Blackjack Objectives
To some, it's called blackjack and to others, it's known as twenty-one. In either case, the objective of the game is to get the cards as close to the value of 21 as possible while beating the dealer. The objective is to beat the dealer, not other players, like in a poker game. In blackjack, the player is playing the dealer, but still relies on the cards that the other players play with.
In the game of online blackjack, there can be one, two, four, six or even up to eight decks of cards. Recently, more online casinos are using the continuous shuffling machine. In single and double deck blackjack games the dealer holds the cards and deals them out. In multi-deck games the cards are dealt out of a tray like box that is called a shoe. The casinos are stating to look at continuous shufflers that are a shoe that shuffle as well as hold the cards. Obviously online blackjack does not have a physical dealer that holds the cards, but they try and adapt the same technique of using a certain amount of cards and "shuffling" them.
In a regular blackjack game, the cards are dealt ace down to the players and each one is able to lift their own cards. In some blackjack games, the cards are dealt face up, while one of the dealer's cards remains face down. In online blackjack, the players cards are dealt face up, and they cannot see the other players' cards.
The objective of blackjack is to beat the dealer. If the player's cards total higher than the dealer's cards without going over 21 they win. However, the game is more than just trying to get close to 21. If the hand or the dealer's hand goes over 21 it is called a "Bust." When someone busts, they automatically lose. If the dealer busts and the player does not then the player will win. The player must act first. If the player busts his blackjack cards, he loses regardless if the dealer busts or not.
The suits of the cards have no affect on the game. The game is measured by value. Cards 2 - 10 are counted at face value without regards to their suit. All face cards have a value of ten. An ace can count as either one or eleven. For example, an ace and a five would total either 6 or 16. A blackjack hand that does not have an ace is referred to as a Hard Hand because it has only one value. A hand that contains an ace is referred to as a Soft Hand because the value can change. If someone were to draw and come up with a soft hand and the three cards total a number where the ace as eleven puts them over 21 then the hand becomes a hard hand.
Blackjack is dealt on a special table that is shaped as a semi-circle. There is a separate circle or square for each player. When someone sits down at the particular table they must first buy chips from the dealer or bring them from another table.
