Understanding And Winning At Blackjack

The Winning Black Jack Process

Blackjack is a wagered card game played with 1 to 4, 52-card decks. The object of the game

is to score higher than the dealer with the intent to get as close to 21 as possible without

going over (this is called going bust). All cards are valued as shown, except all face cards

count as 10 points and the Ace is counted as one or eleven.

The Dealer distributes, clockwise, two cards two all players including them self whom he

deals last. The first card is dealt face up to all players except the dealer whose card is dealt

face down. The second card is dealt face up on top of the first one.

Continuing in a clockwise fashion, each player reviews their cards and considering the

dealers known top card (the exposed card) chooses from one of the following five options:

Blackjack- this means the payers two cards total 21 points and no other play will be

needed.

2. Stand - which means the player is satisfied with their hand and wishes no additional

cards, passing the play to the next player.

3. Split - This can be done if the player is holding two like cards, i.e. a pair of eight. The

dealer would then deal a card on top of each of the eights, giving the player two hands to

play. If one of those split cards are paired again, another split may be called giving the

player three hands to play. The player would then play the hand to their far right first,

and after exhausting all play options, then play the one to the left of that, and so on.

4. Double Down- this means the player wishes to receive only one card for the option of

doubling their wager.

5. Hit- that means the player wishes to receive an additional card or cards until satisfied

with their score or until their hand is busted. Each player acts in turn until play reaches the

dealer. Then the dealer reveals his bottom hidden card and plays according to two options.

Hit or Stand. The rules for the dealer are slightly different from that of the players. The

dealer must take a hit if his card total is less than 16 and he must stand if it is 17 or higher.

The payouts for the players wins are determined as follows: If a player has blackjack, the

dealer pays out 1.5 times the players bet. If a player is higher then the dealer, but not busted,

the player receives an amount equal to their bet. If the players hand is equal to the dealers, it

is called a push and the player does not lose nor win their bet. If the players hand is lower

than the dealers' hand, their bet is lost. If a player, who bust out during their turn loses their

wager at the time of their play, regardless of the eventual outcome of the dealer's hand.

A winning play strategy takes into consideration several factors:

Play Factor 1) Card play strategy relative to your score versus the dealer's top card. Most

casinos' have free guide cards that instruct you on how you should play your hand in

relation to the dealer's top card. These tips have been proven statistically reliable but do not