HOW TO PLAY BLACKJACK IN CASINO

 HOW TO PLAY BLACKJACK IN CASINO 

When it comes to learning Blackjack, you have an advantage if you are able to count to 21.

The classic casino card game of blackjack pits players against dealers in a race to get 21. However, blackjack is so much more than meets your eye. Blackjack can be a difficult duel between the dealer and the player because of the unique combination of strategic skills, partial information, and player actions.

Many blackjack beginners mistakenly believe their goal to get 21 or close to it without going over by the end. Although a high total can be helpful, your hand should not be the primary focus. It is important to beat the dealer's hand.

We'll cover this deceptive premise in more detail later, but let's get started.

GAMEPLAY AND RULES

To get the game going, you will need to place an ante bet (at minimum the table minimum). Start by placing a $5 red chip.

After placing your bet, the dealer will present two cards face-down to each player. Your hand may also be visible to all depending on house rules. This is a caveat you can learn more about in our Hand Signals section.

You will start with two cards in your hand. The dealer's two card hand will be split in half, one with face up and one with face down. The "up card" of the dealer is the most important information in blackjack. It gives you an opportunity to gauge your odds of winning.

Blackjack can be played with a simple 52-card deck of playing card, or multiple decks stored in a "shoe". The cards have different value depending on their rank. Aces are valued at either 1 and 11, depending on how you need them, while 10s and face card (Kings. Queens. Jacks) are valued as 10. Cards 2-9 can be valued according their numerical rank.

Assume you have an 8, and a 6, for a total 14 in our example hand. For the dealer, they are showing a 7 up card.

You have your two-card hand, and the dealer has shown you his up card, it is time to get active.

Blackjack players can use five actions to fight the dealer. 

STAND

If you like the way your hand looks, either because it has a high total or because it is better than the dealer's assumption holding, you can decide to stand. This is similar in poker to passing or checking. The player just declines to draw another card.

While standing on "made totals" like 19 or 20 seems obvious, players will be able to stand on any number of starting hands, even the 12 total. Blackjack isn't about beating high hands. Instead, it's about beating whatever dealer holds. You can use a well-timed hold when the dealer is likely to bust, such as on up cards such as 4, 5, or 6, and simply stand pat can be a powerful tool in your blackjack arsenal.

HIT

You can also add another card to your hand if your starting hand isn’t quite right. You hit by asking the dealer to give you a third card. Hit again and you will get a fourth. You can hit as often as you wish, as long as your total does not exceed 21.

If your total is between 4 and 11, there's no risk of you hitting on a hit. So fire away. The tricky 12-16 totals are the ones that you need to take a risk. But as you'll see in the Basic Strategy section of the Basic Strategy, sometimes hitting with a razor-thin margin is the only option.

DOUBLE DOWN

Blackjack players who win often use the double down to butter their bread. It is a powerful play that will allow you to increase your edge when opportunities present themselves.

Doubling down involves placing a second bet equal or greater than your ante. You effectively double your wager. You are then dealt a single card by the dealer.

Double downs allow you to maximize the deck’s 10-value card density. With 52 cards total, the deck has 16 face cards as well as 10s. If you have 10 or 11 total cards (alongside a few soft Aces), you can double down to get one 10-value card to make 20- or 21 winning hands.

It's always possible to hit on a 10 or 11 but if you happen to draw that perfect 10, then you'll regret not having a second chance.

SPLIT

This clever little trick is used to deal matched pairs (6-6, 8-8 and so on). Splitting effectively divides your starting hand into two. A total of 16 cards is required to split an 8-8 hole card. This puts you in bad shape against dealer up cards.

For the cost of a second wager (equal to the first), you can split the hand into an 8, and a second 8. You will be able to play two hands at the same time if the dealer completes both your starting hands with a second hand.

If you get a 9 on one and a 10 on another side, it's possible to go from a 16-to-16 total to more favorable 17-18 starting hands.

SURRENDER

Surrendering is an option that's only available in certain blackjack versions. It means giving up and moving on with the next hand.

If your weak starting hand does not match up against a strong dealer's up card, it can almost seem like you will lose your bet. If a 13 total is to be able to handle a 10 dealer, it will have a difficult road.

Some games allow players to either surrender or lose their hand completely in these situations. The dealer will pay half of your ante as compensation.

Let's take a look at the example hand above to see the five player actions.

Your total is 14 while the dealer's card shows a 7. Therefore, it's possible that you will be up against a 17.

This is because the dealer will be standing on his high total and you'll need catch up to be able to win. According to the basic strategy chart, players should hit on a 14 rather than a 7.

But what if the dealer held a 6 up? If they have a total of 16 cards they need to hit on, then the strategy is to simply stand and not let the dealer down by going bankrupt.

HAND SIGNALS IN LOIVE PLAY

One aspect of blackjack that is unique in brick and mortar casinos, is the use or hand signals.

I'm not referring to hand signals that are sent between players. Although, as the hit movie 21 showed, many card-counters rely upon signals to get the game over with, but signals you'll send to the dealer.

Here's how it works.

The house rules may require that the hands of players be dealt face-up in certain casinos. These "hands off" games don't allow you to touch your cards.

Others have the cards laid face down at tables, which means that you need to squeeze them for a peek. These tables are called a "hands-on" game of blackjack.

Both versions will allow you to communicate with the dealer largely using hand signals. Instead of shouting out "hit me" to get another card, which can be confusing given the background noise at the table game pit, the casino prefers to see an unmistakable sign.

If you want to signal a hand-off, then you will need to wave your hands flatly. You can also slide the cards under your wager chip to signal a standing in a handson game. To signal a hit, tap the table with your hands off or swipe the cards towards you (hands on).

In any casino, money is important. To double down or split, you will need a second stack of chips or chips.

LEARNING BASIC STRATEGY

These signals will quickly become second nature, but you must keep your focus on one aspect of blackjack: basic strategy.

Many books have been written about the Holy Grail Blackjack, and it is worth your time to read them all. But for now, we'll just keep it simple.

Basic strategy is simple to grasp. If you have a starting hand total of 0 and a dealer up, then one of the five actions will give the best expected return. Game theorists and mathematicians have been hard at work to crack this probability code. In the end, they created a master listing of possible actions, known as the basic strategic chart.

You can map out every possible blackjack scenario on a grid with 26 possible starting hand - including "hard" hands without an Ace and those with an Ace. There are 260 possible play options, which makes basic strategy learning difficult for beginners.

However, in reality, much of the basic strategy diagram is repetitive, and many plays can be viewed as a matter of common knowledge.

The hard 5, 6, 7, 8 and 8 all play the exact same way against any dealer-up card. For example, you can hit without worrying about going bust. The same applies to when you get dealt a total between 17-21. You'll always be standing.