Basic rules and winning strategies of the blackjack game

The representatives of the upper class have always regarded card games well. They helped guests and hosts to have a great time at the gaming table. And if they’re lucky, they could have increased their savings.

Blackjack occupies a special place among gambling games. First of all, fans appreciate the high speed of the game: usually, one game takes no more than 3-5 minutes. Beginners are attracted by the simple rules and lack of opponents because each player’s cards are compared only with the dealer’s. Byt the professional players value blackjack for the vast number of card counting schemes, which significantly increases the chances of winning.

Unlike poker, the game of “twenty-one” does not require constant analysis of opponents’ behaviour and the croupier. Mathematical thinking, the ability to make quick decisions and a pinch of luck are all that is required to win. Online blackjack has been gaining popularity recently. This game is in high demand among casino customers: all you need is a deck of cards.

The history of modern blackjack

Historians to this day have not come to a consensus about which country this game came from. There is some information that the game originated from France in the 17th century. Despite the church’s bans, it has gained unprecedented popularity among those who like to tickle the nerves.
The Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes also published a book about a card fraudster and his friend at the same time. By the way, the game had very similar rules to modern blackjack and was called “21”.
The Italian nobility was captivated by the new seven and a half card game. The essence of the game was pretty much what we already know, only the cards were interpreted somewhat differently.
1931 is an important year for the American blackjack. At the time, Las Vegas was a small American city that had severely suffered the hardships of the Great Depression. The town had no valuable minerals and tried to attract tourists by any means possible. It was here that blackjack received official recognition. Players have reached out from all over the world to give it a try and see how lucky they will get.
However, blackjack did not receive public recognition immediately. Players lost large sums of money in a matter of minutes without getting the emotional release they were hoping for. Casino employees had to develop various tricks to raise the game’s rating: bonuses, low minimum bets, rule adjustments (for example, if a combination of ace and jack of spades falls out, the winnings increase by ten times the amount of the original bet).
In 1962, a talented mathematician Edward Thorp turned his professional attention to the growing popularity of the card game. He developed a strategy that makes it possible to predict the game’s outcome. He outlined the main thoughts on this matter and the method of calculation in his book “Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One”.
After 20 years, fame-hungry students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology proved that you could win a considerable amount of money in blackjack with simple mathematical calculations. However, young people did not have long to rejoice at an additional income for long: this technique was declared a violation of the game’s rules, and the rules for players were tightened in favour of the casino.

Blackjack Rules

Today, blackjack in both classic and altered formats is available in every online casino, although the rules may vary slightly. Most often, they are written on the gaming table. However, the essence of the game is the same: the player has to beat the dealer. The player who collects a combination of cards that gets the closest to 21 points without overscoring is the winner.
The game uses between 1 and 8 card decks. In a casino, the dealer usually has a shuffle machine. It is believed that the deck of cards inside it is endless. Each player is dealt two cards. As specified in the rules, the croupier deals one or two cards to himself. The cards are open on the table. After the players have placed bets, it is forbidden to touch the cards and the chips. The score is calculated as follows: cards 2-10 are equivalent to their numbers; jack, queen and king are worth 10 points each. Depending on the situation, an ace can mean either 1 or 10 points. The only opponent in blackjack is the dealer, regardless of the number of other players.

Possible options for the course of the game:

• If the player has two cards that scored less than 21 points, he can keep the same cards or ask for another one, but only after the dealer’s hand is known. Taking an additional card, the player re-evaluates the situation and makes a new decision. If the amount of points is the same for both the player and the dealer, this situation is called a “push”. Usually, in case of a draw, the player keeps his bet, however, some casinos interpret this situation in their favour.
• If the player has 21 points from two cards, it is a winning hand. However, the dealer’s hand must first be evaluated: if he does not have a blackjack, the player wins. Usually, the winnings are 1.5 times the amount of the bet. If the dealer also scored 21, the player keeps his wager.
• If the cards in hand exceed the number 21, the bet goes to the casino.

Extra Features for Players

In order to stimulate the interest of customers in playing blackjack, the casinos have introduced some additional features for players.

1. Dealer’s Blackjack Insurance

When the dealer’s up-card is an ace, the player can “insure” his bet. The player invests an additional amount equal to half of the primary wager in this case. If the dealer hits blackjack, the player’s main bet goes to the casino, and the insurance pays out at a rate of 2:1. If the dealer does not have 21 points, the player loses the insurance bet but wins with the main one.

1. Double, triple bet

This feature allows you to increase the amount of the main bet and get one additional card. Tripling the bet is possible after doubling, the player is entitled to one more card.

3. Cancellation

In case of an unsuccessful hand, the player can take back half of the amount of the original bet in some casinos. This possibility must be discussed beforehand and depends on the combination of the dealer’s cards.