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In blackjack the players play against the dealer and
not against each other. The objective of blackjack
is to get a hand value that is closer to twenty-one
than the hand value of the dealer, but without going
bust. The hand value is obtained by adding the value
of each card in the hand. Cards from two to ten have
the value of their denomination. Jack, queen and
king have a value of ten. The ace is a special card
that can take a value of one or eleven depending on
the situation.
The game commences by the players placing their
wagers. The dealer then deals two cards to each
player. The dealer also deals two cards to himself;
the first face up and the other face down. Each
player plays in turn. The player can either ask for
another card, “hit”, or indicate that he does not
want another card, “stand”. If the player hits and
his hand value exceeds twenty-one, he busts and
loses his wager. After all the players have played
their hands it is the dealer’s turn to play his
hand.
In blackjack the dealer has to play as per
predefined rules. If the hand value of the dealer is
sixteen or less he has to hit. If the dealer busts
then the players still in the game win and are paid
out 1:1. If the dealer does not bust then his hand
value is compared with the hand values of the
players still in the game. The players who have a
hand value higher than the dealer win and are paid
out 1:1. The players who have a hand value lower
than the dealer lose and forfeit their wagers. In
the event of a tie the players take back their
wager.
The game is named after a special two-card hand
having a value of twenty-one. Originally this hand
consisted of the jack and ace of spades, and
therefore the name blackjack. Today blackjack
consists of any ace and any card with a value of
ten. If the player gets a blackjack he is paid out
at 3:2. If the dealer gets a blackjack then the
player loses his wager.
There are a number of special moves in blackjack.
One such move is “double down”. In this move the
player can double his wager after seeing his dealt
cards. The catch is that he has to take one more and
only one more cards. The opposite of double down is
“surrender”. After seeing his dealt hand the player
can surrender by forfeiting half his wager. An
interesting move is “split”. If both the dealt cards
of the player are of the same denomination, the
player can place an additional bet equal to his
original bet and play the hand as two separate
hands. Some casinos play a move called insurance. If
the dealer shows an ace as his open card, the player
can place a side bet that the dealer will get a
blackjack. This acts as a hedge against losing his
main wager.
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