Best USA Online Casinos

 

BestUSAOnlineCasinos.org recommends Rushmore Online Casino for the best Online Blackjack action.

Visit Rushmore Casino, Click Here

---

 

Blackjack is a most popular card game mixing luck with skillful play. It's this mixture, combined with the well publicized methods of winning by keeping track of the cards already dealt that make it so popular. It's sometimes called “21”, “Vingt et un” (21 in French) or pontoon and is one of the most extensively participated casino card games worldwide.

 

Blackjack's History

Nobody knows where it came from, but blackjack started life as the game of “21”. References have been found in books dating back to the early 17 th century. The first of these was by Miguel de Cervantes who, as well as being the author of the classic “Don Quixote” was a known gambling man. His story described a couple of Spanish workers who were gifted cheats at the game of 21. The objective of the game was to arrive at 21 and no more, with Ace scoring either 1 or 11.

 

The first time this game was brought to the USA it was not well liked. In order to increase it's popularity, gaming establishments offered a bonus “ten-for-one” payout if your first two cards were an ace and a black jack. The term “Blackjack” was born, although nowadays, any jack and an ace earns a bonus payment.

 

How It's Played

The game is played at a special blackjack table, run by a card dealer. Up to seven players may participate at any one time, although they are not playing against each other, they are playing against the dealer (i.e. the “house” or casino.) Each player will start by placing an initial bet on the table in the appropriately marked spot, and the dealer will then dispense two cards face down to each player. In turn, each player will attempt to get a higher card score than the dealer, providing it's 21 or less. Going over 21 is called busting and the player who busts will lose his bet. Cards each count their face value, e.g. a 3 counts 3 towards the total. Ten, Jack, Queen and King each count 10, and the Ace can be counted as 1 or 11. Each player will ask for extra cards until satisfied or “bust”. The dealer will then play according to strict rules. If the dealer busts, all remaining players who have not bust will win. If the dealer doesn't bust, all players with higher scores (again, up to 21) will win. The rest of the players will lose their bets, except those who have the same score as the dealer. This is called a “push” or a tie, and the player keeps his original bet, thus neither winning nor losing. As you can see, the dealer can beat and lose to different players in the same sequence of play.

 

 

Here you can see two stages of the same round of play. At the top you can see the commencement of the round with each players bet in position, and their two cards each having been received. They are either dealt from the dealers hand, or sometimes from a special device holding multiple packs called a “shoe”. You can also see the dealers cards, one of which is always placed “face down”. In the lower picture, you can see who has beaten the dealer and received their winnings, and who has less than the dealer (and lost). If the dealer is dealing from the hand, both of the players first two cards are face down. If from the “shoe”, they are both dealt face up. The dealers cards are dealt one up and one face down (known as the “hole card”, except in Europe where only the first card is dealt before the players rounds have been completed. With 17 or more, the dealer is not allowed to take another card regardless of whether or not the players can beat her, and must “stand”. The only exception is if the dealers hand includes an Ace (which counts as one or eleven). If the Ace is counted as 11 to make 17 in total, the dealer must take another card (“hit”).

The best likely hand is an Ace and a 10 (or picture card) making 21 or blackjack. This instantly wins except when the dealer also has a blackjack (but not more than 2 cards adding up to exactly 21). The dealer will win all bets except other blackjacks (a “push”). If the player has a blackjack and the dealers visible card is an Ace, the player may insure against the dealer also having blackjack once her hidden card is displayed. The insured bet pays at odds of 2/1 if the dealer does indeed have blackjack.

 

All tables display the upper and lower limits of permitted bets, which can differ from table to table. The normal payout is even money or 1/1, except when having blackjack which pays 3/2. Therefore if you bet $2 and your first two cards give you blackjack and the dealer doesn't have an Ace or a 10 showing, you will win $3 in addition to your $2 which is returned. If the dealer is showing a 10, you must wait in case her hidden card is an Ace. You cannot insure against this. Most games use multiple decks of cards all shuffled together. Sometimes, blackjack only pays 6/5 in single deck varieties.

 

Players Choices

Upon being dealt the first 2 cards, there are 4 choices a player can make.

•  Hit (take another card) signaled by the player by scraping the cards in his hand towards himself, or if the cards are face up on the layout, by tapping the layout.

•  Stand (further cards not required) signaled by either sliding your cards under your bet, or waving your hand across the top of the face up cards to indicate “no more”

•  Double or double-down. You may double your bet and receive just one more card, signaled by adding equal value chips to double the original bet.

