Blackjack is one such game, which has been innately popular in the gambling industry as well as in most Canadian casinos. And because of this huge popularity, the game has been made available online too. Therefore, any Blackjack enthusiast could play the game through the internet without even visiting a casino. The game is also known as twenty-one. Though there are certain rules which are required to be followed while venturing into the game, though luck still plays a vital role.

How to play blackjack?

As its name suggests, the game is played on a score of 21. The motto of Blackjack is to score more than the dealer without crossing the bar of 21 points, though one or two hands can be played against the dealer. The player needs to place a bet even before getting any card. The card rotates anti-clockwise starting from the dealer. As per the prevalent practice one card faces upwards and one card faces downwards in the dealer’s hand. The game is available online, which allows the players to play these one or two hands sitting in their home or while travelling or even from some waiting terminal using their phones, tablets or laptops. The player does not require going to a casino to place the bets. It is just a click away.

The player stands to win, when he makes a score closer to 21 than the dealer’s score. When the dealer’s total card score is higher than 21 or 21 with three or more cards, the player wins. However the player would lose if his score is more than 21.

Value of each card

The cards carry various values. Ace is valued with 1 point or 11 points. The 10s, Jacks, Queens and Kings carry 10 points. All other cards (2 to 9) carry the numeric value written on it.

“Soft” and “Hard” are the two terms which are used depending on the ace. Considering that the ace could be counted as either 1 or 11, if the will remains less than 21, it is called “soft”. And when the ace could be counted as 1 (as the value of 11 will make a total of more than 21) then it is “hard”.

Rules

6 decks are used to play Blackjack. After playing each hand the cards are reshuffled. After the players placing their bets, the dealer will pass two rounds of cards to the players, anti-clockwise. Therefore everyone including the dealer has two cards in their hand. The dealer will show one of his cards and the other card will remain unexposed to the player. So in reality, the players are not competing with each other; they are playing solely against the dealer.

There are two types of Blackjack variations: show and hand held. The cards will face up in show game. The hand held game is the right opposite of show game. In hand held game the cards will face down.

The player is now required to select one of the standard options. Here a consolidated understanding of the terms related with this game.

• Deal: The game starts only when the bets are placed.
• Hit: Used when a player wants to take another card. A player can hit repeatedly until the card total touches or goes beyond 21.
• Stand: It is used when a player wishes to stop dealing with anymore cards. It can also happen automatically if the card total reaches 21 or the player has opted for double down in the previous hand.
• Double down: A player can select this option only after dealing with the first two cards. This will double the bet and one extra card would be given to the player.
• Split: When the first two given cards to the player, are of same value, he can split them and deal them as two separate hands.
• Surrender: This option gives half of the bet to the player and the other half of the amount goes to the house.
• Insurance: A side bet can be done with the dealer, if the dealer has an ace. This bet is called insurance as half of the amount of the original bet is insured here. The player gets the insured value if the dealer has Blackjack. If both the dealer and the player possess the Blackjack then the game is played again.
• Rebet: It is betting with the value of the previous hand. It can be done only after the previous hand is completed.

Summary

Playing for stakes in the hope of winning has become a passion amongst a huge population. The Blackjack game is one such game. The masses love to play this game. It requires the understanding of its rules and a substantial amount of luck.