How to Bet in Blackjack

The first thing Zuzu said to me when we came to Earth was that he was shocked that you didn’t have a nearby casino planet. It felt like the Milky Way was a bad stop for us, but we decided to stick around in a country in the southeast, just because I like how they dedicated an entire nation to my name. That’s why they call you Aussies, right? Well, it’s time to share my galactic gambling knowledge with you, and Blackjack is the way to start!

Blackjack is considered to be one of the most popular gambling card games, and many people (and other intelligent beings across the Universe) like playing it for fun! But just in case you didn’t know much about Blackjack, we’ve provided you with an article. Reading this nearly guarantee you learn precisely that: you can finally become acquainted with this amazing game! To begin with, you need to play free of charge, so you can get familiar with the game itself. Then after that, you learn some moves which you can use. As you play, you should also pay attention to the way you place your bets.

There are a couple of Blackjack variations out there, so pick the version you fancy the most and then start playing. It’s essential to mention that there are different rules for different variations of Blackjack. Online, you can find guides more than you can count about how to bet in Blackjack; but this doesn’t mean all of them are entirely accurate! So that’s why I’ve decided to put all the necessary information in this article. I want to explain the crucial stuff, so you can finally have some truly enjoyable gameplay.

Game Description

The gameplay of Blackjack is rather quick, and learning the basics is not time-consuming at all. Your goal should be to come as close as possible to twenty-one, but not over that, because this will lead you to a ‘bust,’ as gamblers like to call it! Or in my neck of the woods, we say that you’d “commit a gabzorbzorp.” Now before the beginning of the game, the players need to place their wagers. They will receive two cards — basically anyone at the table can see these cards! Additionally, the dealer gets two cards for themselves too, but only one of them is visible to the participants at the table.

After placing their bets, the players have to choose some of the following actions:

• “Hit” if they want another card
• “Stand” if they don’t need another card

Only after all the participants have chosen their action, the dealer can make their move. The rules of 21, which is an alternative name for this game that people like to use, are pretty straightforward.

So far, we’ve covered some of the basic information you need if you want to learn how to play Blackjack in a casino. Now, if you’re finally getting the idea to play for real money, it’s good that you’ve opened this guide, because we’ve prepared some descriptions of everything you need to know. Plus, there are always some interesting promotions tied to Blackjack, and Space Cat is fixing some up as we speak!

Card Values in Blackjack

Before I start with the game description, you need to get familiar with all the different Blackjack card values.

Blackjack offers three kinds of cards:

1. Aces — This one can have the value of either 1 or 11, and this depends on you!
2. Blackjack Face Cards — Kings, Queens, and Jacks are 10-valued cards.
3. Cards 2–10 —The values of these cards are exactly as their numbers suggest.

It’s a piece of cake to remember Blackjack card numbers; and after a few rounds you’ll get a handle on it. We’re quite sure of that!

Soft and Hard Hands

If this is your first time playing Blackjack, you might be perplexed with the terminology used in this game. For example, novice gamblers have to know how to distinguish a hard hand from a soft hand. Just be tolerant — because if you’re sitting next to Oscar the Space Octopus, soft and hard tentacles are also a term! Besides, in Blackjack, the strategy revolves around the combination of cards that you’re lucky (or unlucky) enough to have in your hand. Also, it’s important to think carefully about every move you make. And your decision about a particular move depends on whether you have a soft or a hard hand.

• Soft Hand — It’s easy to memorize this one: Players have a soft hand when they receive an Ace, which can have two values: either one or eleven. The players themselves decide what value they want for their Ace, and it also provides them with an opportunity to think about their next move. However, player choices are limited by the cards the dealer puts on the table.
• Hard Hand — This type of hand is opposite to a soft hand, and it means you have cards that don’t include any Aces. This type of hand limits players to a certain extent as their chances of getting over 21 points are high.

How to Play Step-by-Step

Handling Chips

First things first, you have to place a wager. And to do that, you need to exchange your money into casino chips. You can do so by putting your money on the marked spot. Bear in mind that you can’t give your money directly to the dealer. Due to security protocol, dealers don’t have the right to work with your money; and vice versa!

The camera is sure to see and record exactly how much money you’ve put on the table; and then, the pit boss will come closer to examine the amount again. The dealer must count the chips, so that they are equal to the amount of cash you placed. Once they’ve done that, they will pass them your way. Once you get them, feel free to place your wagers! The process is more straightforward in our little alien online casino.

