Blackjack FAQs Answered
A card game that has dealt millions of hands since its birth around the 1700s, Blackjack has stood the test of time to become known as a casino classic.
With new and existing players trying their luck against the dealer on a daily basis, within a range of online Blackjack games or in person at their local casino establishment, many questions have arisen over the years – so, we’re here to answer a few of these.
Join us as we try to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about Blackjack.
Scroll to read on.
Has Blackjack always been called Blackjack?
No. When the iconic card game first hit the floors of casino establishments, it was known as Vingt-et-Un, which translates to Twenty-One.
It wasn’t until a few decades ago t casino establishments in America wanted to boost the popularity of the game by offering bonus payouts to players. One of the bonus payouts was called Black Jack – to win, you’d need a hand value of 21, created by two cards: the Ace of Spades and one of the Black Jacks. When the offer fizzled out, the name stuck.
What value do the cards hold?
Numbered cards hold the value of the number found on them, for example, the Five of Hearts will hold a value of five.
The Royal cards, Jack, Queen and King all hold a value of ten.
The Aces of the pack are different, allowing players to decide their value of either one or eleven.
What is the aim of Blackjack?
The aim of the game is to hold a hand of cards that value 21, or as close to 21, without exceeding. If your hand doesn’t total 21 but is higher than your opponent’s, you will still win.
How do you play Blackjack?
To begin a game, you’ll need to place a wager down on the table.
Once your wager has been placed, the dealer will deal you two face up cards, whilst dealing themselves one face up and one face down.
It is here you’ll need to total up your cards and decide if you can add another card to your hand to get closer to 21 or not. If you’re hand totals 21 with your two cards, or with another card added, or you feel you cannot add another card without exceeding 21, tell the dealer you want to stick – the dealer will go on to reveal their facedown card and total up their hand’s value. If your hand is higher than theirs, or their hand exceeds 21, you win.
If their hand has a higher value than yours, without going over 21, they win. If, however, you both have the same value, you neither lose nor win.
Will other players around the table affect my chances of winning?
A game of Blackjack is against you and the dealer, nobody else. What hands the dealer deals with another player will have no effect on your gameplay or your hand.
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Now we’ve answered a few of the FAQs out there, will you be heading to the Blackjack table any time soon?