Blackjack
Different kind variations of
Blackjack have been around for centuries. Perhaps
the oldest game directly ancestral to modern Blackjack is the French
casino game “vingt et un”, which is French for “21”. Though betting
rules were different, the goal was the same: to get to a total score of
21 based on the ranking of the cards. The highest Blackjack payout was
given for a hand that included a Jack and the Ace of Spades. That's
where the term Blackjack comes from.
After the French Revolution in the late 18th century Blackjack moved to
America and caught on quickly. Blackjack experts learned
strategies to improve their odds. Blackjack was outlawed during the
19th century and the game was driven underground. Some states
legalized gambling in the 20th century and Blackjack once again became one
of the most popular casino games.
Blackjack is deceptively simple. You want to end up with a hand value
closer to 21 than the dealer without going over 21. Even with
other players at the table each Blackjack player plays against the
Blackjack dealer, not against the other players. Dealer's actions are dictated and
he has no decision-making power in his Blackjack hand. Therefore
other people can see your cards and it doesn’t matter.
To get the sum of your cards
you have to know how the cards are valued in Blackjack.
An ace can be valued as either 1 or 11 depending on the rest of the
hand. Cards from 2 through 9 are assigned face value. The 10, Jack,
Queen and King are all valued 10. Suits don’t matter in Blackjack,
only the numbers.
If you have an ace, you do not need to specify whether you want it to
count as 1 or 11. It will count as 11 unless you go over a score
of 21. If that is the case, it becomes a 1. In other words, in
Blackjack aces are used in the way that gives you the best hand.
If you are playing blackjack in a “brick and mortar” casino in America
everyone makes his bet and then the Blackjack dealer deals making
two passes around the table going clockwise from his perspective so
that the Blackjack players and the dealer get two cards each.
The Blackjack dealer then flips one of his cards exposing its value.
In so-called “shoe” games the players’ cards are dealt
face-up and players are not allowed to touch them. In hand-held
Blackjack games the cards are dealt face-down and the
players pick up the cards. There are all kinds of Blackjack rules concerning
the handling of the cards in hand-held games. You can only touch the cards with
one hand, you have to keep cards over the table, and any further cards
the dealer deals to your hand remain on the table.
Blackjack play proceeds from the dealer’s left. Each player says how
he wishes to play his hand – either “holding” the cards he has or asking
to be dealt more cards. After each player has finished the dealer
completes his own hand and either pays out or collects the players’ bets.
All the players are
playing against the “house” or the dealer.
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