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Blackjack Card Game: Taking Your Fun Card Game to the Next Level

The popular blackjack card game is played around the table with friends or at a casino. The game is also known as “Twenty-One,” which hints at the number the gameplay revolves around, 21. However, having two cards worth 21 is not the only way to win blackjack. The game of blackjack also revolves around beating the dealer.

What Is The Blackjack Card Game?

A close up view of a hand of blackjack at the casino with some chips in the background for a Blackjack Card Game

The term “blackjack” is the name for the primary, winning condition in a card game that frequently goes by the same name. This event occurs when the original two cards in a player or the dealer’s hand add up to 21. A player in this situation may win 150% of their original bet, assuming the dealer does not also have a blackjack. The dealer always wins in a tie.

When Does a Blackjack Card Game Player Beat the Dealer?

The player has a “blackjack” or two cards that add up to twenty-one, and the dealer does not.

  • The player has a hand of a value up to or equal to twenty-one, and that value is greater than the value of the dealer’s hand.
  • The dealer draws a hand greater than twenty-one. Anyone, dealer or player, who draws a hand worth more than twenty-one has “busted” and automatically loses.

Notice, none of the ways a player wins are directly related to anyone but the dealer. In this way, a blackjack card game is considered to be a game against the dealer.

However, do not get sucked into thinking a blackjack card game should become a game of cooperation against the dealer. The cards other players draw do influence everyone’s hand, including the dealers, by changing the value of the deck.

This concept is key when talking about one strategy often referred to as card counting (more on that later). So, grab your food for the game night and enjoy every round of the game.

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Playing the Blackjack Card Game with Fun

Man Secretly Viewing His Cards on a Casino Table Revealing Black Ace and King of Hearts with some chips for a Blackjack Card Game

The Blackjack card game is played with as few as one deck and as many as eight decks of cards; multiple decks are known as a shoe. Each deck contains 52 cards: 4 aces, 36 cards valued 2 through 10, and 12 “face” cards, which are the king, queen, and jack. Suits do not matter in blackjack. If a deck comes with jokers, they are removed and not used in the game.

Blackjack Card Game Values

  • 2 through 10 have their respective numerical value
  • “face” cards are worth 10
  • aces can be used as a 1 or  an 11
  • when an ace is used as an eleven, the hand is referred to as “soft.”

The Blackjack card game is generally played at a semi-circular table. The players sit on the curved side, while the dealer is seated on the straight side. Cards are dealt from the dealer’s left with the dealer receiving the last card.

Order of Play in a Round of Blackjack Card Game

1. Bets are placed in the “betting box,” the area in front of each player.

2. Following that, there are two rounds where one card is dealt with each player, starting with the player left of the dealer. Generally, players’ cards are dealt face up on the table. In the United States, the dealer’s first card is face up and the dealer’s second card is dealt face down.

  • After the second card is dealt with the dealer, the dealer will check to see if they have a blackjack in the event that their first card is an ace or a ten before allowing the option to surrender. If the check is made before allowing surrender, this is called a “late surrender.”
  • If this check is not made until after the round of betting (3) is complete, this is called an “early surrender.”

The Blackjack card game is generally played at a semi-circular table. The players sit on the curved side, while the dealer is seated on the straight side. Cards are dealt from the dealer’s left with the dealer receiving the last card.

(European Blackjack Card Game Rules)

In Europe, the dealer does not receive their second card until all players have played their hand.

4. If the dealer does not have a blackjack, the game continues to a round of betting and the option of being dealt more cards. Players look at their hand and determine if they want to do one of the following:

  • “stand”/”stay” – refrain from taking any more cards and keep their bet as is
  • “hit” – receive at least one more card, can be done with a hand valued up to 20 or a soft 21
  • “double down” – take an additional card and increase your bet up two twice the original wager
  • “split” – if both cards in a player’s hand are the same, this splits them into two separate hands, and each hand is dealt a second card. A second bet is put down by the player for the second hand that has been created.
  • “surrender” – This option is not always available and is only an option in the first round of decision-making. It is not generally permitted against a dealer with blackjack. With this move, a player gives up half their bet and removes themselves from the round.
  • A “late surrender” occurs in games in which a dealer card “in the hole” that has been checked for blackjack.
  • In this case, it is more advantageous to stay in unless a player has a terrible hand because there is a 1:4 chance the player will win, versus guaranteeing a loss of half their original wager.
  • An “early surrender” occurs in games where the dealer does not check their second card before going forward with this round of betting.
  • This situation is more advantageous to the player than a “late surrender.” The player should surrender if an ace is the exposed card.
  • 4. The dealer turns over or is dealt their second card after everyone else has played UNLESS all the players have busted or had blackjack.

