When players choose to play blackjack online or at a traditional land-based casino, they are advised to know the rules and to know about blackjack strategy. This will maximize their chances of winning as well as their enjoyment.
Blackjack is fairly simple to understand but there are a myriad of possibilities once the game is in play. After the player has received the initial two cards, he has four options: to ‘hit’, to ‘stand’, to ‘double down’ or ‘to surrender’. Each of these options has its own matching hand signal. Some versions of blackjack have a fifth option; to ‘surrender’.
When a player chooses to ‘hit’ he will be dealt another card from the dealer. When a player chooses to ‘stand’ he is choosing to not take any more cards. When a player chooses to ‘double down’ he is allowed to boost the initial bet by up to 100% in exchange for standing after getting one more card. To ‘split’ is a decision made if the first two cards have the same value and the player splits them into two hands. To ‘surrender’ is usually in hole card games and can happen straight after the dealer has checked for blackjack. The house takes half of the player’s bet and returns the other half to the player.
A player can normally ‘hit’ as many times as he chooses in each hand as long as the card values do not add up to more than hard-20. If a player reaches 21 the hand has to ‘stand’. As soon as a player goes bust his wagers are forfeited to the house. Play goes on to the next hand in a clockwise direction after a bust or a stand. Once the last hand has been played, the dealer will reveal the whole card. Once the value of the dealer’s hand has been revealed the hands with bets remaining on the table will be resolved in an anti-clockwise direction, bets on losing hands are given to the house and winners are paid out.
The rules to blackjack are the same online and at land-based casinos so that players can make the transition very easily. Once players have found a good online casino they can start applying their winning strategies and maximise their winning chances.
