Blackjack is a card game in which the players and dealer compete to have a better hand-total than the other. The rules are simple, the cards are dealt face up and each player must make a decision about whether to stay (stand) or draw based on their initial two cards and the dealer’s up-card. After the players have made their decisions, the cards are swept up and the next round begins. There are many variations of the game but the basic procedure is the same at all casinos.
The casino’s edge in blackjack is around 2% and that can be reduced with proper card counting strategy. But to be able to do this, you need to invest time and effort into learning how to count cards. The movie 21 had a huge gambling appetite for the idea that you can beat the house in blackjack with a skill-based strategy. The film didn’t go the way of the MIT Blackjack team, but it did revive the interest in card counting as a viable technique for beating the house.
In the last few decades, blackjack side bets have become very popular. They are placed at the same time as the player’s main wager and can be on anything from the dealer having a blackjack to your own hand-total being higher than the dealer’s. The most common Blackjack side bet is insurance, which pays out at a ratio of 2 to 1 if the dealer has a blackjack. There are also dozens of other side bets on the table, such as betting that your first two cards will be a pair, betting on the dealer having a certain number or suit, or betting that the dealer will bust.
Most Blackjack games are played on semicircular tables that can accommodate a varying number of players. The most commonly used Blackjack table seats seven players, although we have seen tables that only seat 5 or even 12. The dealer stands behind the table and chip rack. The cards are dealt face up, and the player’s chips are kept in a stack that matches the color of the stack of the other players’ bets.
The dealer will then make a hand (17 through 21). If the dealer has a higher hand-total than yours, you lose, and your bet is “swept.” If you have a higher hand-total than the dealer’s, you win and get paid one time your original wager. A tie is a push and your bet remains on the table.
A common mistake that players make is to think that the dealer always wins in Blackjack. This is because they don’t understand the rules of Blackjack or how to play it correctly. A good understanding of the rules of blackjack and correct playing strategy will lead to the dealer losing more often than winning. Also, playing shorter blackjack sessions will help to reduce the losses you experience. This will allow you to escape a streak of bad luck sooner, and it is far easier to recover from a smaller loss than a larger one.