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Blackjack Quick Start Guide |
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Having been a
blackjack dealer and gambling
instructor, I have taught countless
people how to playing the game of
Blackjack. The game of Blackjack is a
very simple one to learn and you can be
on the table playing in just minutes
from now. On my main website (WiseBettor.com),
I go more in detail about gambling, but
this quick start guide will give you
everything you need to play a game of
Blackjack. For the purpose of this
article, we will focus on playing
Blackjack online.
Before you can play a hand of Blackjack,
you must place a bet on the table. The
minimum bet amount required to play
depends on the table you are at. All
winning bets at the Blackjack table are
paid even money, with the exception of a
dealt Blackjack, which is paid three to
two. If, for example, you have a $5 bet
on the table and receive a Blackjack,
you would be paid $7.50.
The game starts with you receiving two
cards and the dealer receiving two
cards. One card of the dealer is placed
face up for you to see. This card is
called the “up card” and gives you a
little help in guessing what the dealer
holds. Each card has a count that’s
equivalent to it’s number. So, for
example, a two is worth two. The Jack,
Queen and King cards are worth ten. The
Ace is worth one or eleven—you decide.
At the conclusion of each hand the
player closest to twenty-one wins.
However, the object is not really to get
as close to twenty-one as possible,
rather to beat the dealer.
As the player, you go first. You can
hit, stand, split, double down or
surrender. Here’s a description of each
action.
Stand: You stay with what you have and
end your turn.
Hit: You take another card. You can
continue to do this until you are
satisfied or bust (go over 21).
Split: If you have two cards of the same
type (example: two tens), you can split
them up and make two separate hands. You
can only split your first two cards.
Double Down: When you double down, you
double up your bet and take one final
card—and end your turn. You can’t double
down after you have more than two cards.
Surrender: You kill the hand by taking
back half of your money and giving up.
Most casinos offer this now. You can
only surrender when you have your first
two cards.
Once your turn ends, the dealer
completes the hand by drawing if needed.
Most casinos are setup so that the
dealer must hit until the dealer holds a
17. If the casino hits on soft 17, that
means any 17 made with an ace (example:
ace and a six) is hit. A hard 17 would
be something like a ten and a seven.
You are now ready to hit the Blackjack
table and have some fun. It would be
good to read up on some blackjack
strategy before playing—to maximize your
potential. You will find out some key
times to not hit no matter what you have
and times to double down. Blackjack is a
fun game and the house has a low
advantage over you—if you know how to
play right.
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