Do You Need Chips for Blackjack?

Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games. It is also one of the easiest games to learn. The object of blackjack is to get a hand closer to 21 than the dealer’s without going over 21 (busting).

Blackjack is usually played with six decks of cards, but some casinos use eight decks. The player whose hand totals closest to 21 without going over wins the game.

The basic rules of blackjack are simple. The player and dealer each start with two cards. The player can see both of his own cards, but only one of the dealer’s cards. All face cards (kings, queens and jacks) are worth 10 points.

An ace can be worth either 1 point or 11 points, whichever is better for the player’s hand total. All other cards are worth their face value (2 through 10).

If the player’s first two cards total 21, that’s called a blackjack or natural and he wins automatically, unless the dealer also has a blackjack, in which case it’s a push (a tie). If the player does not have a blackjack, he can choose to “hit” (take another card), “stand” (keep his current total), “double down” (double his bet and take one more card) or “split pairs” (if he has two of the same card, he can separate them into two hands).

If the player hits and his hand goes over 21, that’s called busting and he automatically loses, even if the dealer also busts later on. If both the player and dealer have blackjack or natural 21s, it’s a push again.

Otherwise, whoever has the higher hand total wins.

The key to winning at blackjack is making good decisions about when to hit/stand/double down/split pairs based on your cards and the dealer’s upcard. That decision-making process can be difficult for beginners, which is why it’s important to learn basic strategy before playing for real money.

Basic strategy tells you when to hit/stand/double down/split pairs based on your cards and the dealers upcard. It takes into account all possible combinations of player hands and dealer upcards and provides you with the mathematically best play for each situation.

If you stick to basic strategy, you will lower the house edge to under 1%. That means that for every $100 you bet at blackjack, you can expect to lose about $1 on average over the long run.

That makes blackjack one of the best bets in any casino. And it gets even better if you can find a table with favorable rules like surrender or re-split aces.

In conclusion, chips are not necessary for blackjack as long as you are sticking to basic strategy and betting responsibly.