•  Splitting pairs is possible if dealt (for example) two 8's. This is signaled by placing a duplicate bet at the side of the original. The dealer will then add cards to each of these, making two different hands each played separately in turn.

Various gambling establishments may also allow “surrender” whereby the player may lose half of his stake but not play the hand. This can be useful if the situation seems lost, but it cannot be considered until the dealer has “peeked” to see if she has blackjack.

Almost every casino employs high tech video security equipment which monitor every hand played. This is the reason hand-signals are required, to help in any dispute. The security protects the casino from any cheating dealer or player, especially those who count cards, despite the fact that this breaks no law.

 

Players may hit as often as they wish but lose when they bust (more than 21). Once each player has completed their play, the dealer turns over the “hole” card and completes her play in accordance with the strict guidelines allowed.

 

The Casino's “Edge” And Rules

Different sets of rules in different casino's will alter the odds of winning for both casino and player. Some are rules of law, others may be local to the casino itself, and may not be visible at the table. They can be requested if you wish. More than one hundred varieties can be found.

Every casino has an “edge” (percentage advantage of winning). If as an example, a casino has a 5 percent edge, they will, over time, win 5 percent of every opening bet you place. In blackjack, the casino's edge is under 1 percent providing you play correctly. This correct method of play is known as the “basic strategy”. For many players who do not play the correct way, the house (obviously) has a larger edge.

 

“Soft” 17

The rule most frequently requiring clarification is whether or not the dealer “hits soft 17”. This will be posted in view, and if the dealer does hit, the players chances of winning decrease slightly giving the house another one-fifth percent higher edge.

 

How Many Decks Used

It is better for the player for fewer decks to be employed as it lowers the casino's edge. However, it's not quite that simple. Different rules are often included in multiple deck blackjack. To illustrate this, the following table assumes identical rules: it's permissible to double after splitting, and the dealer must hit soft 17.

 

 

 

Number of Decks	House Advantage
Single deck	0.04%
Double deck	0.49%
Four decks	0.59%
Six decks	0.66%
Eight decks	0.69%

 

 

Surrendering Your Cards

Various casino's include a surrender opportunity. Players may surrender their cards and take no further part in the hand, losing half of their initial stake. This occurs once the dealer has ensured she has no blackjack (“late surrender”). “Early surrender” (surrendering before this has been verified) gave the player a sizeable advantage. This option is now only available in a few parts of the world.

 

Resplitting

If a player receives a pair of Aces and decides to split them (making two separate hands) only one card is added to each hand (hopefully for the player, a 10 card on each. Note: neither hand constitutes a “blackjack”, but still counts as 21 each). If re-splitting Aces is permitted, the player has a good advantage. Any pair other than Aces may be split and played as normal, with further options on each hand to hit, stand etc. However, if upon splitting a pair, further pair(s) occur, it depends upon the casino's rules as to whether or not these pairs may be re-split in turn, or whether there is a limit on the number of splits allowed.

 

Splitting Then Doubling

Players are sometimes allowed to utilize this advantageous option (worth an extra 0.12 percent). Pairs are split and new cards added to each hand. In addition to hitting or standing, doubling may also be permitted.

 

Double-Down Only With 9, 10 or 11

Otherwise known as the Reno Rule, this is not favorable to the player by a further 0.2 percent. It restricts the player to only these three initial totals when wishing to double-down.

 

No Hole Card (Europe)

In some countries and casino's, no “hole” card is dealt to the dealer. In situations where the dealer has blackjack, players lose the initial wager but not the extra bets placed for doubling or splitting. This rule makes no difference to the way you should play and offers no (dis)advantages.

 

Blackjack Payoff Variations

The normal winnings for a “blackjack” are 3/2, however a few casino's may only offer 6/5 or worse still, even money (1/1). This increases the casino's advantage further than all other variations, and explains why video-blackjack, with the same payoff has always remained far less popular.

 

Player Loses Push

This situation occurs very frequently and is a terrible rule for the player, although it is seldom seen today except in similar games.

 

5 Cards

The player will win if he has 5 cards without busting unless the dealer has blackjack.

