How to Play Blackjack - A Beginner's Guide

Introduction

Sitting down at a Blackjack table for the first time can be an intimidating experience.  Hopefully this article will help prepare you for that, by learning a bit about how to play the game and some of the nuances of table etiquette.

This article won't go into strategy of how to play.  For more information about strategy and other advanced topics, see the links section at the bottom of this page.

Here's my obligatory disclaimer - never gamble with money you can't afford to lose.  Don't play Blackjack with your mortgage, car payment, junior's college fund, money borrowed from a credit card... you get the idea.  Any money you bring to a casino should be considered the cost of "entertainment", and if you happen to come out ahead a couple of bucks, great.

Rules of the Game

Blackjack (aka "21") is a fairly simple game to learn, but it takes time and experience to master.  Your objective is to beat the dealer.  Both you and the dealer will receive 2 cards from a standard 52-card deck.  Your 2 cards are dealt face up, and the dealer's cards will be 1 face up and 1 face down.  You add the values of your cards, counting face cards (Jacks, Queens, and Kings) as 10's.  Aces count as either 1 or 11.  You can choose to "hit" and take additional cards, or "stand" and stop with the current value of your cards.  If your cards add up to more than 21, then your hand has "busted" and you lose your bet.  The dealer has absolutely no choice in what he does.  The dealer will always hit if his hand is 16 or less, and always stand if his hand adds up to 17, 18, 19, 20, or 21.  If the dealer's hand adds up to more than 21, then he busts and you win!

OK, so this is pretty simple so far.  Hit your hand if you want another card, stand if you are satisfied with what you have.  But wait, there are few more things you need to learn. After the dealer deals the cards, the first thing he will do is check to see if he has a Blackjack.  A Blackjack (in the old days, they called this a "natural") is a hand that adds up to 21 using just 2 cards.  So it will be an Ace (counted as 11) with a 10-value card.  If the dealer has a Blackjack, then he will immediately show his hand and you lose your bet.  Wow, this game sucks.  The dealer just got a Blackjack and beat you.  But wait... what if you get a Blackjack?  This is where the game gets fun.  If you get dealt a Blackjack, not only do you win your bet, but you'll win 1 1/2 times your bet (3 to 2) instead of just even money!  So if you bet $10, you'll win $15!

There are 2 more "special" bets that you can make.  If you are dealt 2 cards of the same value (for example, two 8's), you can choose to "split" your hand.  When you split, you add a 2nd equal-sized bet and the dealer will split up the 2 cards and you will play them as 2 separate hands.  The other special case is called a "double down".  When you double down, you add a 2nd equal-sized bet (doubling your bet, thus the name) and you hit and get 1 and only 1 additional card.  Doubling down when you have a total of 11 is usually a good idea because there are lots of 10-value cards in the deck, and if you get one of them, you'll have a winning total of 21 and win double your original bet!

Game Play

Sitting Down at a Table

OK, so now that you know the rules, let's walk through the mechanics of how to play the game.  As you walk through the casino, there will be many tables to choose from.  There will be a sign on the corner of the table indicating the table limits - the minimum and maximum bets allowed.  Make sure you play at a table that provides a minimum bet within your budget.  On the Las Vegas strip, it is sometimes difficult to find $5 dollar limit tables at the big casinos, but some of the smaller casinos do offer these limits.

You've found a table you like, and have a seat.  What's next?  It's time to put your money on the table - literally.  Take out your cash, place it on the table in front of you (don't hand it to the dealer, he is not allowed to take any cash directly from your hand), and ask for change. When you play in a casino setting, you will be playing with casino "checks" (most people call them chips).  These are small clay tokens that are legal tender in that casino.  They usually have denominations of $1, $5, $25, $100, and up.  The dealer will take your cash, count it out on the table for the pit boss and security cameras to see, and announce to the floor "Change!"  He will then give you an equivalent amount in casino checks.

It may be a good idea to let the dealer know that this is your first time playing Blackjack.  That way he can answer your questions, and he will go slow with you to make sure you don't make any mistakes.  Remember, the dealer is there to help you.

Time to Bet

Now it's time to place your bet.  There will be circles or some type of area on the table felt in front of you to indicate where you should place your bet.  If you are placing a bet with more than 1 check, stack them on top of each other, with the higher denomination checks on the bottom.

The dealer will begin to deal out the cards, starting with the spot immediately to his left, and continue clockwise, giving himself his card last.  Once everyone has 2 cards, the dealer will show one of his cards.  If it is a 10 or an Ace, the dealer will check to see if he has a Blackjack.  If he doesn't, then game play continues.

Beginning with the player to his left, each player will act in turn and decide whether they want to hit or stand.  A casino can be a noisy place, and to help make a player's intentions clear (and also so the security cameras can see what is happening), a set of hand signals have been developed to indicate what the player wants to do.  If you want to a hit, you should tap the table behind your bet with your index finger.  If you want to stand, you should wave your hand horizontally over your bet. You'll get the hang of it pretty quickly, just watch the other players and see how they do it.

