Online Blackjack
The great casino card game of Blackjack has taken its roots in the online world of gambling. Blackjack has always been a favorite among the card games that players could find around the casino floor, and now they can play it from the comfort of their own homes. For those players already experts in everything related to blackjack do not need to know any of this information, but it never hurts to go back to basics. This will be an overview of the basic factors that make up what is online blackjack. Blackjack players should learn everything there is to know about the game, as there are many different complexities that most do not know about or even care to learn. Players will get a brief history of blackjack, as well as the different rules, card values, and the overall function of online blackjack. Do not worry as there are more in-depth articles here that can help explain each and every one of these points.
Single Player Blackjack
Multiplayer Blackjack
Brief History of Blackjack
Blackjack was known formerly, and still has the nickname of, Twenty-One, due to the combination of any card value of 10 and an Ace to make 21. The exact date of when twenty-one actually came into exsistence is unknown, but there have been many different references that point towards the game. One reference, which was the first written example of it, was in the book Don Quixote, which was written by Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes. In this great story, Cervantes conveys his own gambling proficiency, as two characters from his book play “ventiuna”, which is Spanish for twenty-one. The book was written between 1601 and 1602, meaning that the game was already being played in Spain by the 17th century, but it could also mean it was already popular before then.
The game of twenty-one spread around the world until it finally landed in the United States. Back when it wasn’t as popular, gambling parlors would offer players incentives to play, and one of the main incentives was a ten to one payout bonus for any player that managed to get a hand that consisted of an Ace of Spades and a black Jack. This is where its popular form started and got its name of blackjack. We now know that blackjack is one of the most popular card games that are played at casinos, online and land-based, that are played against the house.
The Basis of Blackjack
The basic concept behind the game of blackjack is to have a hand, a combination of cards, which values are 21 or close to it, without going over. Not only does the player need to get this combination of cards, but they have to beat the dealer’s value as well. The great thing about playing blackjack is that it is a game where it is the player or players against the house. This means that each player will only win or lose against the dealer (which represents the house), and the other players do not have any bearing in this. The game begins with everyone receiving two cards, face up, and the dealer having one card up and one card down. It doesn’t matter if the other players see your cards, since it won’t affect what you do or how you play. When playing online blackjack, it is most often just the player against the house, although there are some community tables.
Online Blackjack Rules
Playing blackjack online is a totally different experience than playing it at a real casino. This is why the basic playing rules still apply, but there are other rules that do not. Some of the rules that are still used online are the payout rules, dealer rules, and the basic playing rules. The general rules that are not practiced online are the chip rules that involve taking the chips off the table during a dealt hand or removing the chips before the dealer has paid out. Another rule is how the player is supposed to act when sitting at the table, which involves taking pictures, talking on their cellphone, or standing/sitting to stop/start playing. Many of these rules are general in nature, so players should learn them well before playing.
Payout Rules
Just as it is when playing at a casino, when playing blackjack online that player will get the same kind of payouts and the way they are paid out. When a player places their initial bet before the cards are dealt and he wins, then the dealer (or the house) would pay them exactly what they wagered. If the player gets a blackjack, the dealer would pay them 3 to 2, meaning they get one and a half times what they bet. If the dealer wins or the player busts, the house takes only what they have bet.
Dealer Rules
Dealers are very strictly enforced when a player is sitting at a table in a land-based casino; however, since they are playing online most of those rules simply do not apply. The rule that still applies for the dealer is, having to hit until they reach 17, and depending on the online casino rules, they may also have to take a card when they are on soft-17. Other than that, all the other rules do not apply.
Basic Playing Rules
All of the rules that players should know for when they play at a casino also apply when playing online. Rules such as having to place a bet before the card are dealt, deciding whether to hit, stand, double-down, split the cards, or surrendering. These rules will be explained more in depth in the blackjack rules article. There are betting limits that blackjack tables have, whether they are online or not, and player must follow the limits. There are low and high stakes tables, so simply pick the one that you want to play at.
Blackjack Card Values
As you should already know, the objective of blackjack is to get to 21 or as close as possible, without going over, while beating the dealer’s card values. Blackjack makes use of a regular 52-card deck, minus the jokers obviously. Each card has a different value, which is referred to as face value. The numbered cards, which go from 2 all the way through 10, are given the same face value as their number. In other words, a 5 of Diamonds is worth 5 points, units, whatever you want to use to help you remember. The card values for the Jack, Queen, and King have been determined to also be a value of 10. This means there are four cards that are valued at 10; Ten through King. The one oddity in blackjack is the Ace, which is the most coveted card in the whole deck. The Ace can represent a value of 1 or 11, depending on what the player wishes it to be.
The player does not have to aim at getting a 21 every time, since they are playing against the dealer. What they do need to do is, try and get a value that is above the value of the cards in front of the dealer. The trick is that the dealer is not showing one of his cards, so that is where the strategies and tricks start to emerge to try and guess what the player needs to get in order to win against the dealer.
Playing Online Blackjack
When a player is interested in playing blackjack online, they will need to know where they can play it and what they have to do before they are allowed to play. First of all, players wanting to play in online blackjack must find the appropriate venue that hosts blackjack, and the most common forms of these are online casinos, which offer card games; just like a regular casino would.
Instead of simply walking in, placing the money on the table, and starting to bet, playing online is a little more complex than that; but only at the beginning, then it becomes very easy. Players need to sign up first, and also have to deposit money into their casino accounts so they can start playing the real money games. It may take a little more than a few minutes to accomplish this, so do not worry. Other than that, everything should be straightforward, using buttons instead of saying or motioning what you want to happen.