One of the most popular games found online or in casinos today is that of blackjack. To a newcomer, the game of blackjack is a relatively simple game where a player needs to accumulate a hand of cards that equal 21.
In basic blackjack, each player as well as the House, is given the task of creating a hand of, or as close to, the amount of 21. While this may seem like a relatively straightforward idea, understanding the blackjack strategy of how to arrive at an amount of 21 can be key. In blackjack, all players are dealt two cards, 1 face up, and 1 face down. The number of players at a table can vary, from 3 to 6 or more. However, unlike in games of Texas Holdem Poker or Omaha Poker, 21 blackjack players play solely against the casino and not each other. At times, this can give one a better chance of winning their hand.
The trick with blackjack, however, is to stay under the amount of 21, without going bust. A popular way to do this is to count cards. This is a blackjack strategy used by card sharks where players keep track of which cards have been played since the last time the deck was shuffled. This can be especially useful for those players with a 17 looking to hit, and who really need a small card so as not to bust. If you have been counting the cards, you might be able to tell if a lot of face cards and high cards have been played. If they have not, then you may want to think twice about hitting on your 17. These blackjack odds dictate that there are still a number of high cards in the deck, thus your chances are higher of getting a high card and going over 21. In the instance where a player does bust in the casino, they may flip over their card and announce a bust, thus admitting defeat for that round.
In a blackjack game, there are two different kinds of 17’s a player can have; a hard 17 or a soft 17. A hard 17 is simply a hand in blackjack where there is no ace (for instance, a queen and a 7). A soft hand on the other hand, is one that does include an ace. Always be aware that an ace card can hold a value of 10 or 1, depending what the player decides. Consequently, a player has a smaller chance of busting with a soft 17. The rules dictating whether or not to hit on a soft 17 change depending on the casino. For example, when players play at an online blackjack game, they will notice that most internet blackjack tables will advertise if the dealer will hit on a soft 17.
The casino blackjack version of this game has a similar name to the British card game “Black Jack”, however, not that the two are not the same.
By Gene Marshall
Gene Marshall is a knowledgeable internet blackjack writer and writes for a few top online blackjack publications. The author specializes in articles about free blackjack and blackjack online. Further articles written by Gene Marshall about internet blackjack can be accessed on line.