Blackjack
Blackjack – the original card game of ‘21’ or as it was known in 16th century France ‘vingt- et-un’. Blackjack is very popular and the rules of play are fairly easy to pick up, even for beginners. As suggested by the ‘21’ alternative name, the aim of this card game is to end up with a hand of cards adding up to 21 or as close as you can get without going over.
Blackjack has elements of both luck and an element of understanding probability and the number of each type of card in a pack. Played with a full deck of cards and also traditionally played using a semi-circular card table with the dealer at the back. Online blackjack may even be played in a live casino based platform.
Players gather around a table to play against the dealer in the quest for a hand of 21. Traditionally, picture cards (Jacks, Queens and Kings) ae valued at 10. An Ace can hold a value of 1 or 11 depending on what else you have in your hand, you choose. All other numbered cards carry their face value as points. For example, the two of spades is valued at 2, as is the two of diamonds and so on. Ultimately, the aim of the game is for players to score a total card number value of 21, or as close to this as possible. Any player who scores over 21 is declared ‘bust’.
Once two cards each have been dealt to players and dealer, players may choose to:
- Stand – stick with first cards
- Hit – request more cards to get closer to 21 until you choose to stand
- Double Down – double your initial betting stake and get one more card
- Split – if you have 2 cards of equal value you can create 2 hands to play and make a second bet
Surrender – fold and get half your initial bet returned
Blackjack occurs if a player gets 21 on the first hand – an Ace plus a card worth 10 points. This is a win unless the dealer also get a blackjack hand
With different blackjack games available, take a look through our recommendations to see wht takes your fancy!
