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In the modern casino, Blackjack is played on a semi-circular table,
with the round Half-Moon portion of the table facing the players,
and the straight edge side facing the dealer. Most Blackjack tables
will accommodate seven players. Every Blackjack table will have
the words, Insurance Pays 2 to 1, also, Dealer must Hit Soft 17,
or, Dealer Must Stand On All 17's.
How to Play Blackjack
The basic Blackjack Rules - in which you are first dealt two cards
and subsequently permitted to draw more - is to total 21, or as
close as possible to 21, without going over. To win, your cards
must be higher than those retained by the deal. In Blackjack all
cards are counted at their face value, with the exception of the
Ace. Card 2 through 10 are counted at face value. Therefore, one
2-card, one 8-card and one 9-card; total is 19. Face cards - Jacks,
Queens, and Kings - are counted a value of '10'. Therefore, one
Queen and one 8-card is 18. The Ace card is different and at your
discretion, have a value of either 1 or 11. The best possible hand
in Blackjack is a combination of an Ace with a 10-card or a face
card. This is an automatic 21, when counting the Ace as an 11, and
is called, "Blackjack", or a Natural. It cannot be beaten,
unless the dealer has the same, which would be a Push, a tie. Always
check the sign on the table like: Minimum $5, Maximum $500.
Blackjack Systems
The first position at the Blackjack table is called First Base,
immediately to the dealer's left, and this player gets the first
card out. The opposite side of the table, at the dealer's right
is called Third Base, and this player receives the last cards. Third
Base is important because the player controls which cards the dealer
will receive. Don't be afraid of sitting at a table where there
are no players. A one-on-one game with the dealer offers the best
odds you can hope for in this game.
Blackjack Basic Strategy
To Double Down means to double your bet and receive one more card
only. You can Double Down on any first two cards dealt by placing
the cards face up in front of the betting circle, and place a bet
equal to your original bet next to it. Always say Double Down when
you do this. Players are allowed to Split the first two cards, as
long as these cards have the same value. By Splitting, you play
two hands and have to place a bet equal to the original bet on each
of the two hands in action. If you Split two cards, you are entitled
to draw more than one card to finish out each hand. All casinos
will allow you to Split Aces, but you will only be dealt one additional
card on each of the two Aces.
Blackjack Tips
Single Deck means one-deck of fifty-two cards, no jokers or wild
cards. Two Decks are just that, and a Six Deck Shoe is a box that
looks like a shoe with six 52-card decks in it, all shuffled together.
The advantage to the player, however, is that cards tend to group
in the six-deck shoe, and is possible to hit winning streaks more
often than with smaller decks.
Blackjack Strategy
In Blackjack a Soft Hand means a combination, on the first two
cards dealt, of an Ace with any card, other than any 10-value card.
The player can count the Ace as either 11 or as 1. For instance,
if you are dealt an Ace and a 3-value card, you have a Soft Hand
- your hand can be either 14 or 4; this is called a Soft 14. However,
if your two cards are a 10-value and a 4-value card, (so-called
Hard 14, also known as a Stiff). Therefore, a Soft Hand is more
advantageous and will allow you to get close to 21, or indeed make
21, by drawing six or more cards. This is called Six and Over and
in some casinos it is an automatic winner, often paying a bonus
2 to 1. The number 17 is crucial in Blackjack because it can be
either the worst hand for the player or the dealer. As in Craps,
where the number 7 can be either the player's friend or foe, so
in Blackjack the number 17 can make or break the player's hand.
Look for House rules of Dealer Must Stand On All 17. These are favorable
rules for the player, and mean that dealer's Ace with a 6 is a Soft
17 hand, he must count the Ace as 11 making the total hand as 17.
This means that the dealer will have no options. Don't play if the
rules state, Dealer Must Hit Soft 17, because you would be giving
up part of your edge. It is very easy to go find another casino.
Blackjack Strategies
Some casinos will only allow you to Double Down if the combined
value of the first two cards dealt is 10 or 11. This means that
if the dealer is showing a '6' as the up card - good time for you
to Double Down - and your total is '9', you cannot Double Down.
By eliminating this choice, the casino further reduces your ability
to win money. It is a good idea to stay away from casinos with these
restrictions. If you do find a casino that offers all of the good
rules, chance are they will only be offered on the six-deck-show
game. Still, these are the games to look for.
Source: Casino Gold Book
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