Placing Wagers

Before every round, the players need to place their bets. There is a specific spot on the table for them. And there’s also a sign on the left or the right side of the table. This sign helps you see how much money you’re allowed to bet with. In the majority of casinos in the U.S., there’s a limit of a minimum of $5 per hand. So the minimum and maximum bets for this game often vary from galaxy to galaxy, and they’re often different in every casino as well!

The Dealer Deals Card

After the players place a bet, the dealer starts to deal cards clockwise. The players receive two cards which are placed face up. However, the dealer shows only one of their two cards while the second one isn’t visible to other players.

Players Have to Choose the Action

The game starts from the left (which is called “first base,”) and the dealer waits for the player on the far left to finish their move. You start with two cards. First things first, you need to add up the values of two cards you received with the purpose of having a total sum between four and twenty-one. Of course, it would definitely be better if you had less than twenty-one!

If you receive an Ace and a card that brings you 10 points, you just got yourself a Blackjack! The payout ratio for this game stands at 3:2. Mathematically, this means that if you win, you’ll get 1.5x your wager. With these statistics, you’re going to double up your money in no time! However, sometimes the dealer gets Blackjack as well — in this case, you won’t win any money, but you won’t lose your wagered money either. This is what we call “push.”

It is also possible that neither you nor the dealer hit Blackjack. in that case, they will give a sign for the next player in the cycle to choose the move for their hand. Once your turn comes, you’ll need to choose an option by making a specific hand gesture. These gestures exist so that the cameras can record what action you’ve chosen, and so the dealer can’t answer you; this is because the players should be silent while playing. Do beware though: if you ever find yourself in the Gleptico galaxy, don’t try and be funny and make a bird with your hands! In my experience,  they just don’t see the funny side!

Other Moves that You Can Do

1. Stand —If your first two cards are really good, you can opt to “stand,” in which case the dealer will simply start with the player next to you. Waving your hand and putting it on the table is the hand signal for a stand.
2. Hit — In case you need more cards for your combination, you can ask the dealer to give you more cards, but only once per round, until your hand makes up a total of 21, or you “stand.” In Blackjack, you can take as many cards as you wish (just make sure the outcome is not higher than 21). A simple tap of your finger suggests that you want an additional card.
3. Double Down — If you hold a hand combination that is capable of bringing you a win, except that you need one additional card, then by doubling down your initial wager, you will get from the dealer that one more card you’re looking for. When you put a wager on the left side of the original bet (that’s the hand gesture for a double down), the dealer will give you one more card.
4. Split — If you happen to have two cards of equal value, this allows you to put a second wager. The dealer will split those cards, and you will then end up with two separate hands. Note that if you have a Queen and a King, they are not the same cards; but they do have an identical value, nonetheless! You still have to put up a second wager, and it needs to be identical to the original one. Then, you should make a peace sign with your hand. This will notify the dealer that you want to split.
5. Surrender — In case you don’t like your hand combination, you can opt for surrender and get back half of your initial bet. The hand gesture for this move is drawing a line with your finger below your bet.

Blackjack Etiquette

If you’re sitting at the Blackjack table, then you need to know about the etiquette of this game. Some things are allowed, and some are not. Except for the hand gestures that we explained in the previous paragraph, there are a few more things that we’d like to mention.

Regardless of whether you play Blackjack or some other casino games, tipping is not mandatory if you’re the lucky winner. For example, $10 with your $5 bet. On the other hand, if you’ve obtained a big prize, you should leave a tip for the dealer. If you don’t leave a tip, it’s perfectly fine, but you might get a few judgmental looks from your fellow players!

In this card game, while you’re sitting at the table, it’s essential that you pay attention to the order of your chips. The highest-value chips should go to the bottom. If you don’t do this, the dealer will be obliged to stop the game and do it for you. Also, don’t touch your chips once the game commences. You can touch them once the round ends, but not before!

You know how there’s always that one person who keeps talking and gives unwanted advice to players at the table, right? Well, don’t be that person. You should focus on your hand and let the players make their own decisions

Blackjack Chip Values

In the majority of casinos, chips are colour-coded to label their denominations. In general, the values are shown on the chips too. For instance, a white chip typically represents $1-value chip, red stands for $5, green for $25, black for $100, purple for $500, and orange for $1,000. I’ve noticed that you don’t have that many colours here on Earth, so this shouldn’t be too tough for you!

