| Blackjack
Gambling and Internet Blackjack
Blackjack originated in
France and is known the world over as
vingt-et-un,
21,
Pontoon,
California Aces or as the Americans call it, Blackjack.
Today's casinos offer slight variations to the game
depending on the city, state or casino you play in.
Casino
Blackjack is
a card game played with a standard 52-card deck.
One to seven players sitting at a semi-circular table
play against a dealer. The dealer handles all
transactions including exchanging cash for chips,
dealing the cards and playing the houses hand.
The
goal in Blackjack is to beat the dealer�s hand by either
of two ways:
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1. |
Draw cards until your hand scores higher than the
dealers without going over 21. |
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2. |
Do not draw cards and have the dealer bust, or
exceed 21. |
The
Blackjack Table
A typical
blackjack table is semi-circular and seats between
five and seven players. Several tables grouped together
within the casino are known as the blackjack pit. The
personnel assigned to supervise the pit area are called
pit bosses.
The
"rules" for a particular table are always written on its
surface. For instance, what the house pays for a
natural 21, whether or not the dealer must hit a soft
seventeen and whether or not insurance is available.
Under the "rules", there are between five and seven
betting circles that correspond to a particular seat
around the table. The first seat to the dealer�s left is
commonly known as first base and the seat to the
dealer�s farthest right is commonly known as third base.
In front
of the dealer lies the chip rack.
The dealer will exchange these chips for cash and pay
all winnings with chips from this rack. A placard should
be visible showing the tables minimum and maximum bets
that can be wagered on a single hand.
Table
limits can be changed at any time by replacing the
placard sign with a new one. A wooden or plastic box for
holding multiple decks of cards known as a shoe,
indicates that a multi-deck game is being played at this
particular table. If a shoe is not located
on the table, a
single or double deck game is being played.
The
Card Values
Face
cards (Jacks, Queens and
Kings) are worth 10 points.
An Ace can be worth
either one or 11 points. All remaining cards are
worth their face value. The card's suits have no meaning
in Blackjack.
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