in this regard.  In a real casino a player will be selected to cut the deck and then the dealer goes about his job handing two cards face up to each player after they have all made a wager.  Then he deals two cards to himself – one face up and one face down.

If the dealer's up card is an ace all players are asked if they would like to take insurance.  This is insurance against a dealer's blackjack – since there are good odds that a blackjack will result with an ace up card (due to the high number of cards with a value of 10 remaining in the deck).  Whether or not to take insurance is discussed in the next section – but the short answer is "never take insurance" under all circumstances.

• Hit or Stand?

If the dealer doesn't have blackjack (or natural) you'll need to either hit or stand (also known as staying pat).  When you hit you'll get another card and your point total will rise.  If you go over 21 you automatically loose, this is called busting.  When you are happy with your number and you don't want anymore cards you stand.  When everyone is finished taking cards the dealer shows his hole card and then hits or stands according to the house rules.  If you have more points than the dealer after he stands you win an even money proposition (the value of your wager + your original wager). So a bet of $10 would yield $20 on a regular winning hand. And a blackjack, when a natural pays 3-2, would win $25.

Previous Lesson