If your hand is out of play, you must have either\nbusted or hit or surrendered. The casino reserves an edge on Blackjack because\nif your hand busts, you instantly lose your wager.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nPlaying the third hand<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s say your hand hasn\u2019t busted and you didn\u2019t even surrender, then this is when the dealer will play his third hand. First, he flips over his face-down card also known as the \u201chole card\u201d. Then he adds up his two-card hand. If his hand total is 17 or more, he will Stand. In case his hand total is 16 or lesser, he can take an additional Hit card. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Remember, the dealer is not eligible to doubling, splitting\nor surrendering. Moreover, he is not authorized to decide on how to play his\nhand. He can only play his hand, in the same way, every time. It is only when\nhe has a 17 with an Ace and 6 value, he can Hit. This is referred to as the\nsoft 17 hands and based on the casino, this can be counted as 7 also for Ace\ncan be counted as 1 as well. This puts the dealer in an advantage as he can\nalways get a better hand than 17. If the dealer stands on \u201call 17\u201d, the casino\nhas a better edge. In any case, the dealer has to abide by the casino rules and\ncannot deviate from it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Payouts <\/h3>\n\n\n\n Once everyone has finished playing their hands at the\nBlackjack table, it\u2019s time for the payout. So, if the dealer busts, he has to\npay 1x the wager to every player hand at the table. If he makes a hand of 17\nand your hand is still in play, whoever has the higher hand will win the bet.\nIf you manage a higher hand, the dealer will pay you 1x your bet. In an\noccasion where both you and the dealer have the same value as your hand total,\nit is regarded as a push where you can keep what you had wagered. However, you\nwon\u2019t be paid anything on your wager in this case. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With this, the round concludes and a fresh round begins!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Blackjack Variants <\/h3>\n\n\n\n With the emerging popularity of the game, novel variations of Blackjack streamed into the market. Also, new rules have been created to play these games. While some are good, others may not be as beneficial to the players. For instance, the house edge could vary from casino to casino and even if they appear insignificant, they can make a big difference. Let\u2019s look at a few variations of Blackjack and their impact on the house edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are allowed to double down after splitting pairs, it can lower the house edge by 0.13%. This is an advantage for the player. If you are at a casino that offers Blackjack where you can resplit Aces, should you play? This option cuts the house edge by 0.03% and yes that\u2019s an advantage. Not everywhere will you find a game where you can draw more than one card on a split Ace and if you walk into one that offers this grab it as it can lower the house advantage by 0.14%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Note that an early surrender can cut the house edge by 0.624\n%. If you are a beginner trying to learn the game, you can save yourself from\nbig losses by surrendering. However, this trick isn\u2019t one that Blackjack pros\nwould like to use. In most cases, the house allows players to surrender 50% of\nthe initial bet even before the dealer checks his hand. This is easy to\nsurrender. If you surrender late, you will still be giving up half the bet but\nat this time the dealer would have checked his hand for Blackjack. In this\ncase, the house edge is also lowered. In a single deck Blackjack game it is cut\nby 0.02% whereas, in a multiple deck game, the house edge is cut by\n0.07%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did you know that double downs can be limited to hard 10 and\nhard 11? Well, some casinos don\u2019t allow players to double on totals below 10 or\nother soft hands. In such cases, you can expect the house advantage to shoot up\nby 0.28%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What happens if the dealer hits a soft 17? Well, if he does\nso instead of standing on all 17s, the house edge is likely to increase by\n0.02%. Of Blackjack games that pay 6-5, you can expect the house edge to be\nincreased. Commonly played on a single deck, this can break your bank. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can enhance your Blackjack skills with refined tips.\nBlackjack is a quintessential game and comes with certain etiquettes that need\nto be maintained by players. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Blackjack Basic Strategy and Tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n When playing a game of Blackjack, there could be situations\nthat call for a different course of action. Here we\u2019ve put forth a few such\nsituations that you could encounter at the casino. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Insurance in Blackjack: When the Blackjack dealer has an Ace\nas his up card, you will see that you are being offered insurance as a side\nbet. The dealer usually proposes this before any player plays their hand.\nEither it is insurance or Even Money if you have a Blackjack. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In such a situation, you are allowed to put up a bet amount\nequal to 50% of your initial bet. You can also propose a lesser amount. This\ngets paid either as 1x or 2x depending on whether the dealer has a 10 value as\nhis hole card. This means that you will be betting on the dealer\u2019s hand to\ncheck whether he has a Blackjack or not. You can claim 2x or 1x if you win.\nMost experts recommend players to reject the insurance and even money offer as\na basic Blackjack strategy. Players who are skilled at card counting should\nideally engage inside bet play. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Remember that once all players who want to buy-in insurance\nplace their wager, the dealer will check his face down card. If the dealer has\na 10, he has got a Blackjack! This means you and the other players will have to\ngive away your initial wager. Of those who buy insurance can collect 2 to 1 on\ntheir insurance amount. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So what happens if the dealer does not have a 10 as his hole\ncard? He can take any insurance wagers that had been made. The game, however,\ncontinues the way it would. In an occasion where a player holds a Blackjack\nwhen a dealer has an Ace, you can opt for even money. But, experts guard\nagainst this as they say that this is just another calculative approach of what\ninsurance has to offer. In such a case, if you have taken the money, your\nBlackjack would not get paid out normally. It will only get 1x the original\nwager as compared to 3x or 2x that you could otherwise get. This is regardless\nof whether or not the dealer has a Blackjack. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you opt-out of even money and the dealer has a Blackjack,\nyour Blackjack will not get paid. Now, let\u2019s say you don\u2019t take even money and\nthe dealer also does not have a Blackjack, in such a case you can collect 3x or\n2x your wager. Some experienced players advise that players should not take\neven money if they aren\u2019t skilled at card counting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The next one is the non-insurable dealer game of Blackjack.