 

Insure

If the dealer is showing an Ace, players may take insurance against her having blackjack. This is done before she looks at her hidden card. On the layout will be an area for such bets (insurance is essentially an extra bet) paying at odds of 2/1. The reasoning is that there's a high chance that the hidden card will be a 10 value, resulting in a loss of your bet. It seems smart (but not always sensible) to take insurance against this occurring. Winnings from the insurance bet at odds of 2/1 covering losses from the initial wager. However, if the dealer doesn't have blackjack the insurance bet is lost, and the player may still win or lose his original bet. Insurance is never a good option unless the player is a “card counter” (one who keeps a mental record of the cards already dealt from the pack). With multiple decks, the casino will have an advantage in theory, of 7.69 percent. The player bets there is a 10 in the “hole”. Let's say the player has initially wagered $20 and the dealer's upcard is an Ace. The player pays $10 to insure. Four out of every thirteen cards count as 10. The insurance wager loses on average nine times out of thirteen, and wins the other four times. This results in a loss of $10 for every thirteen times the insurance bet is made. This averages out at 77 cents each hand (10/13), or 7.69 percent, and not a good choice.

This remains the same even if you already have a blackjack. You are still betting against the dealer having a 10 in the hole. Various casino's may invite you to instantly win with your blackjack at odds of 1/1 if the dealer is showing an Ace. Again, the win ratio (or rather, the lose ratio) is the same as that for taking insurance, unless the player is a card counter.

In those casino's that deal a hole card, the is able to move the card across a mirror or sensing device on the layout to discover if she has a blackjack. This helps prevent cheating by spotting the hidden card.

 

Blackjack Strategy

 

Basic Blackjack Strategy

The calculated percentage advantage enjoyed by the casino is based upon the player playing in the best manner for each set of circumstances of play. This way of playing is called the Basic Strategy. Players making poor decisions and straying from the basic strategy serve to increase the casino's advantage. Depending upon the quantity of decks employed, and the rules in place within the chosen casino, the basic strategy can vary slightly.

 

 

Players Cards	Dealer's face-up card
2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
Hard totals (excluding pairs)
17-20	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
16	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	SU	SU	SU
15	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	SU	H
13-14	S	S	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
12	H	H	S	S	S	H	H	H	H	H
11	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	H
10	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	H	H
9	H	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	H	H	H	H	H
5-8	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H	H
Soft totals
	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
A,8 A,9	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
A,7	S	Ds	Ds	Ds	Ds	S	S	H	H	H
A,6	H	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	H	H	H	H	H
A,4 A,5	H	H	Dh	Dh	Dh	H	H	H	H	H
A,2 A,3	H	H	H	Dh	Dh	H	H	H	H	H
Pairs
	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	A
A,A	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP
10,10	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S	S
9,9	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	S	SP	SP	S	S
8,8	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP
7,7	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H
6,6	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H	H
5,5	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	Dh	H	H
4,4	H	H	H	SP	SP	H	H	H	H	H
2,2 3,3	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	SP	H	H	H	H

 

This basic strategy applies to tables using at least three decks of cards shuffled together, where the dealer cannot hit “soft-17”, you may double-down on any 2 cards, double-down after splitting pairs, the dealer checks to see if she has blackjack, and the blackjack payoff is 3/2

 

Key:

S = Stand

H = Hit

Dh = Double (if not allowed, then hit)

Ds = Double (if not allowed, then stand)

SP = Split

SU = Surrender (if not allowed, then hit)

Some casino's will require the dealer to continue taking cards when holding “soft17”.

Most Las Vegas strip casinos hit on soft 17. You should therefore always double-down on 11 against an Ace, double-down when holding an Ace-7 against a 2, and double-down when holding an Ace-8 against the dealers 6. Other than Las Vegas, the majority of casinos do not hit “soft-17”.

 

Counting Cards

Blackjack is somewhat unique due to the fact that as cards are dealt from the pack, the remainder affect the players advantage or disadvantage. This alters with every card revealed. If a player is able to track the cards dealt, he can recognize when the situation turns favorable.

Firstly, the player can increase the size of his initial wager when the situation favors him. If there are an excess of Aces and 10's remaining, the player hopes to be dealt more blackjacks.

Also, the player can adjust the basic strategy to suit the composition of the remaining deck. It's better to double a strong hand when there are a greater proportion of high value cards left than normal.

Players track the cards by keeping a “running total” points system as each card is revealed. Whereas the casino's advantage over the player (when playing according to the basic strategy) is anywhere from almost zero percent for the single deck to less than one percent for multiple deck blackjack, the card counter can enjoy up to a two percent advantage.

