A Guide to Playing Black Jack

In the gambling world, seasoned players flock to the blackjack tables whenever they want to engage in their favorite pastime. On these tables, they use their mathematical prowess to implement the perfect blackjack strategies that guarantee huge payouts.

Even some casual players can attest to the lucrativeness of blackjack largely owing to its low house edge. Some blackjack games offer as low as 1% (or less) house edge! Owing to this, prospective casino players pick blackjack as one of their preferred games to play.

From the outside, by just looking at seasoned players as they battle it out on the playing table, blackjack may feel like a complex game. However, when you get a little closer to the action, what becomes evident is the simplicity of the gameplay rules. To help you grasp these rules and also prepare you to become a blackjack pro player, we penned this blackjack 101 guide that exposes every little detail about how to play black jack.

Table of Contents

The Objective

Blackjack, which also goes by the name 21 is a game that’s played between the player and the dealer. The player’s objective is to beat the dealer. This is achieved by getting a hand that ranks higher than the dealer’s hand. Often, this is achieved by getting a hand that equals 21 or is nearest to 21. Alternatively, players win when the dealer gets a hand that exceeds 21.

Inversely, the player loses when she or he gets a hand that is outranked by the dealer’s hand. Alternatively, the player loses when she or he gets a hand that exceeds 21.

Understanding the Hand

In explaining the game’s objective, we were talking about getting a hand worth 21 or one that ranks higher than the dealer’s hand. For casino beginners, the question arise, what exactly is the ‘hand’? What are we referring to when we say the ‘hand’?

Well, in blackjack, the hand refers to the cards that you hold in your physical hands dealt by the dealer. Each card has a ranking and the total value of all cards that you are holding is the value of your hand. It is this (total) value that you compare against the dealer’s hand at the end of the gaming session to determine if you are a winner or not.

Calculating Your Hand’s Total Value

Blackjack is a game that comes in different variants. However, regardless of the variant you opt for, some basics persist across all variants. Namely, these include the game objective, the use of a conventional deck of 52 playing cards, and the calculation of the hand’s total value.

When it comes to the latter that is, the calculation of the hand’s total value, players need to bear in mind the following factors:

All face cards (Jack, Queen, and King) count as 10.
The Ace counts as either 1 or 11 depending on what’s advantageous to the player.
Jokers are removed from the deck used in playing the game.
All other deck cards (numbers 2 to 10) carry face values. This means 3 counts as 3 while 6 counts as 6.

Considering the above, at the end of a gaming session, players must count the value of their hand and proceed to compare it with the dealer’s hand.

How to Play Blackjack

Playing blackjack is quite simple when you familiarize yourself with the gameplay rules and objectives as illustrated above. While many blackjack variations exist, the general playing pattern is the same. At land-based establishments, you may need to consider basic blackjack etiquette before grabbing your seat at the table. However, when playing blackjack online, all you need is to dive straight into the thick of the gaming action. You do this by following the steps below:

Select the blackjack game you want to play. Note that you can play the game in real-time when you enter live casino lobbies or you may play the RNG version where you compete against a computer dealer.
Pick the bet options that commensurate with your bankroll. For most blackjack games especially those offered at live casinos, the bet options are presented in casino chips format for a more immersive experience.
Place the bet. Depending on the casino you are playing at, you will find the wager button somewhere on the betting circle.
The dealer will commence the gaming action by dealing (distributing) the cards in a clockwise direction. The first card from the dealer to the player appears face up while his or her card appears face down. The next round will see the dealer deal a face-up card both to the player and him/herself. If the player is dealt a 10-value card and an Ace (translates to a blackjack win), she or he wins the game instantly on great odds of 3 to 2.
If the player doesn’t get a blackjack win, the player must take action depending on the hand they have. The actions that they take include the following:
Stand: Take no action and keep your two face-up cards as is.
Hit: Ask the dealer to deal (give) you more cards one at a time until you reach the hand you want or go bust (exceed 21). There isn’t any limit to the number of cards you get when you ask for a hit.
Double Down: Double your initial wager and receive only one additional card.
Split: When the player’s two cards are a pair, the player may place a second wager of the same value and each of the two cards will become the first card of two different hands. You can also split face cards (for instance, King and Jack) as they all count as 10 even though they are not a pair. After a split, you will continue playing with two hands at once.
Surrender: For some blackjack variants, you may surrender. You do this when you don’t like the first two cards you are dealt; hence, you prefer to receive half of your original bet back.

*At any stage when taking any of the steps above except for the surrender option, you can win the game if you get a blackjack (hand worth 21).

It’s the dealer’s turn to reveal his or her cards. In turn, the dealer’s and the player’s hands are compared to determine the winner.

Round Up

All it takes to grasp the gameplay rules and playing strategy of blackjack is to familiarize yourself with the game’s basics, as illustrated in this article. Grasping these rules and strategies transforms you instantly from a blackjack beginner to a seasoned pro.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1. What is the objective when playing blackjack?

The objective when playing blackjack is to get a hand worth 21 or nearest to 21 which ranks above the dealer’s hand.

Q2. What does ‘hand’ refer to when playing blackjack?

Hand refers to the cards that you are dealt (receive) when playing the game courtesy of the dealer. The hand value is the value of all cards that you are holding.