Being a game of skill, Blackjack has a variety of rules that the player must be familiar with if he/she wants to be a successful player. Here we will explain the objective of Blackjack, the layout of the Blackjack table, the value of the cards and the rules of the game.
The Objective Of Blackjack
The objective of Blackjack is to obtain a hand less than or equal to twenty-one that beats the dealer’s hand.
Blackjack Table Layout
The Blackjack table is semi-circular in shape and has up to seven player positions and a dealer position. In front of the dealer is the chip stack, and to the dealer’s left is the shoe. In front of each of the player positions is an area where the dealer places the player’s cards. Above the player positions is a small crescent strip labeled “Insurance Pays 2 to 1”. All player insurance bets are placed in this area.
Card Values
Cards 2-9 are worth 2-9 points respectively.
Cards 10-K are worth 10 points each.
Aces are worth 11 points, except when a hand is greater than or equal to 11, in which case it is equal to 1.
The Rules Of Blackjack (How To Play)
Each player places a bet.
Each player is dealt two cards face-up, and the dealer is dealt two cards, one face-up and the other face-down.
If any player has an Ace and a card worth 10 points, the player wins 1.5 times his/her bet.
If the dealer’s up-card is an Ace, players may take insurance at this point. The dealer then checks his/her down-card. If it is a card worth ten points, the dealer wins. If not, the round continues without the dealer revealing the down-card to the players.
The players, in turn from the dealer’s left to right, either hit, stand, double down or split, based on the cards they hold and the house rules.
Players who go over a card total of twenty-one automatically lose their bet.
- If the dealer goes over twenty-one, the dealer loses and all players who have not gone over twenty-one win.
- If the dealer does not go over twenty-one, any player whose hand is above the dealer’s and less than or equal to twenty-one wins.
- If the dealer’s hand has a higher total than the player’s, the player loses.
- If the dealer’s hand ties the player’s hand, the player neither wins nor loses.
The cards are then gathered up by the dealer and a new round begins.