With summer festival season kicking into full swing, here is a basic outline of the game of blackjack, a favorite among Catholic church festival patrons. The game can be a great way to stretch your dollars at the festival, as well as a way to play a fun game with plenty of down time to talk to friends.
Note: All words in quotes below are defined in the definitions section or after the quotes.
The style of game talked about here is the basic style when you play at a casino or any table where one entity is the “house” against the rest of the players.
Gameplay
The way the game works is pretty simple. The first thing to remember is that you are playing only against the dealer, not against the rest of the players at the table.
The dealer takes one card from the “shoe” and lays it face-up in front of the first player to his left (the right of the table). He then repeats for each player. Then, he deals himself one card face-down. He repeats around the table giving each player one more face-up card. The second card the dealer deals himself is face-up.
Starting at the same place, the dealer asks each player if he would like to “hit” or “stand.” If you “stand,” you are saying you do not want any more cards, and the total value of the cards when you add their values together (2 points for a 2, 3 for a 3, 4 for a 4, etc.) is your score. If you “hit,” the dealer gives you another card to add to your total. Sometimes, the number of hits you can have in one round is limited.
The object of the game is to get as close to 21 as possible without going over.
Rules
- All face cards are worth 10
- Aces can be worth either 1 or 11, whichever is best for you
- If you receive two of any card (like two 6s or two Queens) you may “split” them
- If you choose, you can “double down,” and receive only one more card
- If you go over 21, you lose
- If the dealer goes over 21, then all players who did not already “bust” win
- If you get a higher number than the dealer, then you win and you get whatever you bet from the house, doubling your money (i.e., if you bet $1, the house gives you $1, and you now have $2)
- If you get exactly 21 on the first two cards, then you have a “Blackjack,” and you usually win 1.5 times the amount of your bet ($1.50 for each $1 bet).
- If you have the same number as the “house,” then it is a “push.” In casinos, you generally get your bet back with a push, but if you are playing at a not profit organization like a church, the church usually wins all pushes
- The dealer must “hit” if he has a total of 16 or lower
- The dealer must “stand” if he has a total of 17 or higher
- In some places, the dealer must “hit” on a “soft 17”
- There are also places where you can do things like “insurance,” but it is more complicated than the rest of the game and so will be omitted here in our basic discussion
Definitions
Blackjack: Also called a “natural,” it means your two up cards equal exactly 21.
Bust: To go over 21 in your point total.
Double Down: You double the amount of your bet and get only one more card, no more.
Hit: To take another card and add its value to your total.
House: The organization running the event and collecting profits, against whom all players play, embodied by the dealer.
Push: When a player has the exact same value of cards as the dealer.
Shoe: An open-topped plastic rectangle from which the cards are usually dealt. They usually hold multiple decks, and the number of decks varies depending on where you play. (If you directly ask the dealer how many decks, he may suspect you of crude card counting).
Soft 17: When the dealer’s first two cards equal 17.
Split: If you have two identical cards (in value not suit), you may split them and play each one separately as if each was a separate player. You must place another identical wager in order to split, since you now have two hands.
Stand: You do not take another card and play with your current total.
Basic Strategies
Crude blackjack strategies (the ones I play with) are based on the idea that almost 40% of a deck is composed of cards worth 10 or Aces. Even though this is less than half and includes 1's and 11s, players basically operate under the assumption that the dealer’s down card is worth 10. This is because between the actual odds and the fact that a lot of card combinations add up to 10, it is the only somewhat constant in the game.
Generally, players hit and stand on the same principles as the dealer, but some players are more cautious and others more aggressive.
When the dealer has a 6 or less showing, it is generally assumed that the dealer will bust. If a player takes a hit and gets a 10 card when the dealer has six or less showing, and then the dealer wins in the end, the other players will probably be mad at you for “taking the dealer’s bust card.” But, in the end, you are playing for yourself, not them, so you have to balance how badly you need a card given that if the dealer does bust you will win automatically, no matter how low your total.
When the dealer has 7 or higher showing, it is generally assumed that the dealer has a ten as the down card, so players usually hit until they can beat the dealer’s up card plus ten. However, if you play somewhere where the house wins a push (like a festival), then the dealer is required to show if he has a “blackjack,” because then no one can beat him and the house wins all bets. So, if you are at such a place and the dealer has an Ace up and he lets play go on, he does not have a ten with it, so just play your cards not his.
Splitting is generally only done with cards that are either Aces, or 8 and higher. That way, if you get a 10, you are in a decent position to win both hands. However, conventional wisdom does not split ten-point identicals, because your chances of winning are already incredibly high.
Doubling Down is generally done when you have 8-11 total points on your first two cards, because you only get one card. If you double down too low, your only shot of winning is if the dealer busts, so depending on the flow of the game, if the dealer shows a low card doubling down may not be a bad idea even on low totals.
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