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BLACKJACK - How to play

/ by Henry Tamburin /

Objective The objective of blackjack is to beat the dealer's hand by either 1) having a total that exceeds the dealer's total or 2) by not going over 21 when the dealer does. Exceeding a total of 21 is known as 'busting". The casino's edge comes from the fact that players must go first and when they bust their hand they automatically lose even if the dealer subsequently busts. Card values All cards count their face value in blackjack. Picture cards count as 10 and the ace can count as either a 1 or 11. Card suits have no meaning in blackjack. The total of any hand is the sum of the card values in the hand. A hand containing a 4, 5 and 8 totals 17. Another containing a queen and 5 totals 15. It is always assumed that the ace counts 11 unless your total exceeds 21 in which case the ace reverts to a value of 1. For example, Ace, 5 is a 16. If a player draws a 9 the total is now 15. Generally hands which contain an ace that counts as 11 are known as soft hands (i.e. ace, 7 is a soft 18 hand). A hard hand is any hand that either does not contain an ace of if it does it counts as 1 (i.e. 10, 8 and 5, ace, 10, 2 are hard 18 hands). Prior to the deal of the cards, all players must make a bet by placing chips in their respective betting boxes. Every player and the dealer will receive two cards. One of the dealer's card (known as the dealer's upcard or face card) is dealt up so that players can see its value. The other dealer's card (known as the dealer's downcard or hole card) is unseen. The two player cards can be either dealt face up, face down, or sometimes one up and one down. In general, games that are dealt from dealing shoes (normally containing 4, 6 or 8 decks of cards ) the player's cards are dealt face up. In this case you should not handle the cards. In games in which the dealer deals from the hand by pitching the cards to the players (single or double deck games) the player cards are usually dealt both face down (or sometimes one up and one down). In these games it is permissible for the player to handle the cards (with one hand only and the cards must always be above the table). After the player looks at his initial two cards and sees the value of one of the dealer's two cards, the player must make a playing decision. This includes the following: Hit This means you want the dealer to give you another card to your hand. In shoe games, indicate to the dealer that you want a hit by making a beckoning motion with your finger or tapping the table behind your cards with your finger. In hand held games, scratch the edges of the cards in your hand lightly on the felt. Standing This means you are satisfied with the total of the hand and want to stand with the cards you have. In shoe games, indicate that you want to stand by waving your hand over the cards. In hand held games, tuck your cards under the chips that you have in the betting box. Pair Splitting If you have two like cards (e.g. a pair of 6's or aces), you could excersise the option to split. When you split you must make another bet equal to your original bet (just place your chip next to the original chip bet on the hand). By pair splitting you play each card as a separate hand and you can draw as many cards as you like to each hand (except split aces-most casinos will only allow one draw card to each ace). For example if you were dealt a pair of 8's (16) and split, you would have two separate hands containing an 8. You would be required to play out one of the split hands first before the other. In shoe games you indicate that you want to split by placing another chip next to the original chip. For hand held games toss your cards on the table and then make the secondary wager. Most casinos will also allow players to split all 10 value cards such as a jack and ten or queen and king.

Doubling down This playing option allows you to double your bet in return for receiving one and only one draw card. In most casinos you can only double down after you receive your first two cards and before drawing another card. To signal the dealer that you want to double down just place your chip next to the original chip bet on the hand (shoe games) or toss your cards on the table face-up in hand held games and then make the secondary bet. Surrender This playing option is sometimes permitted. It allows a player to forfeit the hand with an automatic loss of half the original bet. Player's can surrender their initial two card hand only after the dealer has checked his cards for a blackjack. Once a player draws a card the surrender option is no longer available. If the dealer has a blackjack hand, then surrender is not available. When a player surrenders (to do so tell the dealer "surrender") the dealer will remove the player's card from the table and place one half of the players bet in the chip rack. The player is no longer involved in that round. The above rule is known as late surrender. In some casinos players can surrender before the dealer checks his cards for a blackjack. This form of surrender is much more player favorable than late surrender but it is rarely offered. Insurance When the dealer's upcard is an ace, the dealer will ask players if they want to make the insurance wager. It is a side bet in which players are betting that the dealer's hole card will be a ten-value card. Players can make an insurance bet equal to one half of the initial bet made on the hand. To make the insurance bet you simply place your chips on the insurance line, which is located right above the player betting box. You win your insurance bet if the dealer has a ten-value card in the hole. A winning insurance bet pays off at 2 to 1 odds. Even Money When the player has a blackjack hand and the dealer has an ace showing the dealer will ask the player if he wants "even money". Even money means the dealer will automatically give you a 1 to 1 (or even money) payoff on your bet before he checks his downcard for a potential blackjack. Taking even money yields the same result as making an insurance bet on your blackjack hand. Unlike players, the dealer in blackjack has no playing option. Casino rules specify that a dealer must draw when the dealer's hand totals less than 17 and stand when the total is 17 to 21. In some casinos, dealer's must stand on soft 17 and in others they must hit (it's better for the player if the rules specify the dealer must stand on soft 17). If the player's hand exceeds a total of 21 the player automatically losses. If the player's hand exceeds the total of the dealer's hand, the player wins the hand and is paid at 1 to 1 odds. If the player and dealer have the same total, the hand is a tie or push and the player retains his bet. In most European casinos, the dealer will give himself only one face card and wait until all the players play out their hands before dealing his second card. This is widely known as the European No-Hole card rule and it can change a player's strategy slightly. Always remember that when you play blackjack it's you against the dealer. The two variables that determine how you should play your hand are the dealer's upcard and your hand. With more experience, you'll also be able to use the information of all the cards that you see on the table (yours, the dealer and your fellow players) to make a more informed decision on how much to bet and how to play the hand (see Advanced Playing Strategies). Henry Tamburin is one of America's premier casino gambling writers and the author of his latest book Henry Tamburin On Casino Gambling - The Best of The Best plus 6 other best-selling books. For a free catalog call 1-888-353-3234 or visit his web site for casino players at http://www.smartgaming.com

