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Blackjack wasn’t always associated with huge winnings and roaring fame, however, as time went on, this game slowly became as popular as some of the most well-known games on the planet.
We can find first mentionings of Blackjack in series of writings called ’Exemplary Novels’ by the author of ’Don Quixote’ Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, which was written at the start of the seventeenth century. There is also a lot of similar games described in various European texts of the time; the game was brought to the United States by immigrants.
The game was not as popular as it now, although it was widely available in many casinos, and in many cases special promotions were used to popularise it. There was the famous ten-times payout, when the player got twenty one point with jack of spades or clubs. Looking back, all this has done its fair share to promote the game, however, nowdays, the ultimate winning combination is that of two cards one of which is an ace worth twenty one points.
Who is who?
Several card decks are normally used for the game, with one to eight in most cases, and in some casinos it’s possible to select the number of decks for player, which is a significant advantage.
Each card is ranked depending on the number of points it’s worth, regardless of suit. For example, senior kickers like King, Queen and Jack are worth 10 points, junior cards are ranked by their value, and an Ace is worth either 1 or 11 points.
The game is controlled by a croupier or dealer, who facilitates the process, while the player aims to beat the house by getting a card combination as close to 21 as possible without overshooting. The player a combination over 21 points automatically loses. The number of cards the player has is defined by his decisions.
The start
Prior to dealing all players take the risk and bet. The number of players is limited by the size of the table. The risk could vary, with bets depending on the particular casino or type of the programme, for example, from £5 to £100 or from £25 to £500, etc. The payout is equal to the size of the bet or it the player may double his risk, however, there are exceptions to this.
After betting the dealer hands out two cards to each player and leaves a single card for himself, which is open for everybody to see. The players are now allowed to touch the cards or chips. Everything on the table is handled by the croupier, who can be interacted with either by gestures or verbally. Each player is dealt with individually.
The fun begins
It is possible that the player will have Blackjack on his hands right at the dealing, and in this case the payout is 150%. However, there are hidden rules even here: if the dealer has an ace, the player can either play the round or finish it right away by keeping his bet. If the croupier does not draw Blackjack, the player wins with 150% payout, while if the cards are equal, the players get their bets back.
If the dealer or the players are not close to Blackjack, the game continues with extra cards drawn by pointing on the hand and saying ’hit me’ or keeping the hand by gesturing towards the next player.
Extra rules
Depending on the hand, there are some extras available:
- Split – if a player has a pair, it is possible to separate the hand into two and play as if two players were present. The split is worth an extra bet in cost, and the two new decks are topped up with extra cards. The split can be repeated if another pair has been dealt, and the maximum number of splits is three, but aces are allowed to be split only once. After the split, the player is limited to four cards as no extra cards are available;
- Double – doubling the bet after which the player can only take one extra card;
- Triple – raising the stake after the double, when the original bet is added to the double. In this case, an extra card is dealt;
- Surrender – a chance to half the original bet after receiving the first two cards;
- Insurance – if the dealer has an ace, the player can secure himself by paying a half of the standard bet. In this case, the player loses only the value of his insurance.
Moment of truth
Once the dealer handed out cards, he fills up the hand by picking an extra card. The cards are added until their value reaches 17 or more, and the player wins automatically if the hand of the house overshoots. The hands are then compared, and payouts are made.
If by the time the dealer has to add cards to the combination, all players overshoot, all cards, both the croupier’s and players’, are placed in a separate lot of used cards. New cards are drawn from the remaining deck and another round begins.
