Blackjack is one of the most-played card games at top casinos for real money in South Africa. One can trace its roots in the early seventeenth century where the blackjack is played by people of all ages all around the world. At present, there are numerous land-based casinos and online gaming platform that hosts blackjack for card game enthusiasts.
The rules of blackjack are easy to grasp, but it takes a lot of experience and practice to master it. In this guide, we will learn about blackjack, how it is played and the strategies one needs to know before playing blackjack.
The Blackjack Rules For Beginners
The main goal of playing blackjack online is to score higher than the dealer while simultaneously maintaining a score of 21. If your score exceeds 21, you will lose the blackjack round. This condition where the score of the player goes above 21, it is known as going bust.
The value of blackjack cards is easy to remember.
- The cards such as Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, and Ten have a value equal to their face value.
- The value of Kings (K), Jacks (J), and Queens (Q) is ten points.
- The value of Ace (A) is one or eleven points, depending on favours your cards.
Tips For Winning Blackjack Online
The players can win the round of blackjack in the following ways:
- When the player is dealt a natural blackjack;
- When the dealer goes bust;
- When the player’s score is higher than the dealer.
In case when the score of the player and the dealer is the same, the round of blackjack is announced as a Draw, and the player receives their bet back. This state is also termed as ‘Push’ in blackjack.
- Natural Blackjack: When the total value of the first two cards of the players is 21, it is known as Natural Blackjack. This can only occur with a few combinations of cards such as Ace and Ten, Ace and King, Ace and Queen, and Ace and Jack. The players who get any of such combination become the winner of the blackjack round and rewarded with a 3:2 payout. Let’s say, you placed a bet of $20, you will be awarded $50 and not $40. It is worth noting that the player who’s dealt a natural blackjack will win the round irrespective of the score of the dealer. However, if the dealer is also dealt a natural blackjack, the situation becomes a draw, also known as Push and the bets will be refunded.
- The Dealer Busts: When the total value of the cards of the dealer gets beyond 21, the dealer is bust. In such a situation, the players who have played the round and have not busted will be announced the winner.
- The Player’s Score is more than Dealer: This is the simplest and common way to win the round in blackjack. The dealer is allowed to Hit when they receive a score of 17, and you can win the blackjack by getting points more than 17.
The Simple Blackjack Guide For Beginners
The blackjack tables at both land-based and online casinos have their own terms and conditions for minimum and maximum bets. Generally, in land-based casinos, the minimum bet starts from $5; however, at online casinos, the minimum bet begins with as low as $1. It can be even lower than this, depending upon the casino terms and conditions.
Let’s now know the typical terms used in blackjack
- Betting: Players will be required to place the bet at the beginning of the round. Players have the liberty to place a small bet or a bigger bet; however, the size of the bet should be within the limits fixed by the blackjack table.
- Hit or Stand: Once players have placed their bet, the dealer will distribute the cards and each player will be given two cards. These cards will be placed with their face-up on the table. The dealer will distribute cards to himself as well, but he will place one card face-up and the other card face-down. Players will need to calculate the scores of their cards. After the players have added the values of their cards, they will have two options, either to Hit or Stand. ‘Hit’ means requesting another card, while ‘Stand’ means you are contented with your cards and wants to continue playing with them.
- Dealer’s Turn: Once the players have completed their turns, the dealer will reveal his face-down card. He will have the choice to Hit in order to bring his score to 17 or more. After the dealer has got 17, he can opt to Stand.
- At this point, it is important to take note of the Soft 17 Rule. It is the soft hand with one of the cards as Ace. Certain online casinos need the dealers to Hit on soft 17 while some others want to Stand on Soft 17.
- End of the Round: After the dealer Stands, the blackjack round is concluded. The dealer will check the cards of all the players and will announce the winner.
More Online Blackjack Betting Options
After the players have received their cards, they have several betting options such as these.
- Doubling Down: If players are contented with their cards and think they can win, they can choose to double their bet.
- Splitting: This option lets the player play their two cards separately.
- Insurance Bet: The player can place an insurance bet to protect their bets if the face-up card of the dealer is an Ace.
If you are a beginner at blackjack, you can consider playing blackjack in free mode. Most of the online casinos offer this option to players so that they can understand the gameplay before playing the game for real money.
