Las Vegas Casino Blackjack

How to Play and How to Win

Playing Like a Pro

So you have decided to learn how to play blackjack and join the millions of other Vegas casino players who enjoy playing the game of 21?

Blackjack is one of the easiest casino games to learn how to play. But like many other endeavors, blackjack is easy to learn but hard to master.

This site's goal is to teach people how to play blackjack in a casino and how to use basic strategy in order to minimize the house edge. Below you'll find step by step instructions for how to play, and you can learn basic strategy on the blackjack basic strategy page.

Step by Step Guide to Playing Blackjack

If you want to know how to play blackjack in a Las Vegas casino, the first thing you need to know is that after getting your chips is how to place a bet. You place a bet in blackjack by placing chips in front of you. Most casinos have a circle where you put your wager.

After you place your bet, the dealer deals you two cards and also deals herself two cards. One of the dealer's cards is face up, and the other is placed face down.

If you understand basic strategy, the information you gain from the two cards in your hand and the dealer's upcard can help you make intelligent decisions about how to play your hand.

When you play a blackjack hand, you have the following choices:

Learning the Game Stand - When you stand that means you don't take any more cards. When playing live blackjack you can say, "Stand." You could also say, "Stay." Another way to indicate that you'd like to stand is to pass your hand over your cards with your palm down.

Hit - Hitting a hand means taking another card from the dealer. You do this by saying, "Hit." Another way to signal a hit is to tap the table with your index finger. If you're playing in a game where you're allowed to pick up your cards, you can scrape them gently on the table toward yourself to signal a hit.

Split - Splitting is only an option if you've been dealt two cards of the same value. A pair of eights could be split, or a jack and a king could be split. (They're each worth 10 points.)

When you split a blackjack hand, you start two new blackjack hands, with the starting card being one of the two cards that was initially in your hand. The second card of each of the split hands is a newly dealt card from the dealer.

To split a hand in blackjack, you push a bet forward equal to your original bet. You also separate the cards away from each other. The dealer then deals you a second card for each of the two new hands.

Double Down - Doubling down allows you to double your original bet, but there's a catch. After you double your bet, you're required to take one more card and then stand.

Some casinos allow you to double down after splitting. Many do not.

Surrender - When you surrender in blackjack, you forfeit your hand and get half your bet back. Surrendering is not available in all blackjack casinos.

Other Blackjack Options

Insurance - If the dealer's up card is an ace, you have the option to "take insurance." Insurance is a side bet on whether or not the dealer has a blackjack. If the dealer has a blackjack, you lose your original bet, but you win on your insurance bet.

Unless you're counting cards, taking insurance is always a bad decision. It's a sucker bet.

Blackjack Dealer Rules

Winning at Blackjack A casino blackjack dealer must follow a strict set of rules on the play of her hand. These rules are posted on the blackjack table.

The rules will say something like "Dealer stands on all 17's" or "Dealer hits on soft 17's."

The dealer must draw, or hit, until they either have 17 or higher or bust.

Here is a little more information about playing blackjack in Vegas (or in Reno, Atlantic City, or anywhere else).

Casino Blackjack Rules

Las Vegas Blackjack Blackjack is the most popular table game at most casinos. But if you don't know how to play, it's frustrating. But learning to play blackjack online or in a casino is one of the easiest things you'll ever do.

Concentrate on learning the basics first. Then focus on learning basic strategy. Basic strategy doesn't guarantee a win, but it will improve your odds by almost 2% per hand.

Casino Blackjack To start learning, become familiar with the blackjack table. Blackjack tables are made in the shape of a half circle.

The players sit on the curved side, and the dealer is on the other side. Each player has a betting circle in front of him. The table also lists the house rules. Read the rules before you sit down; some of them affect which basic strategy decisions are correct. Most blackjack tables have a minimum bet posted too.

The betting limits are an important consideration. Some blackjack tables have minimum bets of $0.50 or $1.00. High roller rooms might have blackjack tables with minimum bets of $5000 per hand. Knowing the difference can save some potential embarrassment, so pay attention.

Playing a blackjack hand is simple. You have one goal: to beat the dealer. If you beat the dealer, then you win that hand.

You can beat the dealer in one of two ways:

You can get closer to a total of 21 (without going over) than she does.
You can win if you're still in the hand and the dealer busts.

Card Values and Hand Values

In blackjack, all numbered cards have a value equal to their rank.

Jacks, queens, and kings (also called face cards) have a value equal to 10.

Aces have a value of either 1 or 11 depending on what works better for your hand.

Playing Online Playing blackjack at online casinos or in traditional brick and mortar casinos is easy once you understand the basics.

Playing Online

Blackjack combines skill and luck. In many gambling games, like roulette or slot machines, skill plays no part in your mathematical advantage or disadvantage. But in blackjack, you can improve your odds by making the correct decisions on each hand. (Video poker is one of the only other casino games you can play where your decisions affect your chances of winning.)

Online blackjack rules are the same as traditional casino blackjack rules. The options vary from Internet casino to Internet casino, but that's true of traditional casino blackjack too.

The following rules apply to almost all online blackjack games:

Online blackjack is dealt with multiple decks of cards, usually 6.
The deck is re-shuffled after each hand.
The dealer hits a soft 17.
Players can double on any 2 cards
Players can split up to 3 hands.
Players can surrender any first 2 cards.
Split aces receive only one card.
Re-splitting aces isn't allowed.

Playing online blackjack requires skill, but if you know what you're doing you can easily reduce the casino's edge from over 2% to under 0.5%.

One other major difference between playing blackjack in an online casino and playing live is worth noting: you can't count cards online. Actually, you CAN count cards online, but since the deck is reshuffled on each hand, counting cards won't offer you any kind of advantage.

The Internet also offers unusual versions of blackjack. You'll rarely see most of these in a traditional casino anymore. These special blackjack games are sometimes created by online casino software developers. Most online casinos use standard PC software, but Mac blackjack isn't hard to find either.

Some of these blackjack games include:

Double Exposure Blackjack – In this game, both of the dealer's cards are exposed.
Blackjack Switch – Players can play two hands and switch cards between both of them.
Progressive Blackjack – In a progressive blackjack game, players can bet a $1 side bet with a shot at winning a progressive jackpot.
Blackjack Surrender – This version allows a player to "surrender" their entire hand and retrieve half of their bet if they think they're going to lose.

Whether you play on the Internet, in Vegas, in Reno, or in Atlantic City, blackjack offers some of the best value bets in the casino, even when you're not a card counter. Casino games of pure chance, like craps or slots, may offer a fun distraction, but blackjack is a true skill game.

It's easy to learn how to play. The basics will get you started, and as you continue to play your strategy will grow.

Finally, if you're looking for information about blackjack in French, try here: Blackjack. Great overview of blackjack and other casino subjects available there.

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