» Blackjack History The origin of the game Blackjack is still discussed. 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”. For some time casinos and gambling houses were forbidden. In the Western part of the USA gambling was legal from the 1850’s to 1910. In Nevada gambling was illegal from 1910 to 1931. Casino gambling and Blackjack were very popular. Blackjack was played at nearly every casino and gambling house. The first article about Blackjack was titled “The Optimum Strategy in Blackjack”. “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. 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. Mr Braun improved Dr. 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

» The numbered cards (2-10) have a numerical value equal to the number printed on the card. All face cards (Jack, Queen and King) as well as Tens have the value of ten. Aces may be counted as either eleven or one. In blackjack card suits are of no importance. It si up to you to decide how to value aces. You can count the ace as eleven until a count of eleven will put your hand over twenty-one, then you can count the ace as one Card Value in 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 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. 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, $5. 00, $25. 00 or $100. Maximum bets are generally $500. 00, $1,000. 00 or $5,000. You can make your bets with house chips. If you want to cash your chips you must go to the Cashier. 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'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. 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 house has one more advantage when dealing from the shoe. 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

» Insurance. The insurance option is simply another form of wager that is offered to the players when the dealer has an ace showing. If you think that the dealer has a blackjack you can take the insurance. If you win the insurance bet, the dealer will pay you by simply leaving your original wager on the table Insurance

» Surrender. 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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