Basic Rules of Blackjack

All the players at the table must make their bets before the dealer deals the cards. A player can bet just placing his chips in front of his table position. After all the bets are o the felt table the dealer will start to deal two cards for all the players and two for himself. In some casinos the cards for the players are dealt face up but in some face down. The dealer deals his cards always one face up and one face down. The dealers face down card is also called the hole.

Value of the cards:

- Face cards (Jack, Queen, King) count as 10

- Aces count either 1 or 11, whichever is best for the players hand

- All the other cards count their face value, I.E 10=10; 2=2; 6=6;.

The goal of the game is to beat the dealers hand without going over 21. The only opponent in the game is the dealer and not the other players at the table. I felt obliged to mention this because many gamblers often forget this and think that the only purpose is to get as close to 21 as possible and that is a big mistake in the game.

The dealer must play after some casino rules and these rules state that he must draw on 16 and stand on 17. (Note that some casinos will alter this rule slightly.) Also, the dealer makes his decisions on the game after all the players did.

A good winning hand is a natural blackjack. For a natural blackjack you are paid extra, usually at 3:2. If you make a total of 21 with the first two cards dealt, and those two cards are a 10 point card (Jack, Queen, King, 10) and an Ace you have a natural blackjack. If you and the dealer, both have a natural blackjack the round is a push or a tie. It means nobody wins or lose their bet.

Basic terminology

Hit - it is the term you use when you want to be dealt another card by the dealer. You indicate that you want to hit tapping the felt table with your fingers.

Stand - when you think that the first two cards offer you good prospects and you don't want to add another card to your hand you may choose to stand. You signal that you want to stand by waving your hand with palm down over the cards.

Double down - is your option to double your bet after receiving your first two cards. Some casinos only allow doubling on a total of 9, 10, or 11 although some casinos allow doubling down on any 2-card hand. To indicate that you want to double down you need to place your second bet next to the original one. After that you will be dealt only one more card, good or bad.

Splitting - when your first two cards dealt are a pair you may choose to split them. This means you will play two separate hands. For the second new formed hand you will need also to place a second bet equal with the original one and for each hand you will be dealt additional cards. However, if you are splitting a pair of Aces you will receive only one card. After splitting, Ace-ten counts as 21, and not as blackjack.

Insurance - If the dealer's face up card is an Ace, than he will ask the players if they want to make the insurance wager. This is a side bet, meaning that the players bet that the dealer's hole card has a ten value. The players can bet the equal value of their original bet and if they win the insurance bet pays off at 2 to 1. However, the players will need to beat the dealer's hand.

Surrender - To give up after the deal of the first two cards. Only one-half of the original bet is lost. You must announce your decision of surrendering before the dealer will deal the first hand and after he checks his cards for a Blackjack. Not all blackjack games offer surrender.