If a player takes a hit and busts, the dealer will immediately take the player's losing bet and cards before moving to the next player.  After all players have acted on their hands, then the dealer will reveal his 2nd card (called his "hole card"), and then act on his hand (hitting if he has 16 or less, standing on 17-21).

At that point, the dealer will either pay each player in turn if the player won, or take the player's losing bet if it lost.  The dealer pays in the opposite direction as the deal - he will begin with the player to his right, and continue counter-clockwise.

Splitting and Doubling Down

Pretty straight-forward so far, right?  OK, let's go over our 2 "special" bets that we learned about - splitting and doubling down.  If you have a hand that you want to split, place a 2nd equal-sized bet next to the original bet, and tell the dealer "split" while also tapping the table with a hand signal showing 2 fingers (like a peace sign).  Do not touch the cards on the table.  The dealer will separate your 2 cards, line them up with each bet, and then have you act on each hand in turn.  From this point on, they are completely separate hands - you can win them both, lose them both, or win one and lose one.  If you want to double down on your hand, place a 2nd equal-sized bet next to the original bet, and tell the dealer "double down" .  The dealer will give you exactly 1 more card, and you cannot take any additional hits.

Tipping the Dealer

A lot of new players don't know that the dealer relies on tips (or "tokes", in casino parlance) to make a living.  The dealer is not there to take your money - he is just trying to do a job.  The dealer wants to see you win, because he knows a winning player will tip him better than a losing player!  So be sure to tip your dealer a little bit while you are winning.  You can give him a check (place it on the table, he can't take it from your hand) and tell him it is "for the crew".  In most casinos, the dealers pool their tips and split them equally.  You'll see the dealer put the toke in a small box attached to the table, which they will later combine will all the other toke boxes and distribute to the dealers.

Some players like to place a bet for the dealer, hoping the gesture will entice the gambling gods to help win the hand.  And the dealer will surely appreciate it, because he has a chance to make double the money!  To place a bet for the dealer, place it next to your bet slightly outside of the betting circle.  Act on your hand as you normally would.  If you split or double down, you don't have to provide and equal bet for the dealer's portion, but many people choose to.  If you win the bet, the dealer will pay you and pay himself - you know he's rooting for you to win!

Cashing Out

So you've played for a little while, caught some good cards, made some good decisions, and are up a few bucks.  Perhaps the best decision of all is to leave while you still have a profit!  When you are ready to leave, you can give your checks to the dealer and ask him to "color up".  This is a process of taking your small-denomination checks and exchanging them for larger denominations.  This makes it easier for you to carry your winnings to the cage (e.g. cashier) to cash in your checks.

That's pretty much all there is to it.  You now know the rules of the game, the mechanics of the game, and hopefully you feel a little better about sitting down at a Blackjack table for the first time.

If you want to learn more about the game, take a look at some of the links provided below.  Good luck at the tables, and most of all, have fun!

Glossary / Blackjack Terminology

BLACKJACK - The name of the game.  It is also the name of a "natural" 21, an Ace with a 10-value card.  A player's winning Blackjack hand will be paid 3 to 2.

BUST - A losing hand with cards totaling 22 or more.  Also known as breaking.  This is bad for player hands and good for dealer hands.

CAGE - This is the casino cashier.  This is where you take your winnings to exchange casino checks for cold hard cash.

CHECKS - Round clay discs used for betting in a casino instead of money.  Also known as chips.

COLORING UP - When a player exchanges smaller-denominiation checks for larger ones.

DOUBLE DOWN - A bet where the player's original bet is doubled. The player is then dealt one additional card to complete the hand.

EYE IN THE SKY - Slang for video surveillance cameras used by the casino to watch the players, dealers, floor people, and pit bosses.  The eye in the sky sees all.

FIRST BASE - The position immediately to the dealer's left.  It is the first position to be dealt to.

HARD HAND - A hand that does not contain an Ace valued at 11.  Example: Ace-5-10 is called a hard 16.

HOLE CARD - The dealer's face-down card.

INSURANCE - A side bet that the dealer has a Blackjack.  Insurance is only offered when the dealer's face-up card is an Ace.  This bet wins double (2 to 1) if the dealer has a Blackjack, and loses otherwise.

PUSH - A tie hand.  Neither the player nor the dealer wins.

SHOE - A plastic or wooden box used for holding and dispensing the cards to be dealt.  Shoe games usually use 6 or 8 decks of cards.

SOFT HAND - A hand that contains an Ace valued at 11.  Example Ace-8 is called a soft 19.

SPLIT - A hand where 2 cards of equal value are divided and played as 2 separate hands.  The player must provide a 2nd wager equal to the original amount.

THIRD BASE - The position immediately to the dealer's right.  It is the last player position to be dealt to.

TOKE - A tip given to the dealer by a player.

Blackjack Links

http://www.blackjackinfo.com

http://www.wizardofodds.com