Types of Bets

Flat bet — This kind of betting allows the players to place a bet by wagering the same amount of money for each hand. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this option. You won’t be losing a lot; but you won’t be winning much either! Here’s an example — if you bet five dollars before every hand, you’re giving the dealer an edge of 0.5%. But the thing is, you might lose approximately 0.5 of every bet you’ve placed. A lot of players prefer not to use this method, as they believe it helps the dealer win more hands than they do.

Double up — You can opt to double up your original bet for the first two cards that you received.

Insurance Bet — This option allows the players to place a side bet if the dealer manages to get an Ace. In a nutshell, you’ll be betting on the dealer hitting Blackjack; and if this is your goal, you’re going to win the side bet, but lose the original one. So even in an ideal situation, you’d just be breaking even!

Popular Blackjack Betting Strategies

Now that you’re familiar with all the bets you can place in Blackjack, it’s time for you to find out all there is about progressive strategies in Blackjack. In a nutshell, this system can teach you when to increase or decrease your wager. In general, you can choose between two different kinds of progressive betting strategies:

Positive progression — If you’ve chosen this strategy, then you’ll bet more money after each win. This will increase your chances of making a profit, and significantly lower your chances of losing too much money.

Negative progression — This one means that the players need to raise their wager every time they lose a round of the game. This is used to minimize the effects of losses.

Now that you’re aware of this, we can move onto the more popular systems you can use. But before we can begin, it’s crucial for you to know that regardless of which system you choose to follow, it won’t help you to get the result you want with any real certainty. That is to say: they can only help you carefully plan your bets before you start to play. Advocates of these strategies believe that if you use this strategy, you will increase your chances of claiming a win.

In the text below, we are going to list some of the strategies; but just think of them purely as betting tips!

The Martingale System

Whenever you aren’t certain which betting system to use, go for Martingale. This system is good for many different casino games. The secret to this strategy lies in the idea that every losing streak has to end with at least one win. As a result, you need to double your bet after each loss. They believe that if you do so, you may recuperate the money you lost!

When you place your initial bet, you have to double it in case you lose. However, after you win, it means you need to bet the original amount again, so the cycle can repeat itself. It’s easy to realize that this system is a bit risky! I.e., players can end up spending all their money in as little as a few rounds, particularly if they’re sitting at the five-dollar table.

The Manhattan System (2-2-1)

This system is different from the one above. If you opt for this one, you need to bet on two units. For instance, imagine that you place a $3 wager. And if you win, you needn’t double your wager. As a substitute, the money of the second bet will go down by one unit. If it just so happens that you win in the third round, the system instructs you to place $4. Naturally, if the players lose, they need to come back to their original wager ($3). The whole point of this method is to use your wins to your advantage, and make sure there are as many as possible!

The 1-2-3-5 Strategy

This is a fairly popular progressive strategy for placing bets. For this one, the amount of the wager differs with each round. Essentially, if this option is alluring to you, you should stick to the pattern of 1-2-3-5 and enforce it to your bets. However, when you lose in a round, you should return to the first unit in the pattern. Advocates of this betting system will tell you that you’ll finish off with more money during the five winning rounds. However, who can predict that you’ll win so many times in a row?

The 1-3-2-6 System

Now, let’s talk about a system called 1-3-2-6. This is the most progressive betting system of them all. Like the one we previously explained, this one is also quite simple and easy to memorize. You can use it in various casino games; but as it turns out, it’s Blackjack players who love using it the most!

For starters, the players have to choose how much their bets are gonna be. A lot of players would suggest choosing the lowest possible amount. Simply put, they want to spare you the risk of losing a large amount of money. So when you’ve chosen how much you’re ready to bet, you can finally begin to play.

In the course of each winning round, the size of your bet will increase, as defined by the pattern. If the players lose, they will be going from the beginning — more precisely, from the original wager.

Disclaimer

It is of the utmost importance for you to understand that these so-called strategies do still carry some risks. For example, you can end up losing a large amount of money. Besides, you have to remember that by definition, they aren’t strategies, but patterns you can use while you’re placing your bets. Try not to expect a victory every single time — Lady Luck won’t necessarily always be on your side!

Basic Blackjack Strategy

Surrender

• Surrender hard 15 against the dealer’s 10.
• Surrender hard 16 if the dealer has 9, 10, or Ace (but not the set of 8s; in that case, you should split).

