Online Blackjack

Online Blackjack: Where to Play It

Blackjack is known to be a gambling card game, which has a great number of adherents nowadays. The main purpose of the game is to gain more points than a dealer. A player should be careful and try not to exceed 21 points, as in this case he busts. It means a failure at once.

It should be noticed that there are many types of online blackjack today and the rules may slightly differ. Although there are some general rules, which are like some kind of fundamentals for players.

Fundamentals of Blackjack

First of all, to start a game of blackjack the participants should know the value of each card.

  • Cards from 2 to 10 are counted according to their value.
  • As far as face cards are concerned, they are counted as 10.
  • Ace can be counted either 11 or 1.

Before starting a game a participant should stake. Then, the cards are shuffled properly and given to player. The dealer exposes only one of his cards (the upcard), while another one is kept in secret (the hole card). Depending on cards you have, there can be different outcomes.

If you have 21 points (in other words "blackjack"), it means that such combination of cards guarantees you a win, if only the dealer doesn't have it too. If you and the dealer gain 21 points or equal number of points, it means that there is a tie (a "push").

When you examine your cards and see that you don't have 21 points, you may determine your next action:

Basic terms

  • Hit - in order to increase your number of points, you ask for another card.
  • Stand - you do not need to take a card, so you just skip your turn.
  • Double Down - you double your bet, ask for one more card, which is added to your number of points and then skip your turn.
  • Surrender - if you suppose you will lose a game and nothing can be done, you can give up and save a half of your bet in such a way.
  • Split - if you have 2 cards of identical value (for example, 2 Aces or 2 Jacks), you get 2 more cards, your bet is doubled and you play your split hands independently and separately.

As far as the dealer is concerned, he has a rather limited choice of actions to take. There are 2 main rules, which he has to maintain:

1. If he has 16 points or less, the only thing he can do is to hit.

2. If he has 17 or more points, the only thing he can do is to stand.

Basic blackjack strategy helps gamblers to win this game of skills.