How to Play Blackjack: A Guide for New Gamblers
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a major drop in gambling in the United States. But, the market is bouncing back. Do you want to get in on the action?
Well, why not try your hand at some blackjack? Keep reading to learn how to play blackjack.
Blackjack Basics
Before you start playing blackjack, you need to understand the rules. In blackjack, the goal of the game is to beat the dealer. To beat the dealer, you need to get to a card value of 21, or as close as you can without going over. If the dealer draws cards going over 21, you also win.
Jacks, queens, and kings always count as 10 when you play blackjack. Aces will count as either 1 or 11, depending on the other cards you’ve drawn.
The game starts with the dealer distributing two cards, face-up, to each player. The dealer will start with one face-up card and one face-down card.
Then, you’ll have to decide if you want to make a move. If you think your two cards are close enough to 21, you can say stand and wave your hands over your cards. If you don’t like the hand, you can surrender it for a new hand.
If you want to draw another card, you’ll say hit. You can tap the table with your finger to signal the dealer. If you want to raise your initial wage and draw an additional card, called doubling down, you just add more chips to the table.
If you go over 21, it’s called going bust. When you go bust, you lose the game. If you’re given two cards of the same value, you have the option of splitting. Splitting means that each card will become the base of a new hand, doubling your chances of winning.
Blackjack Strategies
To be any good at blackjack, you’ll have to learn some strategies. There are also some rules of thumb for you to keep in mind while you play.
When it comes to splits, for example, you should never split tens, but you should always split aces and eights. If you draw an ace as one of your first two cards, it’s called a soft total. You need to understand all the different soft total combinations in order to make the optimal moves in blackjack.
The most commonly used strategy in blackjack is card counting. In card counting, you use a system to assign each card a value. These values allow you to figure out how much of an advantage the house still has, so you can make moves accordingly.
You may want to practice blackjack before you get into the big leagues. Look into your online gambling options so that you can practice in the comfort of your own home.
How To Play Blackjack? Start Today
The best way to figure out how to play blackjack is to practice. So, what are you waiting for?
Do you need more gambling advice? Explore this site and check out a few of our other useful posts.