The Basics of a Blackjack Game

Getting a hand value that is closer to 21 beating the dealer's hand and not going over is the basic goal of the game of blackjack. You don't need to concern yourself with the other players that are on the table. Your own hand is separately played out against the dealer's hand.

In playing the game, letting the dealer and other players at the table see your cards is not a problem since each player is playing an individual game against the dealer. Cards are either dealt face up (i.e. shoe game) or face down (otherwise known as hand held game). In a shoe game, all the cards dealt to players are face up and players are not allowed to touch the cards. In hand held games players are allowed to touch the cards. The cards, in this mode of play, will be dealt face down).

In a game of blackjack, the following are the values of the cards:

(1) An ace will either be valued at one or 11 depending on the values of the other cards you have at hand. (2) The cards with numbers Two through Nine have values as indicated in the card, and (3) The cards of Ten, Jack, Queen, and King have values that equal to ten.

The card suits are meaningless and insignificant. What's important is the value of the cards in your hand. When the points are summed up the total should be closer to 21 and not over. For example, if you have a hand of Five, Seven, and Nine, it has the value of 21. If you have a hand of Ace and Six, the value would either be seven or 17.

At the start of the blackjack game, bets are made first. After everyone in the table has made their wagers, cards are dealt around the table starting from the left side of the dealer making two passes until every player including the dealer has two cards each. One of the cards of the dealer will be face up (everyone gets to see one of the dealer's card known as the up card).

In the hand-held type of the game players are only allowed to touch the cards using only one hand. No card must be removed from the table. Any additional cards that are dealt to you by the dealer will be left lying on the table. These cards will not be added to the cards you are holding.

The basics of this game are pretty easy to understand. Playing the game is full of fun and excitement especially if you are able to beat the dealer's hand and win some money. After you've got the basics down you can go on with the specific details of the game like basic strategy.

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