Description
If you come across an online casino, you will see that there are often many different types of blackjack games that are on offer to players. These will vary from more classic types of variants to ultra-modern twists on a highly popular game.
Blackjack has become massively popular over the years. A portion of this popularity very likely relates to the many movies and television shows that showcase people winning big from blackjack. While the process of card counting is not really something that can be done with online blackjack, it definitely is something that attracts a lot of attention to the game.
The game that will be most familiar to even the most casual of casino goers will be Classic Blackjack from the likes of Microgaming. This is the standard variant of the game that so many people around the world are familiar with. It is easy to understand, with few additional rules outside of the base game to consider.
How to play
The rules of Classic Blackjack are going to be familiar to a lot of people, as this is the base game of blackjack that you will come across at both land-based casinos and online casinos. Standard card decks will be used.
Your goal as a player will be to make up a hand that is as close to 21 as possible, without exceeding this total. The aim is to have a better hand than the dealer at the end of the round. Each of the number cards will carry their face values, with Aces acting either as a 1 or an 11. Jacks, Queens, and Kings will be counted as 10.
Both the player and the dealer will initially get two cards. The player’s cards will be dealt in a face-up manner, while just one of the dealer’s cards will be showing. The player has the option to stand or hit.
If you stand, this means that you will keep your two cards. If you hit, this means that you will be given another card and you can hit as much as you want before you bust or stand. In most classic variants, the dealer will stand when they have a soft 17 and they will hit if they have anything lower. A hand that is labelled as being soft is one that contains an Ace.
Other rules to consider
As well as the basic rules, you will want to be aware of other key components of a Classic Blackjack game once you understand the base rules. By arming yourself with this knowledge, it could be the difference between being profitable and making a loss.
Potential Payouts for Classic Blackjack
Some variants of Classic Blackjack will be played with just a single deck of cards. However, this can vary from operator to operator. If you or the dealer gets dealt an Ace and a 10-value card, this means that you will have earned a natural blackjack. The payout for this will be 3:2 and this defeats a normal hand that has a 21 value. The normal payout for winning a regular hand will be 1:1.
Splitting
One of the additional options the player has when they get dealt a hand is to split the cards. This can be done when the pair of cards have the same face value. They will then become separate hands.
You will normally be able to only split one time and your initial bet is doubled when you split the hands. Splitting aces means that you can only get one extra card to each hand, while other splits allow you to hit as many times as you want.
Doubling
Another option that the player has when they get dealt their hand is to double your bet. This means that you will be given a single further card, with the final value resulting from this third card.
Insurance
There is also the ability to get insurance when the first card of the dealer is an Ace. This will give you a payout of 2:1 if the dealer does end up getting a natural blackjack and will cost you half your bet to get insurance. The insurance bet is lost if the dealer does not have blackjack. Generally, getting insurance is not advisable due to probability reasoning.
Surrender in Classic Blackjack
Finally, Classic Blackjack will often have an option to surrender your hands if you do not like it. This will cost you half of your bet.
Conclusion
If you are looking to play the most popular format of blackjack that is seen in the movies, then Classic Blackjack is the game for you. It is the base game of blackjack, with all of the normal rules being in place.
This variant doesn’t do anything fancy, but you can enjoy the gameplay exactly for what it is. It is also widely available, with any casino that supports blackjack set to offer this as an option.
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