  Best BlackJack Rules
     by Henry Tamburin

The question that blackjack players most often ask me is "where is the best place to play blackjack"? Actually, the "place" is not the real issue. What players are really looking for is a blackjack game with the best "odds". What makes one blackjack game better than another is the mix of playing rules. Some rules tend to reduce the casino odds if a player uses the rule to his/her benefit. Like doubling down. If the rules allow a player to double down on any two cards, then a skillful player that knows the basic playing strategy for doubling on hard and soft hands will be able to reduce the casino odds. Here is a list of the more favorable blackjack playing rules followed by a list of Las Vegas casinos that currently have the best single, double and six deck blackjack games. 1. Blackjack hands paid at 2 to1. This is not a common rule for a good reason. The casino's edge is reduced by 2.2 percent. Therefore, casinos usually offer this rule for promotional purposes for a limited time. Blackjack pros hammered several mid-west casinos when they first offered this rule. 2. Early Surrender This is another favorable rule for blackjack players. The rule allows players to surrender their hand and forfeit half their wager before the dealer checks his hole card. By being able to surrender specific hands against a potential dealer blackjack is quite favorable, reducing the casino's edge by 0.6%. The early surrender rule is available in some European and Asian casinos but you will rarely discover a casino in the United States offer it except in some video blackjack games. 3. Doubling after Pair Splitting Known as DAS, this rule is quite common in casinos especially in multiple deck games. Yet I am amazed at the number of blackjack players who fail to double down after pair splitting when basic strategy calls for it. DAS when used correctly lowers the casino's edge by 0.14%. 4. Drawing to Split Aces Normally when a player splits aces, you are given only one draw card to each ace. Some casinos will allow players to draw more than one additional draw card to each split ace. This favorable rule decreases the casino's edge by about 0.14%.

5. Resplitting Aces If you split a pair of aces and draw another ace you are usually stuck with a stiff hand of 12 (ace,ace). Some casinos will allow players the option to resplit aces. Thus if you drew another ace to one of your split aces, you would be able to split the aces again and ultimately play three hands at once, each containing an ace as the first card. 6. Late Surrender Late surrender is the more popular form of surrender offered by most casinos in the United States. A player is able to surrender the hand only after the dealer has checked his downcard for a blackjack hand. You would lose the hand in the event the dealer has a blackjack. Late surrender reduces the casino's edge by 0.08%. 7. Dealer Stand on Soft 17 In most casinos a dealer holding a soft 17 (e.g. ace,6) must stand. However, in some casinos dealers must hit their soft 17. The latter is not a player favorable rule. You are 0.2% better off if the dealer stands on soft 17. Casinos in Las Vegas that currently offer the best mix of player favorable rules for the basic strategy player are: 1-deck: Circus Circus, Horseshoe, Plaza, Reserve, Sams Town, Santa Fe, Silver City, Slot-A-Fun, Texas Station, Westward Ho. 2-deck: Bally, Barbary Coast, Bellagio, Flamingo Hilton, Hard Rock, Harrahs, Las Vegas Hilton, Luxor, Mirage, Monte Carlo, New Frontier, Riviera, San Remo, Stardust, Treasure Island, Tropicana. 6-deck: Bellagio, Big Horn, Caesars Palace, Desert Inn, Golden Nugget, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, Mirage, Rio. Given a choice of where to play blackjack, you are better off playing at one of the above casinos that offer blackjack players the lowest odds as long as you are familiar with the basic playing strategy.

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