Blackjack is one of the most popular games played at the casino. It is also known as 21(Twenty-one). The game is played differently in the casinos and at the home. In this guide on How to Play Blackjack, we have covered both the versions. So, let’s start the guide on How to Play Blackjack.
How to Play Blackjack at Casino
Deck
Usually, 6 decks of 52 cards are used in this game. But sometimes only 4 decks are used.
Players
Two or more players can play this game.
Card Values
| Cards | Value |
|---|---|
| Ace (A) | 1 or 11 (Depends on the Player) |
| 2 to 10 | Face Value |
| King (K) / Queen (Q) / Jack (J) | 10 Points |
The Object of The Game
In this game, the players compete against the dealer. So, the main objective is to beat the dealer. And the players can do this by scoring nearest to 21 points without scoring more than 21 points.
Betting
All the players make a bet before dealing the cards within the minimum and maximum limits set by the casino.
Dealing The Cards
The dealer deals 2 cards to each player, face-up, one at a time, in a clockwise manner, and deals one card face-up and the other face-down to himself/herself.
The Gameplay
The player on the left of the dealer starts first and then the turn moves in a clockwise manner. The player can either “Stand” or “Hit”. Stand means the player does not want more cards and want to stay on the 2 cards dealt to him/her. Hit means the player wants one more card. A player can hit as many times as he/she wants until he/she decides to Stand. After that, the dealer serves to the next player.
By doing the above process, the player tries to reach as close as possible to the score of 21 points without getting more than 21 points. If during this process player gets more than 21 points than it is called “Bust”. In the case of Bust, the player loses the bet.
Dealer’s Play
After serving to all the players, now it’s dealer’s turn. The dealer turns-up his/her face-down card. If the total of both the cards is 16 or less then the dealer has to hit, and if the total is 17 or more then the dealer has to stand. If the dealer has an Ace and by counting that Ace as 11 points, the total exceeds the limit of 17 points but does not exceed 21 points then the dealer has to count that Ace as 11 points.
If the dealer’s card value is more close to 21 than the player’s card value then the dealer wins the bet made by the player. And if the player’s card value is more close to 21 than the dealer’s card value then the dealer pays the same amount of the bet, to the player. If there is a tie between the player and the dealer then the player takes the amount of the bet initially made.
Blackjack
When the first 2 cards dealt to a player makes a total card value of 21 points, it is called the Blackjack. In this case, if the dealer does not have Blackjack then the dealer pays 1.5x amount of the bet, to the player, and if the dealer also has Blackjack then it is a tie and the player takes his/her initial bet.
If the dealer has Blackjack then the players who do not have Blackjack lose their bets.
Split The Pairs
If the first 2 cards dealt to a player is a pair(Two cards of the same rank) then the player has an option to split that hand and treat both the cards as separate hands. While making a split, the original bet goes to one card and the player has to make another bet for the other card of the same amount as the original bet.
Double Down
After dealing the cards, if a player thinks that he/she has a favorable hand(which is of 9, 10 or 11 points), he/she can double his/her bet to win more with a restriction. The restriction is that they can get only one more card.
Signals
In the casino, a player can specify his/her intention by signals also. To specify a hit, a player can tap the table or scratch the table towards himself/herself. To specify the stand, a player can wave his/her hand above the table.
How to Play Blackjack at Home
The gameplay of the blackjack at home is very similar to the gameplay of blackjack at the casino. All the above-mentioned steps are same except some changes. The changes are mentioned below.
Deck
If the players do not have 6 decks then they can also play with only 1 or 2 decks.
Determining The Dealer
In the home version of blackjack, the dealer is changed at each hand. The first dealer is selected randomly and then the dealership transfers in a clockwise manner.
These are the only changes in the home version of blackjack. All the other rules for the home version of blackjack are same as stated in the casino version of the blackjack.
Now, you know How to Play Blackjack. Play and enjoy.
Thank you.