The Basics of Black Jack
Originally a type of switch, Black Jack evolved into a card game that can be played at home or in casinos. It is played with a single deck of cards, with each player receiving the same number of cards. It is played to achieve a total that is close to 21, but not over. It is also played in variants that deal the cards face up, face down, or invisibly.
The game begins with a dealer who deals one card to each player. Players then have the option to hit, stand, double, split, or surrender. If a player decides to surrender, the dealer will return half of the original bet. If a player wins, he or she will get the payout for the bet, plus a bonus. If the dealer busts, both the player and dealer lose. In the case of a tie, the bet is returned to the player.
The rules of the game may differ in different casinos. One variation is the Double Attack Blackjack, where a player can increase his wager after seeing the dealer’s up card. Another variant is the Double Exposure Blackjack, where all cards are visible to the players. Both versions are played with liberal rules. However, the house edge in the former is higher than the latter, with a house edge of about 1.4% for the latter.
The game also has a side bet called insurance. This is placed on the “insurance bar” above the players’ cards. It pays 2:1 when the dealer’s first card is an ace. The wager can be up to half the player’s bet. The player is paid even money if the dealer’s second card is an ace.
A Blackjack is a hand that beats any other hand. The dealer’s first card must be an ace to count as Blackjack. When the dealer busts, all players’ hands lose, regardless of the total value of the dealer’s cards. If a player is lucky enough to get Blackjack, the dealer will pay out at least the original bet, and sometimes more.
Some casinos allow players to double or split, while others limit these options. In general, a player should not double or split unless he or she has a hard total, which is two aces or more. Likewise, a player should not count ten-value cards as blackjack.
Another Black Jack variant is the Vingt-et-Un, or Twenty-One. This variant descends from the global family of casino banking games known as Twenty-One. In this game, the goal is to beat the dealer in blackjack.
The game can be played with or without a betting table. It is usually played with a single deck of cards, which should be reshuffled after each hand. In some versions, the dealer will deal two cards straight away. Other versions require the dealer to stand or stand on certain rules.
The most important Black Jack rule is to make sure that the total of your cards is not higher than 21, or it is a waste of time and money. A player will win if the total is close to 21, but the game is not over until the player or dealer busts.