Learning the Basics of Blackjack

Blackjack is one of the oldest casino games but to this day, lots of people are having a hard time mastering the art of the game which is quite simple if I am asked. As a beginner with interest in sitting at the blackjack table and play like a pro, then you need to have a thorough understanding of the basics of playing blackjack. If you are afraid of embracing yourself at the blackjack table right away, you can consider practicing with a demo game. This way you can play Blackjack for free and learn a few tricks here and there for the start. Here is a beginner’s guide on the basics of Blackjack.

Blackjack table layout

Getting to understand the table layout should be your priority. The circle on the table or sometimes maybe squares depending on the casino is where the cards are dealt and place your wager. There is a “shoe” to the left of the dealer and this is where he or she places the shuffled cards to start dealing. Some sophisticated casinos have a machine that shuffles the deck of cards. In most casinos, the dealer does the shuffling of the decks. Once the cards are shuffled and placed at the shoe, a new shoe starts which also means the start of a new deal.

You might be familiar with the casino chips and these are placed on the tray placed in front of the dealer. The chips on this tray will pay winners and also place on this tray the chips of the losing bets.

Sitting arrangement

As a blackjack player, you can sit on any of the other sits available but not on the dealers sit. As a beginner, the arrangement does not matter but over time as you advance in the game, you will learn to choose specific spots depending on your gameplay. The first position is the sit on the far left of the dealer, also known as the First Base. The one to the far right of the dealer is the Third Base.

Buy-in

As an amateur at this, exercising patience will go a long way in saving you from losing money carelessly. Wait until the current hand has finished and then place your stake or cash on the table. However, do not make the mistake of placing your cash on the betting square or the betting circle The reason why you do not want to do this is because putting all your cash on the betting circle means you intend to make a cash bet on the next hand. This is not a wise move and high chances are you will lose it all as a beginner.

You want to play for a while with your cash and get to learn more as the game advances and so it is better changing into casino chips. Having placed your money on the table in front of you, as for a change and the dealer will count the cash, announce the amount and convert the amount to an equivalent number of chips of various denominations. If you are not sure if this is what you want, do not be ashamed or afraid to ask. Ask the dealer to break it down for you.

Gameplay

Once you have your cash converted to gaming chips, the game will begin.

The dealer deals once card at a time to each player with a wager in the betting circle or square. The card is placed face up to each player with a placed bet. A payer who has placed a bet is called an active player. After the second round of dealing cards face up to each of the active players, the dealer will deal the second card to herself or himself facing down and then proceed to flip the first card facing up and at the same time sliding the second card facing under the exposed card.

At this point, each of the players, including you has two cards face up, and the dealer with two cards as well but only one is facing up.

The dealer then asks each of you active players to decide for their hands by pointing at each of you one at a time. The following are the decisions that an active player can make;

· Stand – By this, you mean want to stay with the two dealt cards, and do nothing for the hand that is in progress. To make a stand call, you extend your palm over the cards and wave slightly from side to side. This is an indication to the dealer that you do not intend to do anything but remain with those two dealt cards. However, remember that this decision is irreversible.

· Hit – By this, it means you want to draw extra cards. You make this call by extending your hand or palm near your cards and gently scratch on the table. By this, the dealer understands that you want to draw another card and he or she will deal you one card from the shoe again facing up. You will have to then decide whether to hit again or to stand for the next move. You can hit as many times as you want to until you get the hand you want to make or just make a “bust.”

· Bust – A bust means that when you draw additional cards, the value of these cards is more than 21, which means you have lost the wager. This happens only when you hit and draw more cards than the original two.

· Double-Down – By double down, it means that if you got two cards with a total value that can be improved by making one good hit, you simply ask the dealer for a “Double-Down. Most times, people Double-Down card with a combined value of 10 or 11.

When your request for a Double-Down, the dealer will ask you to add the wager which is equal to the original wager you made and deal you one card, sliding it under the additional wager this time face-down. You can look at it gently or wait till the end of the current hand. In other casinos, the dealer might place this card facing up and move to the next active player. This does not affect the outcome of the hand in progress.

· Split – A split is viable when you have two original cards with matching values such as two Aces. By “split”, it means you can split then to two separate hands. The dealer will place these two cards side by side, and ask for you to make another wager equivalent to the original bet you made. At this point, you are playing two hands.

· Splitting Aces – With two hands playing, the dealer will deal you a card to each of the hands, if you are splitting aces. In case you receive an Ace on either of the hands or both hands, you can re-split the Aces, and the dealer once more will deal you one card to the re-split aces. However, if you splitting hands such as 8’s, the dealer will ask you to decide whether to hit, stand, double-down or make another split. He or she then moves to your second hand. Note that each of the additional hands are independent and you play them independently as well.

· Blackjack – This is also known as “The Natural.” In this, the total value of the cards is 21 and is composed of an Ace and a card with a value of 10. An Ace with a Jack, Queen, King or 10 combined with the first two cards dealt is a Blackjack. This is usually a win and it pays either 6:5 or 3:2 depending on the rules of the game. If it happens like this, the dealer will ask for “Insurance.” Do not buy the insurance as it will complicate your game.

· Push – This means that you and the dealer have cards with the same total value.

Once you have all made decisions either to hit, stand, split or double-down, the losing wagers are collected and placed in the tray, and the winners paid. The dealer will get rid of the exposed and played cards from the table and place them on the discard tray and they stay on this tray till a new shuffle is required. The dealer draws cards from the shoe one after the other until he or she reaches the cut card. The cut card indicates that the shoe is almost out of cards and ready for a reshuffle.

The objective of Blackjack is to win, and this does not necessarily mean reaching 21 or even as close to it. All you need is to have cards with a total value greater than that of the dealer and not to bust first.

With this guide, you can sit on any Blackjack table anywhere in the world and play like you have been in the game for years.