Blackjack or sometimes known as Twenty-One, is a simple card game played by a dealer and players using a standard deck of 52 cards. It’s a game between players and dealers, whereby the players do not compete with each other.
Blackjack is one of the most popular live casino games in Singapore. So much so that it can be found in nearly every casino in the world. It is very easy to learn up and start winning. That’s why blackjack is among the first game that people pick up in the casino. But it may take a bit of practice to master.
Blackjack is so popular that it’s also commonly played casually outside the casino. Usually with some slightly different rules for the extra bit of excitement. This is especially common during the festive seasons when friends and family gather at home.
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How To Play Blackjack
The aim of the game is to get a hand of 21 points, or the closest value to 21 as possible without going over. Whoever bust beyond 21 points loses the round.
Before the round starts, each player has to place their bets on the table. Then, the cards are dealt face up in front of the players except for the dealer. The dealer will have 1 card facing down.
During their turn, the player can choose to:
- hit (take 1 more card)
- stand (take no more card)
- double down
- split
Note that double down and split can only occur during the player’s first turn. Once the first turn is over, the opportunity to double down or split is gone. Additionally, dealers are not allowed to double down or split.
Double down is the opportunity for players to double their initial bets. For that, the player can only hit once and must stand right after that. On the other hand, split is the opportunity for players to split their cards from 1 hand into 2 separate hands. For split to occur, the player’s initial 2 cards must be a pair. If it’s favourable, players can also double down right after a split.
Once all the players turn has ended, it’s the dealer’s turn to hit or stand. Then, if the player’s hand beats the dealer’s hand, the player wins. If the dealer’s hand beats the player’s hand, the dealer wins. If both the dealer and player hand shares the same value, it’s a draw.
One must note that a bet once paid or collected, can never be returned. Hence, one of the best advantages to the dealer is that players have to play first. If the player goes bust during their turn, they immediately lose their bet. This loss cannot be returned even if the dealer goes bust eventually in the same round. Click here https://www.96aceofficial.org/guide-details/how-to-play-blackjack-in-casino-online-malaysia-guide.
Rules Of Blackjack
For those who are new, there are certain cards that are different from the usual value to take note of. This is to avoid miscalculation and missing a great opportunity to win big.
The jack, queen and king are worth 10 points each, commonly known as the picture card. Meanwhile, the ace value is either 1 or 11 depending on the player’s choice. Therefore, an ace with any of the 10 points cards is a natural blackjack. A player will a natural blackjack wins the round immediately.
Simple Playing Strategies For Blackjack
Since blackjack is a relatively simple game, there are only a handful of strategies for playing blackjack. These are mainly common tricks and tips that people developed on their own after playing many rounds.
Double down strategy
Since you can only hit once after a double down, naturally there are 3 scenarios where it makes the most sense to double down. Each scenario won’t make you go bust and is very likely to give you a strong hand;
- when you have 9 points
- when you have 10 points
- when you have 11 points
Obviously, the best scenario is when you have 11 points. That’s when the chance of scoring 21 points and winning big is at its peak. Especially if there are not many 10 points cards on the table yet. This involves some card counting trick which we will cover below.
Card Counting Strategy
Card counting this essentially the practice of studying the cards dealt out to you and every other player on the table. Then, use that information to guess the probability of hitting the card that you desire – whether it’s a high-value card or a low-value card.
This valuable trick can also be applied to other card games, especially poker. Hence, card counting is a skill that most veteran players would want to master. Especially if they’re planning to win seriously in the casinos.
For blackjack, in order to fully take advantage of card counting, you need to be positioned at the most right side of the dealer. This is because, a standard blackjack game requires the dealer to deal the cards from left to right i.e. clockwise.
Therefore, by being the last player to make decisions, you have the luxury to study the cards that have been dealt out to other players. This will help you guess more accurately what kind of card you’ll be dealt with if you choose to hit.
Conservative Play Strategy
In most casinos, the bankers are usually required to hit until at least 17 points. So, if you got a high-risk hand, you can decide to be conservative and just stand on your turn. A high-risk hands occur when;
- you have 16 points
- you have 15 points
Since the chances of you going bust with such hands are quite high. Hence, it’s worth attempting a conservative play in such situation.
Conclusion
Blackjack (known as https://www.96aceofficial.org/my/en-us/guide-details/how-to-play-blackjack-in-casino-online-malaysia-guide) is a really good game for anyone to pick up and learn. Since it’s one of the most popular games known to many people, it’s a great choice for a social card game among friends and family.
Moreover, mastering blackjack requires a lot of experience. Especially with the card counting strategy. Hence, all the sessions with friends and family help a lot to build those experiences.