| |
Origins of Blackjack
The actual historical origins of Blackjack are not entirely known. There is some speculation that the game formed from a variety of early games of chance in France or Spain, but the evidence is spurious at best.
Researches and historians mainly rely on public records and documents kept by various institutions to identify and trace the history of social movements such as gaming. But gaming has had a turbulent history in terms of its place in the social fabric; for hundreds of years it rocked back and forth from one side of the law to the other, moving from popular community events to secretive gatherings in the backrooms of the village.
Going underground when the sate deemed it illegal, gaming was forced out of the official public sphere, creating huge gaps in its recorded history. The result is a past full of contradictions, and unverifiable information. But despite this incredibly discordant lineage, researchers have been able to tie the existence of modern day Blackjack to a French game called “Vingt-Un”. Later the game seems to take on a new name, Van John. At the same this game was appearing in Paris, it appears that a very similar game emerged in Spain, possibly spread between the two nations as a result of trade.
Evidence suggests that Blackjack as we know it today became popular in America after coming to the continent sometime in the early 1900’s. The gaming boom was already in full swing at this point in Americas history, making it the perfect place to fine tune the game of Blackjack and wedge it into the gambling culture of, not just America, but also the world.
Although for the most part blackjack has developed worldwide standard rules, some individual casinos that come from different gaming traditions may actually implement slight variations on the Blackjack rules we have come to know so well in America. Wherever you go in the world, even if it’s as familiar as Britain or Paris, always be sure to check the rules of the Blackjack that is offered there. The last thing you want to have happen is to play five hours of blackjack and find out that the reason why you’ve been losing is that the rules are different!
In most cases the tables will also always be the same in just about every casino around the world, but again this is something that you’ll want to pay careful attention to when you enter a casino and go to sit down at a table. You might even want to ask the dealer if there are any special rules at this casino.
Online Blackjack
Online Blackjack operates much the same as blackjack in a real casino. The main differences are in how you go about actually starting a game, and how you actually control your play. Unlike a real world casino, with online venues the most popular way to buy chips is to use a credit card. Remember however that at online casinos chips are actually usually called credits. You buy credits but first creating an account at the casino itself. To do this there will be a brief application process where you enter all your necessary information, then at the end of the application you will most likely have a spot to enter your credit card information.
Once you have created an account you will now actually have to go to the banking area of the online casino and, just like in a real casino, use your credit card, or other method, to buy chips, or credits.
How to Play Blackjack
One of the great merits of the game of blackjack is that it is a very simple game to play, making it one of the best games in a casino for a rookie.
OBJECT: To place a bet that your cards will come closer to equaling 21 than the dealer’s cards.
It's often a good idea to take a chair that is farther to the left (dealer's right). This will give you time to total up your cards, look at the dealer's up-card, and recall the appropriate play to make while the other players are playing their hands. Whichever chair you take, don't feel rushed. Take your time and if you can't remember the appropriate play to make, ask the dealer. They're more than willing to help.
After taking a seat, lay your cash down on the table in front of you and ask the dealer for $5 chips or $25 chips. Never try to hand your cash to the dealer directly. If it's a low-limit table where the minimum bet is between $1 and $4, you can also ask the dealer for $1 chips. The dealer will put your chips on the table layout in front of you and put your cash in the drop box.
Place your desired bet in your bet area on the table layout, which is usually indicated by a small circle or square directly in front of you. This lets everyone know, including the dealer, that you will be playing in the next hand.
At the start of a new hand the dealer gives each player, and themselves, two cards. Both of the players' cards are dealt face up while one of the dealer's cards is dealt face down. The dealers card is called the Hole Card. The dealer then goes in a clock-wise direction around the table, basically playing one-on-one with each player until they decide to stand or bust. Once all of the players have played their hands, the dealer flips over their hole card and stands if their two cards total 17 or more, or hits (and hopefully busts) trying to get to 17 or more.
Multi-deck Blackjack (Three or more decks)
6-deck blackjack is the most common game in casinos and is easy to spot because the dealer deals the cards out of a plastic "shoe". In these games the players' cards are dealt face-up and the players never touch the cards. The dealer deals and collects the cards. When the dealer indicates it is your play, use the following hand signals to indicate what you want to do:
Indicate you want a "hit" by tapping your fingers on the table
Indicate you want to "stand" by waving your hand horizontally over your cards
indicate you want to double-down or split a pair by placing an equal bet to the left of your current bet
Card Values
Blackjack card values differ from that of other traditional games. In blackjack the TEN, JACK, QUEEN, KING is worth ZERO, while an ACE is worth ONE. Numbered Cards keep the same value as their face value.
|
English Harbour UK Blackjack
