Blackjack: Play Online blackjack
Blackjack is one of the most popular card games in casinos around the world today, which continues to
grow in popularity due to the fact that elements of skill are matched with luck. The following provides a
history of blackjack, a terminology, as well as the basic rules of blackjack.
History
The modern game of blackjack has its origins in the France of the early eighteenth century, where card games
had taken off after being imported from the Islamic world via Chinese paper money games. Blackjack’s direct
predecessor is Vingt-et-un (21), where the aim was to reach a ‘natural’ total of twenty-one cards, with cards
being dealt in rounds followed by betting on each round. Other games from Italy and Spain are thought to have
influenced blackjack proper, which first appeared in the US in the late 1870’s. Back then, bonus payouts were
given to players who received a ‘black jack’ (either the Jack of Spades or Clubs) and Ace of Spades as their
first two cards. The practice of giving bonuses for these cards was soon abolished, but the name stuck.
Modern Rules
The basic idea of blackjack is to get a hand value closer to twenty-one than that of the dealer, without going
over. The cards are valued as follows; an ace counts as either 1 or 11, the cards from 2 to 9 are as indicated,
while the 10, Jack, Queen, and King are all valued at 10. If you go over 21 you ‘bust’. The game begins by all
players placing bets. The dealer then deals two cards each, including to him/herself - cards which should not
yet be touched. The dealer’s two cards are face-up and face-down (hole card). In the US, if the dealer's face-up
card is an ace or a ten-value, the dealer checks their hole card to see if ‘blackjack’ is reached. If so, all
players lose, apart from those who also have blackjack. A two-card hand of 21 (an ace plus a ten-value card) is
called ‘blackjack’ or a ‘natural’, and wins automatically, unless the dealer has blackjack.
When playing his or her hand, a player’s options are to hit (take another card), stand (take no more), double down
(double the wager, take one more, and then stand), split (double the wager and have each card be the first in a new
hand - available only when both cards have the same value - or surrender, which is often not offered.
After all the players have decided, the dealer reveals his or her hidden hole card and plays the hand. If they bust,
all remaining players win. Bets are normally paid out at the odds of 1:1, while players who push (tie) the dealer
receive their original bet.
Online Blackjack
In the last decade, gambling online has taken off in a big way. Blackjack is no different, and the ease of doing it
from home is cited as the main reason for its success. Other factors are the lack of intimidation for beginners, as
well as the fact that strategy guides don’t have to be memorised – you can have them right in front of you!
Terminology
- Blackjack – A hand consisting of twenty-one.
- Break-Broke – Taking hits that cause you to lose by breaching twenty-one.
- Breakable Hand – A hand that could go over twenty-one if a hit is taken.
- Bust – When a hand goes over twenty-one, whereby player loses.
- Double down – Doubling initial bet and receiving another card.
- Hit or Draw – Adding a card to your hand in effort to reach twenty-one.
- Hole Card – Card dealer has faced down (US rules)
- Insurance - When the dealer has an up-card ace, you can make a side bet of up to half your original bet, where you bet the dealer does have a Blackjack.
- Natural - When the first two cards dealt to a player total twenty-one.
- Pair - When a player's first two cards are numerically the same.
- Push - A tie between the dealer and player - no money changes hands.
- Shoe – The box a dealer deals cards from.
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