Beginner’s Guide to Online Blackjack
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It goes without saying that online gambling is the in-thing nowadays. More gamblers are opting to play on online casino platforms mainly because of its convenience. A player can still enjoy the thrill and excitement of gambling at the comfort of their location.
One of the most popular online casino games is Blackjack. Apart from being a simple game, Blackjack rules are consistent everywhere. This means that its rules are the same in all casinos globally.
Below is a comprehensive guide to everything there is to know about this one-of-a-kind casino game.
What Exactly Is Blackjack?
Blackjack is a casino game where gamblers play using multiple decks of cards, with each deck containing 52 cards. Unlike most casino online card games, Blackjack players don’t compete against each other. Instead, they compete with the dealer.
This game is normally played on a semi-circular table that fits about seven players. However, some tables can accommodate up to 12 players (also called slots.) The participants are usually on one side of the table, while the dealer is on the other side.
So, how do these cards work? Typically, a traditional deck of cards has four suits; Clubs, Diamonds, Spades, and Hearts. Blackjack doesn’t focus too much on the suits. Instead, they focus on the ranks.
There are 13 ranks in a deck of cards. They include Ace, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Jack, Queen, and King.
Normally, each suit has one card of each rank. For instance, there’s an Ace of Clubs, Two of Clubs, and so on. The King, Queen, and Jack are referred to as face cards.
How Does Scoring Work on Blackjack?
Typically, Blackjack doesn’t focus too much on the suits. Instead, it dwells on the ranks. In the game, a player’s “hand” is given a score based on the ranks of cards they have in hand.
A “hand” are the two cards that each participant (including the dealer) receives at the start of the game.
Each rank has a specific number of points. Ace cards carry 11 points, and face cards (Jack, King, and Queen) are worth 10 points. As for the rest of the ranks, each has the same points as its rank number. For example, a two-card is worth two points.
So, a player’s total score is determined by the cards at that particular time. And the participant with a higher score than the dealer wins the game. But, there’s a catch. Any player whose card points add up to 22 or higher loses.
In simple terms, the main goal in this game is to collect cards whose total points are more than the dealer but not more than 21 points.
Important Phrases in Blackjack
There are a couple of essential phrases that a player has to know to play this game better.
The first one is a hard hand. This means that a player doesn’t have an Ace card. For instance, a 5-Diamond and a 5-Club card. The next one is a soft hand. This indicates that a participant has an Ace card as one of their two cards.
Usually, a gambler with a “soft hand” has a better chance at winning than a gambler with a “hard hand.” But again, anything is possible if a player has the right strategies.
Another important term is hitting. When a player signals the dealer to “hit” them, it means that they want another card. This is quite a risky strategy because the participant might end up having cards whose ranks total to more than 21, making them lose the game.
The other one is standing. This refers to when a player decides not to take an extra card. Standing is also a risky strategy because if the gambler refuses to take an additional card, the dealer may hit his “hand,” giving him a better chance of winning.
Splitting in Blackjack refers to a player deciding to take another “hand,” which is an extra two cards. A gambler can do this if they have two cards with the same rank. When a participant decides to “split,” they will have two independent “hands.” However, they have to place a new bet if they want to “split.”
Doubling down is when a player decides to place a new bet but agrees to take only one card.
Finally, surrendering refers to when a participant decides to give up half of their bet. They can do so once they compare their cards with the dealer’s cards and see that they don’t stand a chance. If a gambler “surrenders,” half of their bet automatically goes to the dealer while the other half goes back into the game.
Why Is Blackjack One of the Best Online Casino Games?
The main reason why many casino players prefer playing Blackjack is that it is one of the most affordable online casino games to play. What’s more, gamblers have a higher chance of winning real money when playing this game.
Normally, Blackjack has a house edge of about 0.5%. A house edge is the estimated percentage of every bet a live casino expects to keep when gamblers lose a game. Most casinos calculate this per hour.
For example, a gambler plays Blackjack for $6 per hand, and they are playing about 90 hands every hour. This is about $540 spent each hour. The player is likely to lose about 0.5% each hour out of this amount, which is approximately $2.7.
So, the gambler won’t lose a lot of money and will have a higher chance of winning.
Another advantage is that most platforms offer casino bonuses to Blackjack players. For example, a live casino website may offer a deposit bonus to gamblers each time they place a bet or a deposit to play Blackjack.
Gamblers can also take advantage of the sign-up casino bonus to play Blackjack. But, in most casinos, players cannot withdraw profits made from sign-up bonuses unless they’ve made more profits from other live games they have played with their own money.
Conclusion
Blackjack is an excellent online casino game for players looking to acquaint themselves with online gambling without losing a lot of money.
However, it is advisable for gamblers, especially newbies, to find and go through a detailed Blackjack guide (like this one) to know the basics and have a higher chance of winning.
