Blackjack is one of the most acclaimed casino games. Contrary to popular belief, however, it requires both analytical thought and tenacity for success. Played on a semicircular table for up to seven players at any one time (known as spots). A dealer stands behind their chip racks and tables as part of the dealer team.
The dealer distributes two cards to each player and himself before placing a bet against him or herself and making his hand total higher than that of the dealer, the player wins. Along with basic strategy (which we will discuss later), card-counting techniques may provide you with an edge against the house by keeping track of concentration of tens and aces within a deck, making bets accordingly and potentially decreasing house advantage to approximately one percent in ideal circumstances.
Most blackjack rules are consistent across casinos; however, certain aspects may differ – for instance some tables may use multiple decks or exclude certain cards to deter card counters. Furthermore, different casinos may have differing rules regarding splitting and double-downing pairs. Therefore, before beginning play it’s advisable to speak to your host before engaging in the game.
Typically, any hand with a point total of 21 is victorious in blackjack; however, certain hands such as pairs of aces may be split or doubled down on. Furthermore, you can usually place side bets, such as on specific numbers for every blackjack hand; oftentimes these bets will involve using chips; other ways may exist as well.
At some games, a player may take out insurance as a hedge against losing the original hand and will pay out 2-1 if this occurs. Insurance bets should only be placed by those with high odds of success who may wish to use them as part of their strategy.
If you score a blackjack, the dealer will sweep your bet and pay one-to-one; however if your hand total equals that of the dealer then the hand is considered a push and you retain your original bet while they collect, shuffle, and begin another round.
Some games feature an early surrender feature, whereby a player may offer to give up their hand prior to dealer checking for blackjack and reduce house edge by 0.2%. Unfortunately, it’s not available on all games or casinos and many do not permit early surrender; on the contrary, some casinos enforce their policy where all hands of 17 or higher must stand, thus increasing house edge by about 0.2%.