» Some people believe that Blackjack is based on some European card games. Blackjack have elements of French “Vingt-Un” (21), “Trente et Quarente” (20 and 30), “Chemin de Fer” (Railroad), Spanish “One and Thirty” and Italian “Baccara” and “Seven and a Half”. French “Vingt-Un” (21), “Trente et Quarente” (20 and 30), “Chemin de Fer” (Railroad), Spanish “One and Thirty” and Italian “Baccara” and “Seven and a Half” come to the United States in the 19th century and were very popular. For some time casinos and gambling houses were forbidden. In 1931 gambling was legalized in Nevada. When casino gambling was legalized Blackjack became one of the most popular games. Casino gambling and Blackjack were very popular. In 1956 the first article about Blackjack was printed. The first article about Blackjack was titled “The Optimum Strategy in Blackjack”. “The Optimum Strategy in Blackjack” was written by Roger Baldwin. In “The Optimum Strategy in Blackjack” Roger Baldwin wrote about some strategies. Roger Baldwin explained how to reduce the “House”, or casino, advantage based upon probability and statistics. Thorp. It was Edward O. Thorp who developed and wrote about the first card counting systems. A lot of people read books about casinos, casino games and gambling. After “Beat the Dealer” was published much more people began to play at casinos. People wanted to implement Thorp’s strategy. Casinos had to change Blackjack rules back to attract players. Thorp’s book ended up making money for casinos, as it increased the amount of Blackjack being played. Mr Braun improved Dr. Thorp’s code. Braun’s updated strategies and card counting systems were included in the second edition of “Beat the Dealer”. Troph, Braun and others made Blackjack very popular. Blackjack History

» "Blackjack" ia also called "21". Those who play different casino games spend most of their time playing Blackjack. Blackjack gives the skilled player a consistent winning advantage over the house! A dealer and several players take part in Blackjack. Each player's hand is played against the dealer's hand only. If you obtain a hand value closer to twenty-one without going over than the dealer does, you will win your hand. The objective of Blackjack isn't to obtain a hand value as close to twenty-one as possible without going over. The objective of Blackjack is to Beat The Dealer! The most powerful hand possible is a hand value of twenty-one in your first two cards. An ace and a ten valued card will give you 21 or blackjack. If both you and the dealer have blackjacks your bet is simply retained by you. If both you and the dealer have blackjacks you neither lose nor win. There are fixed rules governing the play for the dealer. The dealer must hit until he has seventeen or more. If the dealer gets a hand value less than or equal to twenty-one and greater than a player's hand value, a player loses his bet. If both a player and the dealer has the same hand value, it is known as a "push". A push bet is neither won nor lost. If your hand value goes over twenty-one, you "bust" and lose your bet. If both your hand and the dealer's hand is a bust, you lose your bet because the dealer always plays out his hand last. The dealer always plays out his hand last, which gives the dealer his greatest advantage over the players. Players have the advantage of flexible play. Players have four options About Blackjack

» Bets and the Deal. Blackjack is played on a semicircular shaped table. The blackjack tableis covered by a green or blue colored felt. The blackjack table has seven places for players. The dealer deals cards in a clockwise direction from one or multiple decks. One of the players has to"cut" the deck wth the plastic card. To cut the deck, the player has to insert the plastic card into the deck. After shuffling and cutingt the deck, the dealer "burns" one to five cards immediately placing these unseen cards into the discard box before the deal of the first hand. On the sign minimum and maximum bets allowed will be posted. 00, $5. 00, $25. 00 or $100. 00. 00, $1,000. 00. Minimum and maximum bets higher through special arrangements with the house. You can make your bets with house chips. Sometimes you can make bets with cash. All winnings are paid with house chips. Chips can be purchased at the tables. At the outset of each hand, you have to place your bet in the square on the table directly in front of your seat. When all the bets are made all players and the dealer are dealt two cards each. The dealer always deals his own cards face down. After all players have played out their hands, the dealer will turn his hole card face up and, if necessary, hit his hand until he has a hand value of seventeen or more. When one or two decks are played, the dealer will deal from his hand and the player's cards will be dealt face down. When there are four or more decks, the cards are dealt face up from a "shoe". The shoe is a plastic box which sits on the table holding the portion of the deck remaining to be dealt. The shoe provides the dealer with a convenient way to handle four or more decks. The shoe makes it more difficult for a dealer to cheat by dealing a card other than the bottom card. The more decks a house plays, the more favorable the odds become for the house against the card counters. When using four or more decks, the cards are often dealt face up both in European and American casinos. Dealing cards face up prevents some forms of cheating by the players Bets And the Deal

» Game Rules and Signals. Blackjack is an international game. Blackjack has a fairly standardized set of rules and rule variations. The dealer and the players use special signals to show their playing intentions. The use of special signals is preferred in most casinos. Using signals speeds up the game. Using signals is a form of international communication. The signals help to avoid noise. If your cards are dealt face up, the dealer will automatically recognize the blackjack. If you want to signal a stand, you have to slide the corner of your cards face down under your bet. If you want to signal a hit, you have to wait until the play comes to you then simply scrape the bottom of the cards lightly against the table toward you. If your cards have been dealt face up, your stand and hit signals are made with your hand. To indicate a hit you have to tap the table next to your cards with your finger tips or you have to place your hand near your cards and move your finger tips toward you. If the first two cards dealt to you are cards of equal value, you may "split" the pair combination. If you want to accommodate and signal your split intention, you have to place another bet, equal to your initial bet, alongside your initial bet. If your cards have been dealt face down, you have to place one card, face up, in front of each bet. Many casinos allow you to split any pair combinations. Some casinos don't allow to split aces. Most casinos that do allow splitting of aces will only allow one card to be dealt to each split ace. Some casinos allow multiple splits if the second card dealt to either hand has a value equal to the first card. With "double down" you double your original wager. When you double down, you are dealt only one additional card to your hand. If your cards have been dealt face down, you have to place them face up in front of your doubled bet. Some casinos restrict the double down option. Some casinos can permit doubling down when the total value of your two cards is ten or eleven. Doubling your wager add to your advantage Blackjack Rules And Signals

» Blackjack Terminology. You have a bust it the total of your hand goes over 21. Hole Card is a dealer's down card, which isn’t shown to the players. Shoe is a plastic box, which stands on the table and from which the players receive cards. ’To burn after a cut’ means ‘to place up to 5 cards into the discard box before the deal’. Blackjack Terminology

Blackjack Casinos