» Blackjack History The origin of the game Blackjack is still discussed. Some people believe that Blackjack is based on some European card games. 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 the Western part of the USA gambling was legal from the 1850’s to 1910. 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. Roger Baldwin explained how to reduce the “House”, or casino, advantage based upon probability and statistics. “Beat the Dealer” was published in 1962 by the Mathematics Professor Edward O. 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. 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. 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

» The Card Values. 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. The value of the ace seems to confuse some players under the "heat of the action". It si up to you to decide how to value aces 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 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. 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, $1,000. 00 or $5,000. 00. Minimum and maximum bets higher through special arrangements with the house. You can make your bets with house chips. Chips can be purchased at the tables. 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 always deals his own cards face down. After the dealer has dealt everyone two cards, he will turn his first card face up for all to see. 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 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 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. The insurance bet costs one-half your original wager, and the payoff is 2:1. If you win the insurance bet, the dealer will pay you by simply leaving your original wager on the table Insurance

» The surrender rule allows you to surrender any two card hand along with one-half his original wager. Many casinos do not allow any form of surrender rule. There are two prevalent forms of the surrender rule. "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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