\nA dealer can have a Blackjack whether he offers insurance or even money does\nnot make a difference. Now, if he has 10 as his upcard, he can check his face\ndown the card before any other player gets to play his hand. In case the dealer\nhas an Ace in the hole card, it means a Blackjack. He can take all the bets\nplaced on the table barring that of the player who also has a Blackjack. This\nwould just push. Note that insurance is offered only in a situation where the\ndealer shows an Ace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If there\u2019s a dead hand, the dealer will turn over his face\ndown card. Then he would sweep all the cards up and set them aside on the\ndiscard tray. This happens when all players at the Blackjack table bust before\nthe dealer has the opportunity to play his hand. There\u2019s no reason to play the\ndealer\u2019s hand in such a situation as you will only be wasting the cards as the\ndealer has won by beating the players at the table. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another deviation in Blackjack can be traced to the side\nbets. This has emerged as a popular feature in the last few years. In most\ncases, it is the insurance that is regarded as the side bet. On most Blackjack\ntables, you\u2019ll find insurance coded as a side bet. However, this is not the\nonly type of side bet as the innovation-driven industry has been creating\nBlackjack games powered with other side bets as well. Commonly, you will be\nrequired to place a bet on the side bet at the same time as you place your main\nwager. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other side bets could include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nBetting on receiving a pair as the first 2\ncards,<\/li> Betting on if your card will match the dealer\u2019s\ncard<\/li> Betting on making a poker hand with the dealer\u2019s\nface-up card. <\/li> Betting on whether the dealer will bust.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nEvery side bet comes with a different set of procedures and\npay tables. All you need to know is that these side bets are not an integral\npart of your actual Blackjack game but can impact the regular procedure of the\ngame that you play. Most casinos offer these side bets as they bring them a\ngood advantage. Blackjack pros warn against staking inside bets, instead\nsuggest learning the art of card counting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Blackjack Game Rules Variations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Your game can be affected by the different rules that apply. It is said that \u201cnot all Blackjack games are created equal\u201d. The difference is usually in terms of the odds and also in how they favor the player. Here\u2019s we\u2019ve discussed a few rules and how they can impact the odds at play. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s take \u2018doubling after splitting\u2019 for instance. This allows players to double down on a hand that they have split. While some casinos allow this, others don\u2019t. At casinos that you to double after splitting, you can consider yourself lucky as it cuts on the house advantage and enhances the player edge. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nThe second one is \u2018re-splitting the aces\u2019. If your casino allows you to split your Aces even after you\u2019ve already spilt it once before, you have a reason to celebrate. For instance, you have a pair of Aces and received another as your following card; you will be allowed to split to a third hand or up to four hands. One thing that the casinos know is that the Ace is the most powerful card in the game of Blackjack and can be used in two different ways. That\u2019s why most of them will not allow either doubling after splitting an Ace or taking additional cards so that the advantage is lesser for the players. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n\u2018Early surrender\u2019 is addressed as an early one because it was to be made before a normal surrender. In the US, however, most casinos considered early surrender as an obsolete rule because it is similar to the regular surrender rule where the player can surrender to the dealer before he checks for a Blackjack or offers insurance. The strategy was considered to offer players a small edge. Moreover, players could avoid card counting yet have an advantage. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n6 to 5 Blackjacks – In most casinos that offer Blackjack games, you\u2019ll find they reduce the payouts down to 6 to 5 from 3 to 2. This is done to increase the house edge and siphon money from the player\u2019s pockets. Blackjack veterans say that it can dissolve the pros of card counting. It is suggested that you read the rules before placing your wager on the Blackjack table. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nMany casinos use the \u2018continuous shuffling machines\u2019 for their Blackjack games. This machine usually shuffles cards in the course of the game. Instead of putting the cards in the discard tray, you will find the dealers use this machine to put the used cards. Here they have continuously shuffled automatically. At casinos where these machines are employed, card counting could become a useless strategy, thereby making it difficult for the player to optimize the odds at winning. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nSingle deck and multiple-deck Blackjack \u2013 Do you know that adding a deck to the game of Blackjack increases the house edge. A Blackjack game played with 6 decks will have a higher house advantage than one player with 2 card decks despite all other conditions being the same. Other conditions being equal are more theoretical than practical. In a Blackjack game played with one deck, you might not able to double after splitting. Also, the casino might not allow re-splitting the aces plus there will be 6 to 5 Blackjacks. In a game with multiple decks such as 8 decks, the casino might allow doubling, re-splitting and also have only 3 to 2 Blackjacks. Additionally, the house edge would also be lesser.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nAnother variation is that of the \u2018deck penetration\u2019. This is expressed as a percentage of the cards that have been dealt out over the deck or the shoe. The cards that are dealt towards the end have a cut-card inserted somewhere in the shoe. As and when this cut-card is dealt during the game, it indicates that the shoe is almost out of cards and that the dealer needs to shuffle the cards. Most casinos cut off more cards so that their profitability from the game is not lost to a card counter although a quarter of the card deck can efficiently suffice for a Blackjack round. Players who count their cards can make use of the girth of shoe or deck penetration to either improve or lose their winnings chances in a game of Blackjack. <\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Blackjack is one of the oldest casino table games one can think of. It was around the 60\u2019s decade that Blackjack players devised a card counting system that enabled them to gain a house edge. As soon as this was made public, Blackjack players started to beat the dealers successfully in every other game. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4748,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8,173,171],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Blackjack Guide & Strategy: How to Play, and Winning Tips<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n