Blackjack
Blackjack is a banking game. That means that the players don’t play against each
other. Instead, they play against the house (casino) represented by the dealer at
the Blackjack table. The players can lose to a dealer or win independently of each
other. As in many other banking games the rules for the dealer differ from the rules
for the player.
Number of Players
There is one dealer and from one to seven players at the table. If a table is not
full a player can play more than one hand. From a card counter point of view, the
fewer players are at the table the better the game is due to assumed player’s advantage
and the number of hands dealt to him within the same period of time. Any number
of 52-card decks from one to eight can be used.
Cards Value
In Blackjack card suits have no meaning. The numerical value of a card is all that
counts. The cards 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 count at their pip value. Face cards
Jacks, Queens, Kings and tens have a value of 10. An Ace has a double value and
can be counted as 1 or 11 at a player’s choice.
Object of the Game
European roulette wheel has thirty-seven numbered pockets from one to thirty-six
and zero. These pockets are in red and black colors alternatively. Zero is a green
colored pocket. European roulette is also popular as single-zero roulette. You have
to predict the outcome of a spin of the wheel. In other words, you have to state
on which pocket the ball will come to rest after a spin.
Object of the Game
The object of the game is to beat the dealer. You beat the dealer if a numerical
value of your hand is higher than the value of a dealer’s hand and you hand does
not exceed 21. If your hand’s value is higher than 21 your hand is a “Bust” hand.
The bust hand is an automatic loser regardless of what happens later with a dealer’s
hand. If a player’s card total is less than a dealer’s and a dealer’s hand does
not go over 21, a player loses. However, if a dealer’s hand exceeds 21, then a dealer
busts and a player wins. The main advantage for the house comes from the rule that
if a player, who draws first, busts then a dealer wins even if he also busts later.
Players have to make their bets before the playing round begins and before they
have an opportunity to see the cards. They make bets by placing casino chips on
a betting space, which is usually a small circle or rectangle on a table layout.
Bets, if won, are paid off at even money with the exception of a Blackjack and insurance
bets. Betting limits are different at different blackjack tables inside casino and
they vary from casino to casino. Casinos choose their own betting limits.
Soft and Hard Hands
Any hand that contains an Ace and which can have two values is called a “Soft” hand.
For ex, A-7 has a value of 8 or 18 due to the double value of the Ace. A-7 is a
soft hand. At the same time the hand A-5-10-2 has only one value of 18 because Ace
can be counted only as 1, otherwise the Ace value of 11 will make card total of
28 and the hand will be busted. The hands that do not include an Ace and the hands
that include an Ace but under the condition that its value can only equal 1 and
not 11 - these hands are called “hard” hands. 10-6 is a “hard” hand and so is the
hand 9-6-A-4 (the hand value is 20).
Stiff and Pat Hands
The hard hands that can be busted (go over 21) by drawing one additional card are
called “Stiff” or “Breaking” hands. These hands are the hands with a total numerical
value of 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16. If a hand has a total value of 17, 18, 19 or 20
it is called a “Pat” hand.