Blackjack Simple Guidelines

The goal of the game is for your hand total to be as close to 21 as possible without going over. Each hand is compared only to the dealer's hand. This means that you do not have to beat the other players at the table, your hand must only be better than the dealer's. Taking this into consideration, the true goal of the game is to beat the dealer's hand.

A natural Blackjack is when the first two cards dealt to you are an Ace and a ten valued card. Standard rules pay natural Blackjack at a ratio of 3-to-2.

In front of each player sitting at the Blackjack table there is a betting area. The betting area is usually a circle or a square on the felt. If you want to play, first you must place a wager in the betting area. To do so, simply put some chips there. This is when the game starts. The dealer will give everybody at the table two cards. He will begin dealing with the player closest to him. The players cards are face up or face down, depending on the rules. The dealer's cards will always be one face up and one face down.

All cards have a value:

• cards from 2 to 9 are valued as indicated;
• 10's, Jacks, Queens and Kings are valued as 10;
• Aces are 1 or 11, as it is best for the player.

Casino rules state that if the dealer's card total is 16 or less, then he must hit. If his card total is 17 or more, then he must stand. If the dealer's card total is 17, but one of his cards is an Ace (soft 17), he is allowed to hit.

The decisions you make after getting your first two cards directly influence the outcome of the game. In the mid 80's, thanks to the help of computers, a method of choosing the best decision has been developed. This method is called basic strategy and is of great use to beginners and ace players alike.

Since the goal of the game is to beat the dealer, you should base your decision on his face up card. If the dealer's face up card is a 3, 4, 5, or 6 his chances of busting are statistically high. Since his card total is likely to be 13, 14, 15 or 16, and all dealers must hit on 16, he will surely bust. These cards are called "busting cards", and knowing when a dealer has them is essential to the outcome of the game.