Online Games Guide: Blackjack

There are games. And there are classics. For example, among the board titles, War and Monopoly are classics. Dix It and Coup are new hits. And it is not by chance that all four were present at the latest editions of the event Jogaderia – and will certainly be in the next ones.

With card games, the same thing happens: there are new games and there are established games. And while the new ones build their fame, the traditional ones conquer fans, either live or on the web, with their online versions. Among them, the international version of the Blackjack game, which goes by the globally accepted name: Blackjack.

One of the best-known card titles on the planet, the Blackjack It got its name because of the black colored jacks. In the past, the player who received one of these cards got a bonus. This rule was, in fact, a promotional action created to spread the modality in the USA, and today it no longer exists. But all the others remain, and if you don't know them, here's a guide to learning the game.

The goal

In Blackjack, your objective is to get a sum of the value of your cards greater than the dealer (or croupier), but not exceeding twenty-one. As you can see, it's quite simple, but at the same time it requires a good deal of mental calculation of probabilities.

The value of each card

The entire deck is used in the game. From two to ten, the face value of the card is worth. The figures – jack, queen and king – are worth ten points. And the ace has a mobile value – it's either worth one, or it's worth eleven, whichever is more advantageous.

the mechanics

Initially, each player places a bet, and there is usually a minimum and a maximum amount. Once the bets are matched, the dealer deals two open cards to each player and one open card to himself. Considering the cards he has been dealt, and the dealer's open card, the player must make a decision. He can:

• Hitting – means requesting one more card from the dealer to increase your sum.
• Keep (hold) - means not to take more cards and keep the sum you have.

After taking one more card, the dealer will check if the sum exceeds 21. If so, the player “busts” and the bet is lost. If not, the player again has the opportunity to take or keep, and so on.

When all participants decide to stand (or bust), the dealer turns over his second card. If your sum exceeds that of a player, he wins, and collects the bet. If not, he opens another card for himself. Again, if the sum is greater than any player's, he wins the bet. But if the sum exceeds 21, the dealer busts, and the remaining players win the bet. If the dealer's hand has the same score as the player's, the bet is undone, and nobody wins or loses (unless it's a Blackjack, as we'll see later). Important: the dealer always stands when it reaches seventeen or more.

the blackjack

Blackjack is the 'perfect hand' – a card worth ten and an ace, adding up to 21 – and pays an extra amount on the bet, from 3 to 2. That is, for every 20 bets, the winner receives 30. Blackjack also the 21 formed by three or more cards wins. In the event of a tie between two Blackjacks, bets are void and nobody gets any extras.

special moves

In some moments of the game, it is possible to use special moves, which are:

• Double – after receiving his two cards, the player can double the initial bet, and receive one more card, and only one more.
• Split – if a player is dealt two cards of equal value (two 8s or a ten and a jack) he can choose to split the cards into two games, placing an amount equal to the initial bet on the second game. From there, each game runs independently, with the option to take, hold, and burst.
• Fold – after receiving their two cards, a player may think the hand is bad and fold before the dealer's move. In that case he loses 50% of the bet amount.
• Take insurance – if the dealer's first card is a ten or an ace, there is a good chance he will get a Blackjack. In this case, the player can take out insurance, for the amount of half of his bet. If the dealer does hit Blackjack, insurance pays 2 to 1, which makes up for the lost bet.

Special moves may vary – or not even exist – depending on where you play. If you're playing live on one of the many card clubs in Brazil, check which rules and variants are adopted. The same recommendation applies to the online versions: there may be differences, even within the same platform. So keep an eye out and have fun!