» 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. In Nevada gambling was illegal from 1910 to 1931. 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 Optimum Strategy in Blackjack” was written by Roger Baldwin. In “The Optimum Strategy in Blackjack” Roger Baldwin wrote about some strategies. “Beat the Dealer” was published in 1962 by the Mathematics Professor Edward O. Thorp. It was Edward O. Thorp who developed and wrote about the first card counting systems. “Beat the Dealer” was one of the most popular books. 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. Some casinos changed Blackjack rules as Thorp’s strategy really worked. When Blackjack rules were changed in some casinos most people stopped playing Blackjack. 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. Thorp’s strategy seemed complicated and difficult for some players. Julian Braun was one of the most important contributors to modern Blackjack strategy. 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 is one of the most popular casino games in the world. Blackjack gives the skilled player a consistent winning advantage over the house! A dealer and several players take part in Blackjack. Every player and the dealer have two cards each. 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. An ace and a ten valued card will give you 21 or blackjack. If both you and the dealer have blackjacks you neither lose nor win. It is you who is to determine when to "hit" (take another card) and when to "stand" (stop taking cards). There are fixed rules governing the play for the dealer. The dealer must hit until he has seventeen or more. If a player obtains a hand value less than or equal to twenty-one and greater than the dealer's hand value the a player wins an amount equal to his wager. 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 four options. Players determine when to hit, when to stand, when to split (play two separate hands) and when to double down (double your wager in favorable situations) About Blackjack

» Bets and the Deal. Blackjack is played on a semicircular shaped table. The blackjack table has seven places for players. The dealer stands behind the table. The dealer deals cards in a clockwise direction from one or multiple decks. After shuffling all cards thoroughly, the dealer will give one of the players a plastic card. 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. You will see a sign on the table. On the sign minimum and maximum bets allowed will be posted. Minimum bets are usually $1. 00, $2. 00, $25. Maximum bets are generally $500. 00, $1,000. 00 or $5,000. 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. 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. After the dealer has dealt everyone two cards, he will turn his first card face up for all to see. The dealer's other card, his face down card, is often referred to as his "hole card". 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. The shoe is a plastic box which sits on the table holding the portion of the deck remaining to be dealt. The shoe makes it more difficult for a dealer to cheat by dealing a card other than the bottom card. The house has one more advantage when dealing from the shoe. 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. In some casinos neither dealers nor players say anything during the game. The dealer and the players use special signals to show their playing intentions. The signals help to avoid noise. If you are dealt a blackjack and your cards are dealt face down, you have to signal a blackjack by placing your cards face up in front of your bet. The most common decision you will have to make is whether to stand or to hit. If your cards have been dealt face down, you may hold your cards in one hand only. 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 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. Some casinos restrict the double down option. Some casinos don't allow doubling down on split hands. 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

» Many casinos do not allow any form of surrender rule. There are two prevalent forms of the surrender rule. "Late Surrender" doesn't allow the player to surrender until the dealer has ascertained that he does not have a blackjack. "Early Surrender" allows a player to surrender his hand even before a dealer can determine whether he has a blackjack Surrender

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