Live blackjack is one of the most popular casino games. It is a card game where players compete against the house (the casino) instead of each other.
The object of the game is to have a hand that totals closer to 21 than the dealer’s hand, without going over 21 (busting).
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The first step to playing live blackjack is to find a table that suits your budget and style of play. Tables can be found with different minimum bets and number of decks in play.
Once you’ve found a table, take a seat and wait for the dealer to invite you to buy in. .
When it’s your turn to buy in, you’ll exchange your cash for chips from the dealer. Once you have your chips, you’ll need to make a bet before the dealer will deal the cards.
The minimum and maximum bet will be clearly posted at the table. Once all players have made their bets, the dealer will deal two cards face up to each player, including themselves.
The face up card is called the “upcard” and the face down card is called the “hole card.” After all players have received their two cards, the dealer will check for a natural blackjack (21).
If they do not have a natural blackjack, play will start with the player to their left.
Players have a few options when it’s their turn to act: hit, stand, double down, split, or surrender. Players can also place an insurance bet if the dealer is showing an Ace as their upcard. We’ll go over each option in detail below:
Hit: Take another card from the dealer. You can hit as many times as you like unless you bust (go over 21).
Stand: Keep your current hand and end your turn.
Double Down: Double your bet and take one more card from the dealer. You can only double down on your first two cards (some casinos may restrict doubling down on certain hands).
Split: If you have two cards of equal value (e.g.
, two 8s), you can split them into two separate hands by making another bet equal to your original bet. You will then receive two more cards (one for each new hand) and play each hand separately.
Surrender: Give up half your bet and end your turn. This option is only available on your first two cards (before taking any hits).
Insurance: If the dealer is showing an Ace as their upcard, players can place an insurance bet equal to half their original bet. This side bet pays 2-to-1 if the dealer has a natural blackjack and 3-to-2 if they do not.
Insurance is a bad bet for players because it has a high house edge of 7%.
Once all players have had their turn, the dealer will reveal their hole card and compare hands with each player who hasn’t already busted or surrendered. If the player has a higher total than the dealer, they win even money (1-to-1) on their bet; if they have a lower total, they lose their bet; if it’s a tie (push), nobody wins or loses – bets are simply returned to players. If the player busted earlier in the hand, they automatically lose their bet regardless of what happens with the dealer’s hand
To summarize, live blackjack is a popular casino game where players compete against the house instead of each other by trying to get a hand total closer to 21 than the dealer without going over 21 themselves. The game starts with each player making a bet then being dealt two cards – one face up and one face down.
Players then have several options available to them depending on what cards they were dealt including hitting (taking another card), standing (keeping their current hand), doubling down (doubling their current bet then taking one more card), splitting (if they were dealt two cards of equal value making another equal bet then receiving two more cards which they play as two separate hands), surrendering (giving up half their current bet), or placing an insurance bet if available (only available if dealer’s upcard is an Ace). Once all players have finished taking their turn, dealers reveal their hole card then compare hands with any player who hasn’t already busted or surrendered comparing totals until all bets are resolved – either won by player if they have higher total than dealer without going over 21 themselves, lost by player if they have lower total than dealer, or pushed meaning neither player won or lost because totals were equal resulting in original bets being returned to players.
