A beginner’s guide to blackjack

Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games, mainly due to its simplicity. There are a few rules and themes to grasp at first, but once you’ve got it, you can jump into a game anywhere you go and feel confident that you’re not just a bystander!

The game has an interesting history that potentially dates back to Roman times, though the game types you’ll be looking at will definitely be more modern than that. Read on to find out what the modern game of blackjack has to offer.

The Deal

If you’re playing face-to-face, the dealer has no real power in this game, since their every move is dictated by the rest of the players, so it really doesn’t matter who the dealer is (except in some variations of the game worldwide, but we’ll keep it simple for now). So, whether you’re playing face-to-face against a group of friends, or against strangers via online versions of the game, such as those playable at the casino at Paddy Power Games, you’ll be starting in the position of player rather than dealer.

Once decided, the dealer dishes every player, including themselves, two cards each (face-down).

The Rules

The aim of this game is to be holding a collection of cards in your hand that adds up to 21, or as close as possible – this can be done in as many cards as required. Beware though, if your card total exceeds 21, you’re out.

Every card represents its face value except picture cards which are ten, and the suits are irrelevant to this game. An ace can either be a one or an eleven.

Players can either ‘hit’ – meaning to draw another card to add to their total – or ‘stand’ – meaning they’ll stick with their current hand out of fear of exceeding 21. There are many different names for these actions depending on where you play; another common one is ‘stick’ and ‘twist’.

The Game

With these rules, the dealer addresses each player in the circle, starting from the left, prompting them to either ‘stand’ or ‘hit’. Players must look at their cards, and make an assessment of their likelihood of winning, either way, based on other players’ cards, mathematics, and chance. These betting points are a formula for a nail-biting game and are why blackjack has so many avid fans across the world – it is certainly a casino favorite. The player with a hand totaling a number closest to 21 wins the rounds and the bets – and that, ladies and gentlemen, is your introduction to the game of blackjack.

Now, there are plenty more variations of the game – too many to detail in this article, so make sure to do some extra research online to learn more about the intricacies of the game.

For now, though, with this basic understanding, you should be confident going into the game that you’re probably not the least knowledgeable around the table when it comes to the rulebook, though there’s no guarantee you’re the most!