| Learning
how to p l a y blackjack has never been easier
than it is today. GoldenPalace.com is pleased
to provide you with an introduction to the game,
and a free version of our blackjack software to
help you practice. Everything you need to learn
to play like a pro is here, and it's free.
|
| To
get started, we will discuss the process of how
a blackjack session progresses from start to finish.
The learning process will be made much simpler
if you play along with our free-pla y blackjack
game. To download this game, simply click on the
"download now" button near the top of
this page. |
| At
this point, all you have to do is hit the deal
button and you will receive your first two cards.
The dealer will also deal himself two cards, and
expose one of them. The visible card is known
as the dealer's up-card, while the other is known
as the dealer's hole-card. |
| One
fundamental thing that many people do not learn
when they first learn how to p lay blackjack is
the true object of the game. Many people falsely
believe that the object of the game is to have
a hand that is as close to 21 as possible without
going over. While this is part of the rules, it
is almost, but not quite your true goal as a player.
Your true goal is nothing more than to beat the
dealer; it just happens to be easier to beat the
dealer with a hand that is close to 21. But don't
fall into that trap. You win just as much if you
beat the dealer with a 14 as you do if you beat
them with a 20. This is when studying your blackjack
strategy comes in particularly handy. |
| Now
that you have your cards and the dealer has his,
you can decide how you wish to proceed. You have
a number of options, including the two most called
for, 'hit', or 'stand'. To 'hit' your hand is
to take another card, to 'stand' is to leave your
hand 'as is' in hopes that it will beat the dealer.
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| Other
options include 'splitting' and 'doubling down'.
You are allowed to split two cards if they are
the same value. Doing so means you are literally
taking each card and making it the first card
of two new hands. Say you are dealt two 8's. Since
two eights on their own only gives you 16 (not
a very strong hand), splitting them to two hands
with an 8 to start is the smart move. This way
you have two decent chances at 18. When you split,
you are required to place a second bet equal to
your original bet for your second hand. This is
done automatically by the software.
If
you have split your eights, the dealer will push
your cards to two separate hands and give you
a second card for the first hand. The dealer will
then prompt you to make a decision on this hand,
and continue to do so until the hand has busted
or been asked to stand. The dealer will then proceed
to your second hand, deal a second card, and ask
for your decision once again.
Your
other option, in addition to hitting, standing,
or spitting, is called doubling down. After you
have been dealt your first two cards, if you have
a hand with a total of 9, 10 or 11, you can choose
to double your bet on the table. The reason you
would want to do this is if you believe you have
a good chance of having a strong hand after one
more card is dealt to you. The catch is, even
if you're dealt a two on a ten, you only get one
more card, so you're stuck with a 12. The time
to choose to double down is when your first two
cards total 10 or 11, and you can expect a 20
or 21 if the next card dealt to you has a value
of 10. It is important to take note of the dealer's
up-card when deciding to double or not. If the
dealer is showing busting cards (up-card of 4,
5, or 6 indicating that they are likely to have
14, 15, or 16 and will likely bust) you're making
a smarter decision by choosing to double down.
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