Blackjack is easy to understand. The goal of blackjack is to beat the dealer’s hand without going over 21.
There are 6 ways you can play your hand:
Stand: You are satisfied with your cards and pass it on to the next player. Stand is signaled with a swiping movement over your own cards.
Hit: You want to draw another card. To do this, briefly tap on the table. You can draw cards as many times in a row until your total is as close to 21 as possible. If your score goes over 21 on a hit, you have lost and the dealer collects your chips and cards.
Split: If you have been dealt two identical cards (a pair), such as two kings, you can split your cards. To signal a split to the dealer, spread your index and middle fingers over your cards. The dealer then separates your two cards and adds one more to each.
For the new hand, however, you also have to make a new bet, because the hands play independently of each other. Depending on the casino, you can split your cards one more time, should it be a pair again.
Double Down: You have the option to double your bet before you draw another card. This is called double down. You put the same number of chips on your stake and signal your intention to the dealer. He will then give you an additional card. In a double down, you can only draw one card. Then your turn ends.
Surrender: If you have a bad hand, you can reduce your losses by giving up. The round ends for you and you only lose half of your stake. The surrender option is not offered in every casino, so find out more beforehand.
Insurance Bet: If the first card of the dealer is an ace, you can complete with it an insurance policy. For this you have to pay half of your starting stake again as a bet.
When a blackjack occurs for the dealer, of course, the hand is over, and the players’ main bets are collected – unless a player also has blackjack, in which case it is a stand-off.
Insurance is invariably not a good proposition for the player, unless they are quite sure that there are an unusually high number of ten-cards still left undealt.