    5. If the dealer’s hand is under 17 or is a “soft” 17, they must “hit” until their hand is worth 17 or more.

    6. Player hands are compared to the dealer’s hand.

    7. To have a winning hand, the hand’s value must be closer to 21 than the dealer’s hand without going over 21. If a player has a hand equal to the dealer’s, then they have a “push,” and they do not win, but they also do not lose their original bet.

    8. Pay-out: blackjack wins 3:2 on their bet. Otherwise, winners get 1:1 on their bet, meaning they are paid an amount equal to their original wager. Any loses go to the dealer, who is representing “the house” or betting establishment.

    Tips, Strategies, and More for Blackjack Card Game

    Men and Women Starting to Play the Blackjack Card Game at a Casino

    The Blackjack card game is played with as few as one deck and as many as eight decks of cards; multiple decks are known as a shoe. Each deck contains 52 cards: 4 aces, 36 cards valued 2 through 10, and 12 “face” cards, which are the king, queen, and jack. Suits do not matter in blackjack. If a deck comes with jokers, they are removed and not used in the game.

    Probability Tips

    Many of the strategies for a blackjack card game center around probability. There are a few main points to keep in mind. The advantage the dealer (or “the house”) increases as the number of decks used in a game increases. The reverse is also true; the fewer number of decks, the greater advantage the player has.

    As the cards are drawn from the same set of decks, and because all but one card on the table is face up in a standard blackjack card game, informed bets can be made.

    For example, as the number of decks goes down, the probability that a player that drew a card valued 10 for their first card will draw an ace for their second card increases.

    Why? When a 10 is drawn, the total number of cards that can be dealt with goes down, but not the number of aces that can be dealt. This increases the chance that the next card drawn is an ace.

    Side Blackjack Card Game Bets

    Don’t forget that this chance varies depending on what cards other players have been dealt between the time a player gets their first and second card. However, the basic principle does not change.Sometimes in blackjack, side bets are allowed.Two examples of side bets are:

    • Insurance – this bet is placed if the dealer’s first card is an ace. It pays out if the dealer ends up having blackjack. The payout can be up to 2:1 if the player puts down the maximum allowed, which is half their original bet.
    • “Dealer Match” – This is a bet that a player’s hand will match the dealer’s hand.

    Blackjack Card Game Counting

    Blackjack Card Game

    A basic example of card counting is the “insurance” side bet. If none of the other players have a card valued 10, chances are 16:47, which is greater than 1:3, that the card in the hole is valued a 10. Therefore, there is a greater than one in three chance the dealer has blackjack.

    On a broader scale, the card counting system is based on assigning a numerical value to cards or groups of cards. It uses these values to track the value of the deck as the game goes on. Card counting gets more difficult as the number of decks used in a game increases.

    You reap the benefits of card counting toward the end of the game when many of the cards have been taken out of play. The count of the customized deck becomes more accurate as the game progresses. A higher deck value shows that there are more valuable cards in the deck than those that have been played.

    How it happens

    For example, cards valued 2 through 6 are assigned 1 point, 7 through 9 are assigned 0 points, and -1 point is assigned to 10s, “face” cards, and aces. A deck starts with a value of 0, and you add those numbers to the deck value when they appear on the table.

    Casinos card games administrators work around card counting by reshuffling when one or more decks remain undealt. They may also shuffle cards back in after an entire deck has been played.

    While card counting is legal, if casinos have any notion a player is counting cards, they may not allow him or her to play. In extreme cases, a player may be banned from the casino property.

    Wrapping Up Your Blackjack Card Game

    Blackjack is a fairly straightforward game with simple rules and goals. The gameplay does not require players to make hasty decisions as in other card games. However, the level of difficulty increases when players employ more serious strategies, such as card counting.

    If you are a beginner blackjack player, it is probably wise to play with individuals of a similar skill level. Otherwise, you may be playing against those who are tracking the value of the deck and deciding based on the probability. So, prepare for your casino card themed party and have fun.

    If mathematical nuance is something that piques your interest, there is a lot of room for practice in this game. If your eyes glaze over when you hear the words “probability” or “mathematics,” never fear, you can still have a great deal of fun playing blackjack. Who knows? It may even give you a newfound understanding of chance.

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