Blackjack

Basic Steps to Playing Blackjack

By: Roger Wembley

Whether you're playing blackjack online or you're under the roof of one of a beautiful casinos in Las Vegas or Monte Carlo, the good news about blackjack is that the rules are not only universal, they're also universally easy to understand. In fact, a kid of eight can easily master the skills necessary for winning blackjack. Better yet, blackjack is very fun to play, so it's rare that you'll find yourself bored when playing this game.
The Primary Objective of the Game
In poker, the primary objective would have to be something vague such as "getting the best hand possible". But when it comes to blackjack, the objective of the game is simple: the cards with an equivalent value to 21 or the one nearest to it wins. Simple to understand, isn't it?
Who is Higher and Who's Lower?
In poker, you have to familiarize yourself with what a flush looks like and what a full house compromises, then remember which one is higher. In blackjack, however, there are no card combinations to memorize. In fact, all you have to do is compute what the value of your cards is and if you still need to improve on it or stick with what you have.
The counting system for blackjack is just like how it is with Lucky 9, only it's a wee bit - emphasizing the wee here - more complicated. Cards numbering two to ten are counted as they are. Face cards - that would be the royal couple, the king and queen, and of course, the third wheel, the jack - are equivalent to ten while the ace can be calculated as one or eleven. You alone shall be able to determine whether your cards would be better off with an ace worth one point or eleven.
Who Wins and Who Doesn't?
In poker, people who believe that their cards are not that strong or up to par with their competitors' immediately choose to fold or give up. In blackjack, while there's no such thing as folding, there is such as thing as an immediate game loss - this is what happens when your cards are busted. Cards are busted when the value totals something more than twenty-one.
If you have busted cards, you lose right away or have to wait for the next round to play.
Betting
Before you can play blackjack, you must always place your bet on the table first.
Lastly, if your first two cards are identical, you can divide them and play them separately.