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How to play casino Blackjack
The object of the game is to have a hand value that is closer to 21 than that of the dealer, without going over 21.
An Ace can count as either 1 or 11. The cards from 2 through 9 are valued as indicated and the Ten, Jack, Queen, and King are all valued at 10.
The value of a hand is simply the sum of the point counts of each card in the hand. For example, a hand containing (K,6,5) has the value of 21.
A hand that contains an Ace is called a "soft" total if the Ace can be counted as either 1 or 11 without the total going over 21. For example (Ace, 5) is a soft 16. With a soft hand the player can always draw another card with no danger of "busting" by going over 21.
The hand (Ace,5,J) on the other hand is a "hard" 16, since now the Ace must be counted as 1, again because counting it as 11 would make the hand go over 21.
Once all the bets are made, the dealer will deal the cards to the players. He'll make two passes around the table starting at his left so that the players and the dealer have two cards each. The dealer will flip one of his cards over, exposing its value.
The dealer must continue to take cards ("hit") until his total is 17 or greater. An Ace in the dealer's hand is always counted as 11 if possible without the dealer going over 21. If the dealer have 17 to 21 he must stand.
The player can stand on two cards or hit as many as he like until his total is over 21 and he has bust.
The player can doubling down after his first two cards. Doubling down allows the player to double his bet and receive exactly one additional card to the hand.
The player can split a pair into two separate hands, and play them independently.
The player can take Insurance. If the dealer turns an up-card of an Ace, the players can take insurance. Insurance bets can be made by betting up to half your original bet amount. The dealer will check to see if he has a 10-value card underneath his Ace, and if he does have Blackjack, your winning Insurance bet will be paid at odds of 2:1.
A winning hand pays 1:1. A Blackjack 2:1. And you get your bet back if you split with the dealer.
Blackjack Basic Strategy Blackjack Card Counting
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