Blackjack Rules

With decks of cards from 1 to 8 you can play blackjack at any place. The player always has an advantage over the house when the game has fewer decks of cards. Most casinos prefer having very few tables offering one or double-deck blackjack while some do not even offer the game at all.

Basics

There can only be 6 players per table, the dealer will always play last after all player have cast their cards. There is a table limit of $5 and a maximum betting range from 100 dollars to 50,000 dollars; however this range can only be used at Caesar's palace in Las Vegas.

Once all bets are placed in the betting circle, the dealer will only distribute the cards after confirming that no more bets are being placed. The betting chips are usually arranged in the order following the chips with the lowest value on top and the highest value at the bottom.

Cards have two sides, the front and back. Player cards are distributed on their front sides, the dealers first card is usually on the back side and the second card on the front side. Players have various alternatives after using the first two cards. It is critical to consider the dealers first card before making any move.

Players usually hold if the ranges are 16 - 21, and will strike if the options range from 11 downwards. The maximum number of strikes allowed per player is 21. The number of cards used for a strike some time depends on how strong the dealer's first card is.

The reading of blackjack cards

The cards that have numbers 10 and below have values that equal the card numbers e.g. if you have cards with numbers 2, 5 and 8 the total value of the cards will be 15. The diamond or clubs sign have no significant influence on the card values.

The value of cards with Jacks, Queens and Kings are 10, thus if you have two cards, a jack and a king the value of the two cards will be 20. The blackjack has the highest value of 21.

The ace is very valuable in Blackjack since its value can either be counted as 1 or 11; either of the two values can be used depending on how each will affect the game. You automatically get a blackjack if the cards dealt include the Ace with a Queen, King or Jacks; the resultant payout is 3 to 2.