BLACKJACK HISTORY
The real birthplace of Blackjack is rather hazy, but it is thought to
have most likely stemmed from such French games such as "chemin de
fer" and "French Ferme". Some maintain Blackjack originated
in French casinos in the early 1700s where it was called "vingt-et-un"
("twenty-and-one"). It has been played in the U.S. since the
1800's. The game was christened 'Blackjack' because if a player held a
Jack of Spades and an Ace of Spades as the first two cards, the player
was paid out extra. So with Spades being black and Jack being a vital
card - Blackjack was born!
Gambling was legal out West from the 1850's to 1910, at which time
Nevada made it a crime to work a gambling game. In 1931, Nevada re-legalized
casino gambling where BlackJack became one of the primary games of chance
offered to gamblers. As some of you may recall, 1978 was the year casino
gambling was legalized in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
As of 1989, only two states had legalized casino gambling. Since then,
about 20 states have had a number of small time casinos sprout up in
places such as Black Hawk and Cripple Creek, Colorado and in river boats
on the Mississippi. Roughly 70 Native American Indian reservations operate
or are building casinos as well.
BLACKJACK RULES
Previous to any cards are dealt, the player must wager. He does this by
placing his bet in the chosen space in front of his table position. The
dealer then deals two cards to each of the players, and two to himself.
Face cards count as 10, ace counts as one or 11 and all other cards are
calculated at their face value. BLACKJACK - If the player's first two
cards are an ace and a 10 or face card, he wins. On the other hand, if
the dealer also has a blackjack, it is a standoff, as are all ties or
pushes. A winning blackjack pays the player 3 to 2.
HIT or STAND - Hit means to draw another card. Stand
means no more cards. If the player hits and busts (goes over 21), he
without delay turns his cards over and his wager is lost.
DOUBLE DOWN - The player is allowed to double the
bet on his first two cards and draw one additional card only to improve
his hand.
SPLITTING PAIRS - If the first two cards a player
is dealt are a pair, he may split them into two separate hands, bet
the same amount on each and then play them separately. Aces receive
only one additional card. After splitting, A-10 counts as 21 and not
as blackjack.
INSURANCE - If the dealer's up card is an ace, the
player may take insurance, a bet not exceeding one-half his original
bet. If the dealer's down card is a 10 or any face card, the player
wins 2 to 1. Any other card means a win for the dealer.
SURRENDER - Where permitted, a player may give up
his first two cards and lose only one-half his original bet.
The dealer must draw on 16 and stand on 17. In some casinos, the dealer
is required to draw on soft 17.
BLACKJACK TIPS
An amount of blackjack players have taken pleasure in success at beating
the house by using card-counting systems. Card-counting systems are based
on the principle that the make-up of a deck of cards changes as cards
are played. Analysis has shown that a deck is in the player's favor when
it has more ten-count cards in it. The reason the deck favors the player
is because the player has a better chance of getting blackjack which pays
3 to 2, more money than an average win.
By assigning a simple value such
as +1 for high cards and -1 for low cards, a card counter can roughly
determine the ratio of high cards to low cards remaining in the deck at
anytime during play. When the deck contains more high cards and the odds
are in his favor, he increases the amount he bets so he can win more.
When the deck isn't favorable, he bets the minimum so he loses less. The
count also affects his decisions on when to hit, stand, double and split.
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