Blackjack Lesson 1

With all the fuss about Texas Hold ’em of late it is easy to neglect the games that have been a staple of casinos the world over for years. Blackjack is the game that most people look to when coming into a casino for one very simple reason. It gives the gambler the best odds of any game on a casino floor.

It is usually played in a casino with six or eight decks of cards dealt out of a “shoe” or specially designed multi deck card carrier designed specifically for the purpose of dealing out cards.

Two cards are dealt face up to all the players at the table, the dealer also deals himself two cards but only turns one of them over. The objective of the game is to beat the dealer. If you have a combined score that is better than the dealers and does not go over twenty one then you have doubled your bet. If you make twenty one exactly then you get paid one and a half times your bet. Once your cards are dealt to you you have the option of getting more cards or sticking with what you have.

You will act before the dealer and what you do will depend on the one card that the dealer has opened up for all to see. This is your advantage, the rules of the game dictate that the dealer MUST keep taking cards until he has a combined score of seventeen or over. Meaning that if he displays a six or lower on the table then he will likely have to call more than one more card and end up with a total score of over twenty one, making him bust and allowing all of the players still at the table to win.

If the player busts (has a score of over twenty one) he loses regardless of what happens to the dealer.

This is where many Blackjack players go wrong, they forget that the aim of the game is merely to beat the dealer. It is NOT to actually hit twenty one. This is why many mathematicians have played some very effective Blackjack sessions. If you hold a fifteen and the dealer’s open card is a six then there is no need to risk calling for more cards as the dealer will likely keep calling cards until he is bust. The opposite situation can also occur, if the dealer is showing an Ace (which can be one or eleven) then it is worth the player taking a risk to get a high score as the chances of the dealer needing to pull another card are low. Suits are irrelevent.

Stay tuned for the next lesson…