You can learn to play blackjack in a casino in just a few minutes, but you might want to know a few things before risking your hard-earned money. To begin with, the casinos do not play blackjack with any wild cards. Your dealer will handle most of the work, and they will be dealing with a standard 52-card English deck. The game may have a single deck, or multiple decks. The number of decks, and whether the dealer is shuffling by hand or using an automatic shuffler doesn’t make much difference to a beginning player.
Table Limits
Each gaming table from blackjack to craps and roulette have a table sign that tells the players the minimum amount allowed and the maximum amount allowed to be bet. A standard table is $5 to $500. Each bet must then be a minimum of $5. Higher limits are becoming the norm these days!
Most casinos do not allow players to even touch the cards, so make sure you watch a few hands and see if the cards are all staying on the layout, or if the players are picking their cards up! If the cards are staying down, you’ll simply look at the dealer’s up-card to see whether you want to take any more cards or not. Your point total will help you make your decision.
Blackjack In a Nutshell
In blackjack, aces can be counted as either a one or an eleven. Tens and face cards always count as ten, and the other cards count as their regular value (a 7 counts as 7, etc.). That’s the easy part. To win at blackjack you want to get as close to 21 as possible without going over, or -busting,- so don’t ask for any hit cards if you have between 12 and 21, unless the dealer has a 7, 8, 9, 10 or ace showing If they do have 7 or above, scratch towards yourself to indicate a -hit- if you have below 17.
Once you have 17 or higher, -stand- and don’t take any more cards. If the dealer has a 6 or smaller showing, stop hitting and -stand- when you get to 12 or higher. The dealer must hit until they get at least 17, and this forces the dealer to take a card, and when they hit and bust, you win. If they make the same total as you, it is a -push- or a tie, and the player neither wins nor loses.
If your first two cards are a ten and an ace, you win – with blackjack. All wagers on a standard blackjack table pay even money, or 1 to 1, except blackjack, which pays 3 for 2, or $7.50 for a $5 bet. Simplified rules for beginning blackjack include:
Always split your aces and 8’s – you make a 2nd bet of the exact amount and now have two starting hands with either an ace or an 8.
The dealer will allow you to hit each hand as many times as is required to adhere to the earlier rules you have learned.
Always double-down on 10 or 11 against a dealer up-card of 2 through 9 – you make a 2nd bet when your first two cards total 10 or 11 and the dealer will give you a single hit card.
Once you understand these rules, you might want to learn more about blackjack to increase your wins! For the time being, enjoy yourself by keeping your bets low until you have mastered more of the game.