To fight back, casinos increased the number of decks of cards, placing them in a box to be dealt from (the “shoe”). Providing the cards are tracked mentally, the player is not breaking any law, but a casino can prohibit a player with no reason, and suspicion of counting cards is often the excuse, therefore care must be exercised by counters not to reveal their actions. The casino will ask a suspected counter to leave and never return. A player can be betting $1000 dollars per hand and winning, and the casino will not bat an eyelid. However, even if a suspected counter is betting only $1, the casino will ask him to leave. No counters or gadgetry can be used, and the player may not write anything down. It is however, permissible to have a copy of the strategy beside you whilst playing.

A team of players from MIT were incredibly successful using this method before becoming barred from the casino's. Their story has been dramatized in the movie “21”

 

Composition Dependent Strategy

Playing the basic strategy involves making decisions based upon the total value of your original two cards, but the composition dependent strategy takes into account what those two card are individually. E.g. referring to the basic strategy chart, if the player holds a total of 12 and the dealer shows 4, he would take no more cards, but if playing with one deck, and the 12 is made up from a 10 and a 2, he should hit. The 10 in the player's hand means there is one less 10 available to make either himself or the dealer bust.

The difference is not great. This strategy will help give the player an increased advantage of only 0.0387 percent for a single deck game, and for a game using six decks, a miniscule 0.0031 percent.

Shuffle-Tracking And Other Methods

There are other ways of increasing the player's odds, all of which relate to the above described method of giving cards point values. One of these demands keeping track of a whole section of the multiple packs, monitor them through the (elaborate, and strictly adhered to) shuffling process and then understanding how to use this information once the section starts to be dealt out. Players using this method must have good vision and be mentally sharp, but the advantage is that the casino will not recognize you as a card counter, because you will sometimes be playing in a totally different manner.

This method of tracking cards has been analyzed, and books are available describing the whole process.

There are also many different methods describing how to gain an advantage by catching a glimpse of the dealer's hole card, or the card about to be dealt. Additionally, a coupon for matchplay blackjack will be advantageous to the strong player, as will promotions like offering 2/1 for a blackjack.

 

Variations

In England, Pontoon is the nearest card game to blackjack. The Australian and Malaysian versions of pontoon are unofficial versions of “Spanish21” which is played in America. There is no hole-card and it has many differences to the game of pontoon played in England.

The game of “Spanish21” offers the player very loose options. Double on 2 or more cards, payoff bonus for 5 card , 6,7,8 card and 7,7,7 card 21's, players blackjack wins, players 21 wins and late surrendering possible. The downside, is that although the deck contains J's, Q's & K's, there are no 10's.

21'st-Century or Vegas-Style is a variation often found in private Californian establishments. If both the dealer and player bust with the dealer having a bigger count, the result is a tie or “push”.

Rules are changed deliberately to create variations to the game. These may be attractive to new players, but nearly always improve the casino's advantage.

In the game of Double Exposure, the dealer has her cards dealt face upwards. Blackjack pays even money, and there is no “push”, the player loses all tied hands.

Double Attack has loose rules, and the player may add to his initial bet once he has seen the dealer's card, but “blackjack” only pays evens.

France and Germany have their own variations of Vingt et Un (21) and Siebzehn und Vier (17 & 4). No split pairs, Ace counts as 11 and a pair of Aces are blackjack. These games are mainly played amongst friends.

Chinese blackjack again offers no possibility to split pairs.

Blackjack Switch is a variation that deals 2 hands to players, permitting you to switch cards making 2 better hands. Blackjack pays even money, and if the dealer has 22 it's a “push”.

Multiple Action Blackjack allows the player to make two or three wagers on one hand. The dealer receives a separate hand for every one of the player's bets, thus allowing twice as many hands to be played.

Elimination Blackjack is played in the manner of a knock-out competition, much like (and thanks to) poker.

Betting on the side is possible at some casinos. As an example, a popular such wager is that the players initial two cards will be suited, with a larger payoff for suited Q and K's. If both the dealers cards and the players cards are suited Q and K's, the player receives a jackpot payment.

Another variety is “Twenty-one-plus-three” in which the players cards and the dealers card make 3 cards of a hand of poker. Any straight, flush or 3 of a kind pays out at 9/1 odds.

Such “sidebets” usually prove to be inferior wagers.

Another variety known as “3 Card” has been approved in Washington State. A single deck is used. Players must submit an “ante” as in poker and are dealt three cards along with the dealer, and can use two or all three cards to form the finest blackjack hand possible, as long as it is better than 18. If desired, the player can then repeat the original bet. If the player has a better hand than the dealer, he is paid at even money. A-10 wins 3/1. A-10-10 wins 5/1. AA wins 15/1 and AAA is paid at 100/1.

 

Back Home