Black Jack

Rules

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The rules of Black Jack are not hard to learn which makes the game appealing to new players. Up to seven players can seat at a table managed by one dealer. If you decide to play at home one player has to take the “job” of the dealer.
The game is played with a standard 52 card deck if you are at home, casinos usually utilize 6 decks of cards.
For more in-depth information on Black Jack click here.

Aim of the Game

The aim of the game is to come as close to twenty-one points as possible without going over. Cards count their value, while face cards count ten points, and the ace either counts one or eleven points. Every player receives two cards and is entitled to more cards until he comes as close to 21 as possible or even hits twenty-one points. Should he go over twenty-one he’s disqualified. The best hand is an ace with a face card or a ten, and its called Black Jack.

Gameplay

Before cards are dealt players place their bets, after that all players including the dealer receive a card face up. Starting with the player to the left of the dealer everyone, but the dealer receive a second card face up, now players can either ask for more cards "hit" or not “stay”. Players loose, should they exceed twenty-one points and their bet along with the cards are removed from the table.

Once all players have concluded their hand, it is the turn of the dealer to take a second card. According to the Black Jack rules the line lies at seventeen, meaning that if the dealer has seventeen or less, he has to draw another card, if he has seventeen or more he does not draw again. The Ace of the dealer always counts eleven points, unless he is over twenty-one, then it will count as one point.

Now it’s time to determine the winner, who is the player(s) who beat the dealer’s points.
Players who tie with the dealer receive their original bet back. Should the dealer be over twenty-one, then all players receive their original bet automatically. The payoff on most bets is 1:1, meaning that the player wins the same amount as he or she bets. The traditional payoff for a player blackjack is 3:2, meaning that the casino pays $3 for each $2 originally bet. There are two special cases in Black Jack, should a player hold three sevens he’ll get 1.5 times his original bet.

Split

Another rule variation is the “split”: if a player receives two equal cards, he may split them, and can therefore play two hands, but each requires a separate bet. A player can receive cards for each hand.

Strategies

few more tips on how to improve your chances of winning at Black Jack. Hands with an ace valued as “11” are called “soft hands”, because the ace can still be devalued (to 1), therefore creating a new possibility for a hand. Should the ace be counted as 1 or you don’t hold any ace, then the hand is called “hard hand”.

The following guidelines should be followed if you want to gain an edge over the house.
For players who are looking for more detailed Black Jack information please visit our Black Jack Strategies.

With a soft hand of 19 or more points always stay
With a soft hand of 17 points, compiled of a minimum of 3 cards always hit. Should you have a soft hand with 18 points, the same rule applies only if the dealer has a card with a minimum of 9 points.
Should you have a hand with 13 points stay, if the dealer has a 2 or a 3
Should the dealer have a 4, 5, or 6, one should stay at 12 points
If the dealer has more than 6 points you should stay once you reached 17 points
Newer split 5s or 10s! Also 4s are better left unsplit
Aces should always be split, unless the dealer has an ace, you should also always split 8s unless the dealer has an ace or a card worth 10 points
9s can be split as long as the dealer has less then 8 points

History

Most people are familiar with Black Jack, and in fact it is the card game, which is offered most in casinos. But you do not necessarily need to sit at a table to play, you might just as well enjoy a game of black jack at the comfort of your home in front of your computer. The game itself is around 300 years old, and can be traced back to 17th century France where it was known as "vingt-et-un" (meaning twenty one).

Name

The name Black Jack can be traced back to a special rule. When the game was first introduced to US casinos, it had a difficult start. In order to get player to the Black Jack tables, special bonus payments were invented. There was a bonus quote of 10 to 1 if a player was holding the ace of diamonds along with a black jack, and this is how the name came into existence. Even if the special bonus was promptly removed, the name stuck.