Black jack is not at all difficult to become proficient at making it one of the easiest casino games to pick up. The online gaming community has also made it one of the many games that has been fortunately picked up, making it possible to enjoy playing online blackjack from the comfort of your own home. So if you want to pick up a new hobby, or if you want to play competitively with the chance of winning big, this game is for you.
Blackjack rules are incredibly simple as you only need to get a hand that is as close in value to 21 without exceeding it. Your hand is a bust if it exceeds 21. Aces are valued at either 1 or 11, Jacks, Queens and Kings are valued at 10, while cards 2 through 10 carry their face value. To get you the best possible hand, the Ace is automatically valued at either 1 or 11.
Games begin once you have placed a bet within the blackjack table’s limits, which is called the “ante”. Both you and the dealer are dealt 2 cards each following your placed bet. The values of the dealer’s cards are kept hidden and face down while yours are fully visible on the table. Cards that are face down are called “hole cards” while visible cards are called “up cards”.
Assuming that the hand dealt to you is not already a blackjack, your goal is to build the best hand possible without exceeding 21. You can “stand” if you wish to let the dealer take over, ask for another card which is called a “hit,” double your bet on the next hit, or “split” if you are dealt two identical cards. In cases of doubling your bet, online blackjack automatically hits you with a new card while in splitting your hand, the game automatically places a bet equal to the original one on your behalf.
Once it is time for the dealer to take over, they then act on a different set of rules. The dealer must place a hit if the value of his hand is 16 or less, and stand if it is 17 or more, depending on how the online casino customizes the rules. The one with the value that is closest one to 21 without going over is the winner, so to determine the outcome of a blackjack game, both hands are compared to each other. In case of a tie, the bet is returned to you.
If you are trying to hone your skills as a beginner then it is recommended to train in many of the free to play environments. Try signing up with online casinos like Bet365 and Ladbrokes if you start wanting to play competitively due to their generous start-up and loyalty bonuses.