Side games: A quick guide to Blackjack

You may know Blackjack as a game of 21’s because essentially that is what you need to win. It’s a relatively simple game and is becoming an increasignly popularbingo side game because it’s easy to master and offers different ways to wager to make the game even more entertaining

Blackjack is played against the house although there can be multiple players ate table. To start you are dealt two cards face up and depending on their values (J,Q and K being ten and ace’s are either 1 or eleven) you can ”˜hit’ for another card or ”˜stand’ with cards you have. The object of the game is to get as close to 21 as you can and the winner is whoever has closest to a total of 21 adding up the values of the cards. If the values of your card exceed 21 then you have bust and automatically lost the game.

If the house and player tie is called a push and no one wins. If you are dealt an ace and ten on as the first two cards then you automatically win, as this is called ‘Blackjack’. If you are lucky enough to have a blackjack then usually you will win your bet back and half again, unless the dealer also has Blackjack, in which case it is a Push or a Tie and you just get your bet back.

Hands are described as being either soft or hard hands; soft hands have an ace which can be used as either a one or eleven (soft because it offers flexibility). Hard hands either don’t have an ace or contains one which has to be counted as a one. i.e an ace and a six would be a soft sixteen, but if you added an eight it would become a hard 15.

In a casino either online or in reality a blackjack table seats upto 6 players and six or eight decks of cards are used, and dispensed from a box called a shoe. Before being dealt any cards players must place a bet and then they are dealt two cards face up. The dealer or house gets one card face up and one face down. Each player in turn then decides to either stay or take another card to get closer to 21 without busting. When all the players are done, players who have not already bust wait for the dealer’s turn and the dealer then reveals his face down card. As a general rule, with hands equalling 17 or higher the dealer must stay; on counts of 16 or lower the dealer must draw.

Any players with a higher hand (without going bust) than the dealer win their bets back. Players with a lower count than the dealer will lose their bet. If the dealer busts, all the remaining players win.

There are several blackjack variations Las Vegas Blackjack games is played with two decks of cards and the house has to hit on hands lower than a soft 17 (17 achieved with an ace) and must stand on hands of 17 or over.  In Atlantic City games are played using four decks of cards and the House must hit on 16 and stand all 17’s.

There are other bets you can make whilst playing blackjack

Insurance: If the dealers face up card is an ace you can place a side bet of up to half your original bet against the dealer having a natural 21. If the dealers other card is a 10 then insurance pays at 2-1.

Surrender: If you give up your hand during the game you only lose half your bet. An early Surrender is allowed before the dealer checks for blackjack.

Double Down: You can double your initial bet following being dealt the first two cards, but you must take another card and only one. Most casinos will allow you to double down on any two cards, some only after you have taken another card and some casinos limit your doubling down to hands that total ten or eleven.

Even Money: If you are dealt a blackjack (ace and ten) and the dealer has an ace showing you can cash in your bet immediately at a payout of 1:1, without risking tie.

Split Hand: If your first two card are of equal value you have the option of splitting your initial two-card hand into two and playing them separately using each card as the start to a separate hand and placing a second bet that must be equal to the first.

Perfect Pairs: This is a side bet on blackjack and can be played on a standard blackjack table; these bets are placed and completed after the initial deal of the first two cards. Bets are made before the deal and must be made alongside the regular Blackjack bet, to win the bet the first two cards dealt to a players Blackjack hand have to be a pair. There are three types of pairs a mixed pair same number different coloured suit, coloured pair same numbers and colours of suit and a perfect pair identical cards.