Play Blackjack
The history of the game of blackjack goes back to eighteenth century France . The game first showed itself in French casinos as the game of Vingt-et-Un, or Twenty-One in French. Vingt-et-Un was played with very similar rules to modern day blackjack, aside from the extra payout for 2-card hands totaling twenty-one. You may be surprised to learn that when the game of Vingt-et-Un was first introduced as Twenty-One in the United states it was highly unpopular. In order to attract gamblers to the game, casinos began to offer fantastic bonus payouts for specific hands. A 2-card hand consisting of the Ace of Spades and a Black Jack, known as a Blackjack hand, was worth a 10:1 payout! The Blackjack hand got the game of Twenty-One the attention it deserved.
Today when you play blackjack a blackjack hand doesn't necessarily include an Ace of Spades or even a Jack for that matter. However, the popularity of the game has stuck as has the name of blackjack. The blackjack game has become one of the most popular casino card games and is now played and enjoyed by millions of people worldwide.
Playing blackjack is simple. The object of the game is to beat the dealer. In order to beat the dealer you must obtain a hand which has a higher value than the dealer's hand without breaking 21. Hand values in blackjack are determined by adding together the point value of your cards. Cards numbered 2 through 10 are worth their numeric value. Jacks, Queens and Kings are worth 10 points each. Aces are worth either 1 point or 11 points. You can choose the value of your Ace depending on what will be more helpful to you.
The game of blackjack begins with you placing a bet, if you are playing blackjack for money . Bets are placed before any cards are dealt. If you prefer to play blackjack for free then you obviously don't have to worry about placing bets. However, blackjack gambling is known to add a lot of excitement to the game. After bets are placed you will receive two cards, face up, from the dealer. The dealer will deal himself two cards as well but place one face up and the other face down. Based on your evaluation of your initial 2-card hand and the dealer's exposed card you must decide whether you want to stand on your 2-card hand or ask the dealer to hit you with additional cards to increase the value of your hand. Once you are satisfied with your hand the dealer will reveal his hand and if your hand beats his you will be paid. If the dealer has a better hand then you, the house receives your bet.
