Blackjack

RULES
In Blackjack, the player and the dealer are each dealt two cards. The object for both player and dealer is to try to get their hand as close to or equal to 21 without going over. Between the dealer and the player, the hand that gets closest to twenty-one without going over wins the bet. If the first two cards dealt in a hand equal 21 the hand is referred to as "Blackjack" or a "Natural". In Blackjack, you are competing only against the dealer, not against the other players. If either player or dealer goes over 21, they have busted and automatically lose.
Card/Hand Values
Each card has a value that contributes to the total value of a hand. Aces can be counted as either 1 or 11, face cards (Jacks, Queens, and Kings) are counted as 10, and all other cards are counted as their face value (a 2 is worth 2, a 3 is worth 3 and so on). So, if you have a hand containing a 5 and a King, your hand is worth 15. An Ace and a 2 are worth either 3 or 13, and a 4, 5, and a Jack is worth 19.
Because an Ace can be counted as either a 1 or 11 a hand that includes an Ace is called a 'soft hand'. Whenever a hand is dealt that contains an Ace (before any more cards are dealt to that hand) the hand is a 'soft hand'. If a hand does not contain an Ace or if the Ace cannot be counted as 11 without making the hand value go over 21 the hand is referred to as a 'hard hand'.
Playing the Game
Once the original hand of two cards is dealt, the player has several options. The player can 'Hit' (take another card), 'Stand' (stay with the current hand), 'Split' (split a pair into two independent hands),' Double' (double your initial wager and take one and only one more card), 'Surrender' (surrender half of your wager instead of playing out the hand), or take 'Insurance' (a side bet allowed when the dealer has an Ace to protect the player against a dealer Blackjack). Not all casino Blackjack games offer the 'double', 'surrender', or 'insurance' options. The decision on which option to choose can be influenced by your hand value, the value of the dealer's face card, the number of decks in the game and even which cards have been played since the last shuffle of the stack.
The Dealer's Hand
The dealer does not have the freedom to make decisions. They must follow the openly declared rules of the casino or the table at which they are dealing. The most common rule is "Dealer must draw to 16 and stand on all 17's". This means that the dealer is required to 'Hit' his hand until it totals at least 17 (soft or hard). Some casinos play under the "Dealer hits soft 17's" rule in which the dealer hits his hand until it totals a hard 17 or higher or a soft 18 or higher.
Some online casinos have 'Blackjack Checkers', others don't. Where no checker is available, if the dealer is dealt an Ace as a first card, play continues until the end of the hand - you do not know if the dealer has a Blackjack or not. Where a checker is available you will be given the option to 'Insure' you hand against the dealer having a Blackjack. Insurance is a side-bet that pays 2 to 1 if the dealer has a Blackjack.
Pay Out
A blackjack or natural pays the player 3 to 2. If the player succeeds in getting closer to 21 than the dealer (without going over) the casino pays the player 1 to 1 on the original wager. Insurance (if offered and taken) pays 2 to 1. If the player's hand equals the dealer's hand the turn is referred to as a "push" and the player’s wager is returned. If the player goes over 21 (bust) or the dealer's hand is closer to 21 without going over, the wager is lost. Since the player always plays out their hand before the dealer does, the casino wins if both dealer and player bust because the player's wager is taken as soon as they exceed 21. end of rules To play 'perfect' Blackjack, you should first print out the Perfect Blackjack Table shown on the next page to make things easy for you. Keep this by your side when you play. Playing perfect Blackjack simply means making the correct choices on every hand based on mathematical probability. By following the Perfect Blackjack Table, you will make the correct choices every time. The table is also shown on the next page. To use it, you must find the cards you have been dealt down the left column (Your Hand). For example, if you have been dealt a 5 and a 6, then you need to find '11' down this column. Then, you look at the card the dealer has been dealt - you can see from the guide that if you have '11' then you should 'Double' if the dealer has anything from 2 to 10. If the dealer has an Ace then you should 'Hit'. Remember all 'face' cards (Jack, Queen and King) count as 10.
The guide always works like this: Find your cards, find the dealers card on the same row, then read the 'Action' to follow. You will notice that playing a perfect game of Blackjack means that you never take the 'Insurance' option. The top part of the table gives you actions for 'hard' hands. The middle section gives you actions for 'soft' hands (hands which include an Ace that can be counted as 1 or 11).
The bottom section tells you what to do if you have a 'pair' e.g. two 6's.
Examples
If you are dealt a Queen and a 2, against a dealers 3, you should look up 12 in the table.
This tells you to HIT. You then receive an Ace, you now have a hard 13. So look up 13 in the hard hands section and you should now STAND against the dealers 3. If you are dealt and Ace and a 2, then you HIT and get another 2, look up 'A - 4' on the table because you still have a 'Soft' hand. After 'splitting' a hand treats each of the new hands as being separate.