Split

• Split a pair of 2s and 3s against dealer 2–7. If not, hit.
• Split a pair of 4s against dealer 5–6. If not, hit.
• Split a pair of 5s against dealer 2–9. If not, hit.
• Split a pair of 6s against dealer 2–6. If not, hit.
• Split a pair of 7s against dealer 2–7. If not, hit.
• Split a pair of 9s against dealer 2–9 (except 7). If not, stand.
• Always split 8s and Aces.
• Never split 5s and 10s.

Double

• Always double 11.
• Double soft 13 against dealer 5–6. If not, hit.
• Double soft 14 against dealer 5–6. If not, hit.
• Double soft 15 against dealer 4–6. If not, hit.
• Double soft 16 against dealer 4–6. If not, hit.
• Double soft 17 against dealer 3–6. If not, hit.
• Double soft 18 against dealer 2–6. If not, hit.
• Double soft 19 against dealer 6. If not, stand.
• Soft 20 always stands.

Hit or Stand

• When you have hard 11 or less, always hit.
• Always hit soft 17 or less.
• Stand on hard 12 against a dealer 4-6, otherwise hit.
• Stand on hard 13-16 against a dealer 2-6, otherwise hit.
• When you have a hard 17 or more, always stand.
• Stand on soft 18 except hit against a dealer 9, 10, or A.
• Always stand on soft 19 or more.

Variation of Rules

Blackjack or 21

This is the most commonly played version. The other name for this version is 21. The objective is to have a sum of 21, but no more than this. Blackjack rules may vary from one casino to another. In the list, you’ll find the most common rules for Blackjack:

• Dealer checks for Blackjack
• House advantage: 0.56% (varies, but generally around this number)
• 2–4 Decks
• Dealer hits soft 17
• Splitting allowed
• 1–2 resplits allowed
• Doubling allowed
• Doubling after splitting allowed

Blackjack Switch

Gamblers like this variation, because the players can have two hands, and they are allowed to switch the second card in each hand. This option gives the players the upper hand; but the casinos try and even that up by introducing the following rules:

• Dealer hits on soft 17
• House advantage: 0.16% to 0.58% (the exact figure varies)
• If you hit Blackjack, you’ll receive even money
• If the dealer has a total sum of 22 points, that will result in a push
• Resplitting is allowed
• Dealer checks for Blackjack
• Doubling allowed on any points total

European Blackjack

This version of Blackjack is generally played with two decks of cards. Namely, there are some rules that are more benevolent toward the players. In this variation, the dealers don’t check for Blackjack until all the players have finally played their hand.

• Blackjack pays 3:2
• House advantage: 0.39%
• Dealer doesn’t check for Blackjack
• Dealer stands on soft 17
• Dealers Blackjack vs. players results in a push
• A player may double after splitting
• No resplitting
• Players may only double down on point totals of 9, 10, and 11

Tips for Winning

Apart from the betting methods that we talked about in the text, we want to offer you some tips that you can always use while playing Blackjack at a casino table.

Don’t Opt for Insurance Bet

The thing with insurance bet is that the dealer has an advantage of nearly 6% if you place this bet. So if you choose this play, you’ll be taking the risk of losing more money. To prevent this, you should accept the defeat if the dealer has an Ace.

If you’re planning on bringing profits, you don’t actually need to win each round. All you have to do on your end is to make sure that you have more wins than losses. By doing so, you will cement your chances of having more money than at the moment you first entered the casino.

Don’t Sit Next to the Dealer

This might come as a surprise, but you’ll get the most out of sitting far away from the dealer, rather than close to them. The reason for this suggestion is because if you choose this seat, you will have more time to strategize based on your hand and the dealer’s visible card. This opportunity allows the players to play the right move.

Don’t Believe in Superstitions

Bear in mind that in Blackjack, unlike other card games, you’re playing against the house; not against other players! Besides counting cards, there’s actually nothing that can influence your own choices. As we mentioned before when talking about etiquette, there are people who like talking to others and giving them their opinions during the play; so it’s wise not to listen to those “experts,” nor indeed to your “gut feeling.” Bringing in a small idol of Lord Jegrubrigon works only on planet Z-12 (for reasons that remain as yet unclear…)

In Conclusion

If you plan on sitting at a Blackjack table in a casino, we suggest reading our article as many times as you need, so you can make sure you truly excel at playing this game. There are tournaments held in numerous casinos, and if you want to participate, we strongly advise you to learn how betting works. Bear in mind that sticking to your basic strategy is important, but everything else depends on the situation and your luck.

Remember, don’t make any hasty decisions, stick to your basic strategy, and bet properly, so you can finally win a ton of money. Good luck!

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