Beginners Guide to Blackjack: All You Need to Know to Get Started

Blackjack is becoming one of the most viral casino table games in the industry. There are thousands of legit reasons for its popularity. The main ones are that it’s easy-to-play, has good odds, consistent and static rules, fast-paced gameplay, and that t’s a social game.

Whatever the reason behind its fame is, it’s considered an upscale game; thus, more and more people want to become part of this exciting world. If you also want to experience all the game’s fun but don’t know where to start, here’s a quick blackjack guide for beginners.

Blackjack Basics for Beginners

Among the most appealing traits of the game is that blackjack is easy to master. It starts from the very concept of having just one opponent instead of playing against the whole table. Your primary opponent in blackjack is the dealer. No matter how many people are around the table, your hand is not competing with theirs. All the game is going between the player and the dealer. The aim is to have the hand that will beat the dealer’s hand while not exceeding 21 points.

Blackjack is being played with a 52-card deck. The face cards (K, Q, and J) bring ten points. The worth of Ace can differ. It can be either 1 or 11 points, based on whichever works best at the moment. Other cards provide points that are equal to the numerical value they have. Three spades, for example, will give you three points, six clubs will bring six points, etc. The suit of the cards has no effect on the value.

The dealer distributes the cards for each hand. The player cards are being dealt face-up, whereas the dealer cards are dealt one up and one down. When every player is dealt two cards, they can check out the cards.

The round wins the player or the dealer depending on whoever has blackjack. There can also be a “push”. This means that the dealer and the player have the same hand value.

The dealer goes on, distributing cards down the line of players who are still playing. Each player no has a decision to make: whether to ask for another card (to “hit”) or to “stand” where he is. If the player stands his part, the dealer moves on to the next player.

The player loses the game when he draws a card and gets more points than 21—he gets busted and loses his bet to the dealer. In this round, the points’ threshold is 17. The dealer stands if his total points are less than 17, the players with cards from 18-21 win over the dealer. The player with 17 points will have to push and will keep his bet.

Blackjack for Beginners: Basic Terminology

When you are a novice, some basic action terminology seems all the Greek to you at first. Let’s go over some actions you might want to take while playing blackjack.

Bust: When you go bust or have a busted hand, it means the value of your hand exceeds 21 (you lose the game). The dealer also can bust and lose.

Double Down: When you double down, you double your original bet, but after that, you only get one card in the next deal. If you double down and beat the dealer, you get pad 2x your original bet.

Hit: When you hit, you ask for one more card. You can hit until you get to 21 or over points.

Stand: If you stand, you inform the dealer that you refrain from further distribution and do not want any more cards

Push: This is basically the draw between you and the player. When the dealer has the same hand value as you, you get back your bet.

Split: If you get cards of the same value when dealing, you are allowed to split them into two hands. If you split the cards, however, you need to double your original bet. Later, you’ll get a card from the dealer for each hand. Sometimes in blackjack, there are restrictions on splitting cards. For example, some variations do not allow splitting fives or splitting hands more than four times.

Surrender: After the initial hand, you can choose to continue playing or surrender and take half of the original bet. Unfortunately, not all blackjack variations offer the player this option.

Insurance: This is the side bet you are offered if the dealer has an Ace as an up-card; you buy insurance against the dealer’s hand being a potential blackjack.

Once you get the essence of the game with a good blackjack guide for beginners, you may even start upgrading your skills and go from amateur to pro in no time. Before you get started, you need to find the place where you want to practice your skills. Given the accessibility of online betting platforms that offer close to real-life online blackjack experience, you can easily find a perfect place to proceed.

Do not forget to grab your basic blackjack guide and shades to look fabulous on your first game.