Black Jack Basics

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Raise your hand if you ever played black jack. But who ever won a game of black jack? And for how long? The answer, off course, is anyone who can count and is familiar with the rules of the game.

Black jack is the only game in which you can improve your winning odds while playing. But in order to do so, it's important to sharpen your playing skills.

The expression black jack refers to a situation when the winner holds two cards that add up to 21, but it is also became the name of this amusing game. In this game you play only against the dealer, so it doesn't matter where you sit. In a home game (non-virtual) place has a meaning because every player deals by turn. We are involved only with bets against the casino.

Game rules

In this game you play with a regular deck that contains 52 cards, usually you play with 4 decks, but some casinos use 6 or 8 decks. Not every virtual black jack game allows you to manipulate the number of decks definition, because you might count the cards, off course. So, when you pick a casino to play black jack in, choose one that defines ahead the decks number per game. Anyway, using the base strategy of game will enhance your winning odds.

In black jack, there is no meaning to the card's color or sign. A black card is equal to a red card of the same value, and a leaf is equal to a clover, respectively. A card's value is determent by his numeric value, that rule applies to cards 2 to 10.

The picture cards (K, Q and J) equal 10. The ace equals to 1 or 11 depends on the player's choice. If the player has already one card that values fewer than 10, he'd better evaluate the ace as 1 because he can risk taking another card without going over 21. If a player has a card that is equal to 10 he'd rather define his ace as 11 and thus reaching a 21.

The purpose of the game is to reach a total of 21, or as nearest so the total of the player's cards is higher than the dealer's cards. Some situations it is better the player stands put on a small total such as, for example, 12 when the dealer has a total of 15, because the dealer has to draw another card. (You probably don't know this, but the dealer is required by the casino to reach a minimum total of 16 or 17, depends on the casino).

When a player's total is larger than 21, he is dismissed and looses the bet. The dealer also. If one them, the dealer or the player, reaches 21- he wins. The winner of a round is the one who reaches the higher total up to 21.

A "soft hand" is a term that describes any hand in which the ace is valued as an 11.

A+9= a soft 20, A+8= a soft 19, A+3+6= a soft 20. You get the point.

A "hard hand" describes a hand in which the ace is valued as 1, or which does not include any aces.

A+9+7= a hard 17, A+2+10= a hard 13. In these examples, if you count the ace as an 11, you will lose instantly.

When the dealer deals the cards (two cards each), if a player gets a 21 he immediately wins according to a 3 to 2 odds. If the player's cards sums under 21, he can ask for another card till he reaches 21. When a player stands, the dealer shows his cards (which only one of them was shown till now), if the dealer's cards sums over 17 the dealer stands and the winner is the holder of the higher total.

Player's options

1. Draw a card or stand, according to the state of your cards. The choice is made using a strategy we'll list later (do not make your moves based on a hunch, that's what our strategy is for).

2. Double the bet. After receiving two cards you can double your initial bet, but you must ask for another card.

3. Pair splitting. If a player gets two cards of the same value, he can split them and place a new bet, equal to the original. In case you get two 4's you can split them, and than ask for more cards for each of the 4's. All the picture cards (the 10's) can be split. In case of an ace, you can get only one additional card to each ace. Not all games allow a second split, and most of them do not allow another split after an ace split.

4. Insurance. When a dealer has a ace showing, a player can insure himself from a situation in which the hidden card equals 10, meaning that the dealer has a black jack. The "insurance" equals half of the original bet. If the dealer has a black jack the insurance is paid by a 2 to 1. If the dealer doesn't have a 10 the player looses the sum of the insurance. We do not recommend this system because it doesn't offer a statistic advantage. Meaning, it doesn't give the player a sure edge. This option is important if you can count cards, but that applies only to non virtual casinos.

Up to here, these are the game basics. Do not move on to the basic strategy until you practice a bit and understand the rules. Don't play for money yet, off course, but it is essential you practice so we added a practice link.

Remember, practice hard-play it easy.

 

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