Saturday, 11 February 2012
Friday, 06 June 2008 14:13

How to Play Blackjack

How to play black jack online.


Blackjack, which is also called ving-et-un or twenty-one, is a card game where the goal of the player is to have cards with a total number of 21 to win the game. In case no one gets 21 at the end a round, the player with a number nearest to 21 wins the game. However, a player's card value should not exceed 21; otherwise he will be busted, which means he automatically loses the game. The same principle is applied in the online blackjack games the only difference is that a participant plays on a website through his personal computer.

There are different variations of blackjack, which are basically named after the place or country where they originated or where they are popularly played. Although, there is a basic way of playing online
blackjack, the rules may vary depending on what the house or website has established.  

The game usually consists of two up to eight players who play at an online blackjack table. One of these players is the dealer (or a website representative or a bot). The dealer shuffles the cards and gives two cards to each player, including himself. The remaining cards is placed in a dispenser, which is also called a "shoe".  Each player then opens his two cards without letting others see them. The blackjack dealer's cards, however, remain face down. If one of these cards is an ace, it can be shown to the other players to ask them if they would want to surrender.

The value of each card will be as follows:

2 - 10 number cards = worth similar to face value
Kings, Jacks, and Queen = worth 10
Ace = worth 11 or 1

A natural blackjack is attained when a player immediately gets a 21 with his two initial cards. It can either be two cards with a total number of 21 or any ace card with a Jack of Spades or a Jack of Clubs.

Upon receiving the two cards and knowing the total card number value, a player will be asked to choose to make a move by clicking the button that corresponds to his chosen action. These options are deal, stand, double-down, split, surrender, insurance, and hit. If the player presses the hit button, that means he is asking for another card. He can ask for as many cards as he likes, provided that he does not exceed 21.  If the player presses the stand button, that means he is satisfied with his card and he will just wait for all the other players and the dealer to deal.

If the player chooses to press double-down, he prefers to double the bet amount in exchange for one more card hit. However, after getting the card, he will be disallowed to hit again. The player can also press split, which permits him to divide and group a pair of similar cards.

Lastly, if a player presses the deal button, this means he is prepared to lay down his cards and compare their value with the dealer's card to determine who wins the game. If he thinks that he has no chance of winning against the dealer because his cards' total number is too low, he can press surrender. By surrendering, the player loses only half of the amount he bet.

If a player thinks that the Blackjack dealer will win over him, the player may also take insurance by giving 50% more of his amount bet. By taking an insurance, the player will neither win nor lose the game because he will get the same amount of money he bet.

A winner gets 100% equivalent of his bet while a blackjack winner receives 150% more of the amount he threw in the pot.