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Blackjack in online casinos.

About blackjack

Blackjack (or Black Jack) comes from the “twenty-one” card game and has many names, such as 21, the Eye Takes, or Gespenst. This gambling card game belongs among the most popular games in casinos, mainly because the players do not have to rely only on their luck, but can greatly increase their winning chances by applying game tactics.

Computer simulations have even shown that if using a certain strategy in blackjack, the chance of the player winning is greater than the chance of the casino. To win, the player must know the optimal action that is necessary for any combination of cards dealt. If he/she knows it, he/she has a greater chance of winning against the casino.

History of Blackjack

Where does Blackjack come from? We know that this card game originated from the French game chemin de fer and French Ferme. Around 1700, Blackjack used to be played in French casinos and since the early 18th century in the US. In the mid-20th century, the pioneers of blackjack began to use calculators to reduce the advantage of the casinos, which was legal at that time. To increase the advantage of the casinos, many changes have been made to blackjack. Casinos have introduced new technologies such as shuffling machines and multiple card decks, which should have helped to reduce the chances of those who were counting cards and tracking decks. These changes, together with realizing that instructions in books are difficult to learn perfectly, have brought an acceptable advantage back to the casinos. In 1962, Edward O. Thorp modified the basic blackjack strategy and its interpretation and developed the first card counting technique without using a calculator. He wrote a book in which he collected and presented all information about this game. The book told the public how to win against the casinos. Casinos hated this book because, on the basis of it, they started to lose profit. They wanted to change the rules of blackjack to make it harder to win. However, that did not last long because people started to protest against the new rules, which made it difficult for players to win. Loss of profit has forced casinos to return to the old rules of blackjack.

How to play blackjack, blackjack rules

• Each card with a number (2 to 10) has the value of its number.
• Other cards (J-Jack, Q-Queen, and K-King) have the value of 10.
• A-Ace is a special card in the game and can have a value of 1 or 11 (whichever is more beneficial for the player).

According to the rules of blackjack, each player receives two cards at the beginning of the game. The dealer gradually offers the player other cards and it is up to the player to decide whether to take another card or not. A player whose cards in his/her hand add up to higher than 21 is called “bust” and he/she automatically loses. The colour of the cards has no meaning whatsoever. If an ace is valued as 11, the sum is called "hard". If an ace is valued as 1, the sum is called “soft”.

When multiple players play against a dealer, each player plays independently against the dealer. If a player "busts" he/she always loses, even if the dealer also "busts" (in this case blackjack favours the dealer). In the event that the player has the same number of points as the dealer, the game ends as a draw and neither wins. It is possible that during one game, the dealer will win against some players, lose against others, and finish the game at a draw with others.

Learn the blackjack game strategy, card counting in blackjack, and try to play blackjack for free in any of our recommended online casinos.