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Sitting down at the blackjack table for the first time can be a daunting experience if you don’t have Blackjack experience. However, by remembering a few basic rules you will be able to hide the fact that this is your first game. The rules of BlackJack will differ from place to place and from one casino to another, but the general principles are the same. Remember, you can always ask the local rules if you are not sure.
The typical BlackJack table seats a dealer opposite up to 7 players. The first seat on the dealer’s left is ‘1st Base’, while the first seat on his right is referred to as ‘3rd Base’. Printed on the felt in front of each player’s seat is a betting square. In front of the dealer is the chip tray, while on his left is the deck, usually called the shoe, and next to that is the ‘minimum bet sign’, which shows you the minimum bet allowed at this particular table. As a beginner, stick to the low bet tables to learn the game and keep losses under control. On the dealer’s right is a money drop slot. This is a security feature where the dealer deposits all cash and chips to prevent their unauthorized disappearance. Next to the drop slot is what is known as the ‘discard tray’.
Play starts after the dealer has shuffled the cards. The deck is ‘cut’ by a player using a marker card and not his hand and finally the dealer ‘burns’ a card, meaning he throws it away in order to ensure a random deal. Before the cards are dealt, you make your bet by placing chips or cash in the betting box. If you need a break or you feel the dealer is having a lucky streak, you may sit out for a hand or two. But remember that if the casino is busy, you may be asked to give up your seat so another punter can take your place or alternatively you can resume the game yourself. If you don’t feel like playing, get up and walk away - you can always come back at another time!
When all the players who intend playing in this round have placed their bets, 2 cards will be dealt to each player going from left to right. Some casinos deal the cards face down. In other casinos the cards are dealt face up, in which case you may not touch them - the casino will assume that you are cheating if you do. The dealer deals himself 2 cards - 1 down and 1 up. Card values are: 10, Jack Queen and King are each worth 10, an Ace is worth 1 or 11, and all other cards are equal to their face values. If the casino is noisy, be prepared to use hand signals to indicate whether you want to hit or stand.
Indicating to the dealer what you want:
If you want a hit: If the cards were dealt face down, flick the cards gently across the felt 2 times. If the cards were dealt face up, point at the cards with your finger in a jabbing style. You can also nod your head to indicate the desire for a hit.
If you prefer to stand, move your hand, palm down, horizontally from left to right to indicate ‘no’, meaning no hit. Always keep your hands a few inches off the table to avoid suspicion that you may be touching the cards. You can indicate the stand by shaking your head ‘no’ at the same time.
Playing single or multiple deck games? Single deck is still played only in Vegas. And these tables are usually full because the card counters have a distinct advantage by ‘counting’ in a single deck game. The casinos keep the odds pretty fair at a single deck table which explains their popularity.
Multiple deck games will usually be based on an even number of decks, up to 8 decks in the shoe at a time. Multiple decks allow the dealer to deal more hands per hour because there is much less shuffling. This makes them more profitable for the casino and reduces the chances of card counting.
A dealer must follow basic rules: They must hit if they have 16 or less.
A dealer must stand if he has 17 or more, except in some smaller casinos where he may hit on a ‘soft 17’.
You, the player, have no restrictions and may play as you please, standing or hitting as you like. If you are dealt a BlackJack, meaning an Ace and a ten, you win one and a half times your bet. You may only double down on a two card hand if you have a total of 9, 10, or 11. Very few casinos allow doubling on any 2 card hand. If your cards were dealt face down and you want to double, turn them over and put them on the dealer’s side of the betting square. Otherwise point to them and say ‘double’ when it’s your turn. You will have to put an equal amount of chips next to those already in the betting box. Do not put new chips on top of old chips - it looks like you are cheating. You will be dealt one new card.
Splitting is similar. Cards which were dealt face down must be turned over and placed a little apart. Otherwise you just point at them and say ‘split’ when it’s your turn. Place an equal amount of chips in the betting box near the other card, again remembering not to place them on top of the old chips. You will now play the 2 hands exactly as normal, unless you split two aces in which case you only get one card. A 10 would be nice here. If it is a 10, the hand will not be a BlackJack, meaning you only get the standard odds of 1/1 and not 1/1.5 as you would for a ‘natural’ BlackJack. Be careful how you split - it is possible to end up playing 4 or 5 hands at the same time. Similarly, it’s probably not good to split two 5s - you will be replacing a hand that is great for drawing on or doubling down on with maybe 2 poor hands.
Insurance is only offered when the dealer’s face-up card is an Ace, and here the dealer will ask the players if they want insurance. He does not know what his face down card or ‘hole’ card is at this moment, so you cannot even read his expression for a clue. Insurance means that half the player’s bet is placed in the ‘insurance’ semi-circle printed on the felt. If the dealer gets a BlackJack, the player wins the insurance bet but loses the original bet meaning a ‘zero’ hand because insurance pays 2 to 1.
If the dealer does not get BlackJack, the insurance bet is lost and the hand is played normally with the remaining half bet. Don’t bother with insurance unless you are trying to card count. Take it when the number of ‘non-10’ cards to 10’s drops below the 2 to 1 margin.
You may also come across ‘Surrender’. This is not widely used, but there are 2 versions you may find, ‘early surrender’ and ‘late surrender’. Early surrender means quitting on 2 card hands if you don’t like the dealer’s up card, say a ten or court card. Surrendering in this way will give you a small extra advantage which is why casinos don’t like it. Late surrender means waiting until the dealer checks for BlackJack, at which point if he doesn’t, you may decide to surrender. This is not very common, so ask before joining the table whether you can or not.
That’s it! Keep cool, don’t panic and nobody will guess this is your first time!
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