Black Jack – 21 tips and tricks to win at the casino

The rules of Black Jack are simply explained

Blackjack can seem complicated at first glance. But if you spend a few minutes with it, you will soon get excited and realize that it is not that difficult.

Black Jack Cards

Blackjack cards are American cards with 52 hands per deck. Compared to a French card game used, for example, in Skat, Black Jack cards differ in number , print and size .

Whereas in the French card game only 32 cards are used, in the American 52 the values ​​of the cards 2, 3, 4, 5 are used four times each – in heart suits, spades, suits and diamonds.

The so-called court cards (Facecards) are also called differently. The Jack is the Jack in the American card game. The “queen” is the “queen” and the “king” is the “king.”

Blackjack cards also have a different size than French cards. French maps are a bit longer and not as wide.

• French cards: Length: 83mm / Width: 51mm
• Black Jack cards: Length 80mm / Width: 55 mm

Black Jack Card Values

The values ​​on the blackjack card correspond exactly to the number printed on it. All cards (Jack, Queen, King) have a value of 10 and the Ace has 1 or 11, whichever is more convenient for the player. If the player has a soft hand (with an ace) and draws another card that he would overbought, the ace automatically counts as 1.

Black Jack table

A standard blackjack table is shaped like a semicircle. The dealer (croupier) sits on the straight side. He’s in charge of the game. This includes shuffling and dealing the cards and paying the winnings.

Up to seven players are seated facing each other in a semicircle. Each player has a box in which he places the bets for the next round.

Once the bets are made, the dealer deals two cards per player. These two cards are called “hand”. The dealer first deals a card face up so that everyone can see it. The player sitting on first base to the left of the bench is the first to receive a card. Then all the others in a clockwise direction.

If each player has a card, the dealer receives a card face up. That is why this card is called “Up-Card”.

Each player then receives the second card to complete the hand in the same clockwise order as before.

The dealer receives the last card and places it face down next to his first card. This second dealer card is therefore called the “hand card”. The literal translation for this could be “punch card” or “cave map”. What it does mean, however, is the fact that you cannot see the value of this card in hand.

Game Options in Blackjack

When all the cards are dealt, he is the first player to the left of the dealer’s turn. You have different gaming options with which you can decide on profits and losses. This makes Black Jack an interactive game where you can get in on the action. Depending on the decision you make, you have a more or less great chance of winning.

Blackjack players have the following options

• Freeze / Stand
• Card Draw / Hit
• Double Down / Double Down insert
• Split pairs into two hands / Split
• Deliver half the bet / Surrender

Hit or Stop: draw or stop the card

After dealing the two cards, the player can decide whether to stop with this hand or draw another card.

Blackjack is about having more points than the dealer with two or more cards. The maximum number of points may not exceed 21 . If a player is over 21, he automatically loses his bet, no matter what the dealer has. This is called “Bust” or in English “overbuying”

With two cards, the player can reach the maximum score of 21. It consists of an ace (11 points) and a ten card (10, Jack, Queen or King). If a player has this combination on his first two cards, it is called the ” Blackjack ” or “Natural 21.”

With a “Black Jack” the player wins immediately and receives a payout of 3: 2 , which means: in addition to his bet, there is an additional bet of 1.5 as profit. For example, if you bet 10 euros and receive Blackjack, you will receive 10 euros back along with the 15 euros you won.

Double Down: Use Double Down

In some situations you can also double the bet on your hand. When to use this option can be read in the Black Jack strategy table .

What most people don’t know: You can also bend the so-called soft hand. A soft hand is a hand with an ace. The ace can count as 11 or, if you draw another third card, 1. Since there is no risk of overselling, soft hands offer good opportunities to double your bet.

Partition: Partition pairs

If the starting hand is a pair of two cards of the same rank, you have the option of splitting the pair and playing two hands at the same time. You must make a second bet equal to the original bet and get a second card for each hand.

When you split a pair of aces, you only get one card and you no longer have any deciding power. It’s the next player’s turn.

For any other split pair, for each of the two hands the usual options: AND – in most casinos – even double.

If you hit another pair after splitting a pair in either hand (or both), you can split it again. So you can play up to four hands at the same time. However, you also have to make another bet for each split hand.

For example, to share pairs:

The dealer gives us a pair of eight. We will split this pair and make a second bet. The dealer divides the pair into two hands with an 8 on the left and an 8 on the right, and the dealer gives us a second card for every 8. For example, with the left hand we have an 8 and a 10, which results at 18. So we stop and don’t draw any more cards.

In the right hand we have an 8 and a 3, which makes 11 and is a good way to double down. So we make another bet to double down and get a third card. That’s a 10, and we have 21.

The dealer has 20, which means we lost the bet on the left hand at 18, but we won the right hand with the double bet and made a total profit.