Necessary Elements of Blackjack Basics

You might have heard or read somewhere that the goal in blackjack is to make your hand as close to a value of 21. That is a good goal, but that isn't necessarily the object of the game. The real objective in blackjack, simply put, is to beat your dealer's hand. You don't have to take unnecessary risks just to reach a sum of 21.

After putting establishing the objective of the game, the rest of the blackjack basics will simply fall into place. Let's begin with the valuation of your hand. The suits of the cards don't have any significance in the hand valuation. The value of the cards is the only thing that matters in this game.

All your cards will take its face value. Obvious exceptions are the picture cards and Aces. The picture cards will be equal to a value of ten. Aces in blackjack either take one or 11. You are initially dealt two cards as your starting hand. The idea is to add up the total of both cards and then you have your hand value.

Your dealer will also be dealt with a couple of cards. One will be shown to you and the other players and the other will remain face down until all players have made their moves. Incidentally, if you are dealt a hand that has a total of 21 you become an instant winner. Now, as the next part of blackjack basics, we move to the moves that players are allowed to make.

Players are allowed to get additional cards in order to beef up their total. Getting additional cards for your hand is called a hit. If you feel that your hand's value is good enough then you don't make any other move, which is called stand. If you have been dealt a pair of equally valued cards then you can split them and make new hands from them. You may also hit once and then stand to double your bet, a move known as double down, if you are pretty sure you'll win this round.

These are only a few of the player options in our set of blackjack basics. Other options like surrender may or may not be allowed. Take note that certain rules not mentioned here may apply to some casinos and some may not.

After going over these blackjack basics, players are advised to try the game online or to practice on their own. However, an important part of blackjack basics is to learn the strategy of the game. Playing blackjack without any strategy is like giving your money away to the casino. To make the most of your gambling career in this table game, you should make it a point to learn basic strategy after learning the necessary elements of blackjack basics.

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