Blackjack is a card game played between the dealer and the player. The objective of the game is to get a hand that totals 21 points. Any hand that has an Ace and a 10 is called a blackjack, also known as a “natural”. Blackjacks are paid 3 to 2, and beat any other hand in the game.
The game is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. There are several rules that must be followed when playing the game. The most important rule is to keep track of the cards that have already been dealt. This will help the player decide when to hit, stand, or split a pair of cards. The dealer will also need to know the value of their cards in order to make correct decisions.
One of the most important things to remember when playing blackjack is that the dealer is not supposed to give players information that they shouldn’t have access to. This can be done in a few ways, including allowing the player to see the dealer’s hole card for an instant before it is put down on the table or giving information based on the way the player reacts to the dealer’s face up card.
While the dealer must always keep their face up card hidden from the players, they may choose to do two things before they begin official play: buy insurance and surrender. Insurance is a side bet that pays out 2:1 if the dealer has a blackjack, and is offered before the dealer starts to deal. Surrender is a way to give up on a hand and is only available if the dealer has a card valued at 10, a face card, or an ace.
Another rule that must be remembered is that a player can only split pairs of the same cards once. To do this, the player must simply say to the dealer, “Split, please.” The dealer will then separate the original cards and ask the player to place a wager on the second hand. This wager must equal the original bet amount. The two hands are then played independently of each other.
A player can also request for another card by scraping the bottom of their original cards with their finger, or using their hand to wave towards themselves. If the player requests for another card, the dealer will deal them one additional card from the shoe. If the new card causes the hand to go over 21, the player busts and is out of the round.
There are many different types of side bets in blackjack. While insurance is the only one that is universally offered, there are hundreds of other bets on the felts at any given time. Most of these bets require the player to place a side wager in addition to their main blackjack wager. The wager for the side bet must usually equal or exceed that of the blackjack wager. This requirement is one reason that some players choose to not make a side bet.
