How to win Blackjack
If you beat the dealer, you have won the game. There are three ways to beat the dealer.
Win Conditions
- Drawing a hand that exceeds the value of the dealer's hand
- Drawing a hand of 21 on your first two cards
- Via the dealer busting (drawing a hand that exceeds the value of 21)
Equally, a player can also lose a hand in the event of these two scenarios.
Loss Conditions
- You bust (your hand value exceeds 21)
- The dealer's hand is a higher value compared to yours at the end of the game.
Blackjack Hand Values
Blackjack uses a simple scoring system to determine the value of hands. Note: the suit of cards holds no impact on the card value.
- Numbered cards from 2 - 10 retain their face values
- Royal cards (J, Q, K) are all valued at 10
- Aces can count as 1 or 11
Blackjack Decks
A deck of standard playing cards typically holds 52 cards. But in casino blackjack, several decks are shuffled together. As a result, up to 8 decks can be used in a single game (416 cards total).
Most casinos use 6 deck rules, resulting in 312 cards. In land-based casinos, an additional plastic card is also placed into the deck. When the dealer hits the plastic card, it's time for a shuffle.
Why do casinos use more than one deck in blackjack? To protect themselves from card counters - regular shuffles and many cards in a deck makes it harder to count. More decks also increase the house edge of the game.
How to place a Blackjack Bet
Both offline and online games work similarly in how you place a bet.
If you're in a brick and mortar store, you will first need to exchange your cash for some casino chips.
Once you have some currency (or you can bet with cash online), here's what you need to do.
- Step 1. Choose how many chips to play
- Step 2. Place your chips in the bet area (can be a square or circle) to show you want to be dealt in (very important in land-based casinos)
- Step. 3 The dealer will now deal you into the game