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How to Play Blackjack
Blackjack is an easy game to learn how Blackjack to play.
We'll assume you've never played before and go over the basics. Before you sit down at a blackjack table, glance at the sign that sits on the table because it will tell you the minimum amount you must bet per hand. If you are a $5 per hand player than you want to locate a table that allows $5 minimum bets per hand. When you take a seat at a blackjack table, you need to convert your cash into casino chips. Just wait until the dealer completes the hand in progress and place your cash on the table in front of you preferably outside of the betting box (otherwise the cash could be mistaken for a bet on the next hand). The dealer will exchange your cash for an equivalent amount of casino chips. Place the chips in front of you. You are now ready to make your first bet but first let's make sure you understand the playing rules. The objective of blackjack is to beat the dealer's hand by either 1) having a total that exceeds the dealer's total or 2) by not going over 21 when the dealer does. Exceeding a total of 21 is known as 'busting". The casino's edge comes from the fact that players must go first and when they bust their hand they automatically lose even if the dealer subsequently busts. All cards count their face value in blackjack. Picture cards count as 10 and the ace can count as either a 1 or 11. Card suits have no meaning in blackjack. The total of any hand is the sum of the card values in the hand. A hand containing a 4, 5 and 8 totals 17. Another containing a queen and 5 totals 15. It is always assumed that the ace counts 11 unless your total exceeds 21 in which case the ace reverts to a value of 1. For example, Ace, 5 is a 16. If a player draws a 9 the total is now 15. Generally hands which contain an ace that counts as 11 are known as soft hands (i.e. ace, 7 is a soft 18 hand). A hard hand is any hand that either does not contain an ace of if it does it counts as 1 (i.e. 10, 8 and 5, ace, 10, 2 are hard 18 hands). Prior to the deal of the cards, all players must make a bet by placing chips in their respective betting boxes. Every player and the dealer will receive two cards. One of the dealer's card (known as the dealer's upcard or face card) is dealt up so that players can see its value. The other dealer's card (known as the dealer's downcard or hole card) is unseen. The two player cards can be either dealt face up, face down, or sometimes one up and one down. In general, games that are dealt from dealing shoes (normally containing 4, 6 or 8 decks of cards ) the player's cards are dealt face up. In this case you should not handle the cards. In games in which the dealer deals from the hand by pitching the cards to the players (single or double deck games) the player cards are usually dealt both face down (or sometimes one up and one down). In these games it is permissible for the player to handle the cards (with one hand only and the cards must always be above the table).