Blackjack Rules and Strategies

The blackjack rules are simple; you have to hit 21 with your combined card numbers. If you’re the combined number of your cards are higher than 21, then you are bust. In blackjack, you play against the dealer. The successful blackjack player is a dedicated gambler, lured by the seemingly simple rules, he has learned that there is more to blackjack than pure chance. The key to winning blackjack is by sticking to the best online casino sites basic strategy, taking advantage of the opportunity to double down and split pairs, he makes every effort to reduce the houses edge.

If the dealer does not have a blackjack, his card remains face down and play continues. In blackjack each player has four options. Standing, hitting, splitting and doubling down. If the player is satisfied with his two-card hand, he will stand. Hitting is when a player draws another card, dealt face up by saying hit me or by scratching the table. The player can continue to draw cards until he is happy with his count, if his count exceeds 21 the player is bust and loses his bet to the dealer.

If a player is dealt two cards of the same rank, he is able to split his cards, effectively making each card the first card of two separate hands and place an equal bet on each hand. The dealer will then deal a second card to the first hand, this hand is to be played out before the dealer deals a second card to the second hand. It is important to acknowledge that some hands are considered to be better than others when splitting pairs. There are some rules involved with splitting pairs: should the second card in the split hand form a pair, the player can split again, if a player splits a pair of aces, he is not allowed to draw a third card to either hand.

If the player receives a third ace, he may split again. If a player scores a blackjack with a split pair, he wins immediately, but is paid only at 1-1 and not 3-2. If a player thinks he has a good chance of winning, he can double down. This means he places a second bet on his hand in return for just one more card playing at www.americancasinosites.com. This third card is dealt face down and is left untouched until all other player’s bets have been settled. Some hands are considered better than others when doubling down. With the exception of poker, blackjack is the only game in a casino where a player's skill can influence the outcome of the game.

Success in blackjack comes down to knowing when to hit, stand, double down or split and in the mid 1950s a group of mathematicians divided a basic blackjack strategy that has become the blackjack bible for many blackjack players. It's important to remember the odds of blackjack, the payout is simple: the dealer pays a player with a blackjack at odds at 3-2 while all other bets are settled at 1-1. It cannot be stressed enough that you do not have to score 21 to beat the dealer. There is no point risking going bust trying to get 21 when the rules of the game are such that the dealer is likely to go bust during play anyway. You will lose your money if you go bust first. Fundamental to the blackjack strategy is the dealer's card up, and each player will play out his hand based on what he has. The rules can be organized in three categories depending on the player’s hand: hard-hand strategy, soft-hand strategy and splitting pairs.