The game of casino blackjack or 21 is by
far the most popular table game offered in gambling
establishments. If you are unfamiliar with the rules of
casino blackjack or simply need some clarification on the
finer points, you've come to the right place! This page will
tell you everything you need to know to play the game, and
describe the various rules that can differ from one casino
to another.
If you are just learning the game, you
can read this document straight through. If you are looking
for a specific answer to a question, just use the table of
contents below to jump straight to the section of interest.
Note to international visitors: The
currency amounts and chip colors mentioned on this page are
written from the viewpoint of a visitor to a casino in the
United States, but all other information here should be
applicable around the world.
Blackjack is a game that casinos love
because it looks easy, but in fact requires correct strategy
to play and win. Fortunately for the player, it's not hard
to find out and play correct blackjack strategy. Your
success in blackjack should increase tremendously if you
follow a few basic tips.
Blackjack Tip No. 1: Learn Basic
Strategy
You can get a basic strategy chart for
blackjack online, right here at Ratgebercasino, or you can
find one in blackjack books. Get it, learn it, know it. If
you can't remember all the details, print out a copy of the
chart and take it with you whenever you go to play. This is
completely legal and will not generate any heat from casino
personnel. If you're playing blackjack online, keep the
chart open in another window.
Blackjack Tip No. 2: Know Your Bankroll
Even if you're playing correctly, the House has a slight
edge. Furthermore, short-term swings can make it seem like
the odds are much more against you. Play with a large
bankroll, relative to the limit you have chosen. Give the
odds a chance to swing back and get you even or even ahead.
Blackjack Tip No. 3: Never Take Insurance
At 2-to-1 on a 2.2-to-1 or worse proposition, insurance, a
bet that the dealer will have blackjack, is just giving away
money. Even insuring a blackjack by taking "even money," is
a bad bet. Try to think of your blackjack session in terms
of your odds over all the hands you will play, not what will
happen on any individual hand.
Casino Rules
Black Jack Rules
1. The
objective of the game is to get closer to a total
point count of 21 than the dealer without going
over. If you get closer than the dealer without
going over 21 or the dealer goes over 21, you win
the amount of the bets placed. If the dealer is
closer to 21 or you go over 21, you lose. If you and
the dealer have a tie, then nobody wins. This is
called a "push".
Each card counts its value (e.g., a card of six has
six points), with some exceptions. A jack, queen, or
king counts ten points; and an ace can count as
either one or eleven points, whichever is more
advantageous. The suits have no significance at all.
2. First the cards are dealt. If you have 21 with
your first two cards, you win immediately.
This combination is called "blackjack." If you have
a blackjack, you win one and
a half times the amount of your bet. If the dealer
gets a blackjack, you lose immediately.
Video Poker Rules
1. The video
poker machine is based on the five-card poker
game. The objective of the game is to get a hand
that offers the highest pay-out possible.
Different hand types offer different pay-outs.
These pay-outs are loosely based on the
probability of getting the hand. Generally, the
rarer the hand, the higher is its pay-out.
The pay-out
table which shows the pay-out for each type of
hand is displayed at the top of the video poker
screen.
2.To begin each
round of play the player must make a bet. This
bet is taken from the number of credits
allocated to the player. After the bet is made,
five cards aredealt to the player and are shown
on the screen. The player then has the option of
holding or discarding as many of these cards as
he wants. The cards that he discardsare then
replaced with new cards from the deck. This new
hand represents the player's final hand. If the
hand is good enough to be one
of the pay-out
hands, the number of credits allocated to the
player will immediately be increased by the
amount specified in the pay-out table. At this
time the machine is waiting for the player to
place his next bet to start the process over
again.
Roulette Rules
All you have to
do is to guess which hole the spinning ball will
drop into, to place your bet on that guess, and
to wait for the outcome.
Table layout:
The numbers 1 to 36 plus a zero (and a double zero
in American Roulette) are printed on the table. The
numbers are laid out in three rows of twelve numbers
and a few boxes beside the numbers, called the
"outside" bets. The numbers are divided into three
betting sets of twelve each: the top twelve from 1
to 12, the middle twelve from 13 to 24 and the
bottom twelve from 25 to 36. Areas for betting one
of these groupings are found on the table. There are
also areas for betting red or black, areas for
betting odd or even, and areas for betting the first
18 numbers or the last 18 numbers.
Playing roulette:
The Dealer sees that all bets are down, spins the
wheel, and rolls an ivory ball in the opposite
direction. He ends the betting after a while calling
"no more bets". When the ball settles in one of the
slots, the dealer places an icon on that number. Now
the betting results are taken care of: the dealer
removes all chips that did not scratch the winning
number and pays off the winners. He removes the icon
and the round is over. Next, the players place their
new bets for the following spin. Each round can
lasts approximately one minute or even less.
There are different ways of placing your bets. See
the section below for details.
Placing bets & Payoffs: You can find all the
bets, betting combinations and their odds on the
table below.
Here are a few sample payoffs:
Straight-up bet: A bet on one number (Any number
including 0 and 00).
Pays 35 to 1 (that is, your bet plus 35 times your
bet).
Split bet: Placing a chip on a line between two
numbers. If either comes up you get 17 to 1.
Street bet: A chip on the edge of a row covers three
numbers. Pay off is 11 to 1.
Corner bet: A chip on an intersection covers four
numbers. Pay off is 8 to 1.
Red or black: Pay off is 1 to 1.
A bet on 18 numbers: pays 1 to 1.
A bet on 12 numbers: pays 2 to1.
Of course the more numbers you choose to cover in
one bet the lower is the payoff.
Name
Bet Area
Odds
straight up
1 number
35:1
splits
2 numbers
17:1
street
1 row (3)
11:1
corner
4 numbers
8:1
line
2 rows (6)
5:1
column
12 numbers
2:1
dozen
1 third
(12)
2:1
rouge
red numbers
1:1
noir
black
numbers
1:1
pair
even
numbers
1:1
impair
odd numbers
1:1
manque
1-18
1:1
passe
19-36
1:1
Slotmachines Rules
You can choose to
wager between 25¢ and $1 on each spin. Your
winnings depend on the wagered amount. First,
choose the amount you wish to deposit into the
slot machine by clicking on the appropriate
chip.Then, choose the value of the coin you wish
to wager in each spin: 25¢ or$1. Next, choose
the numberof
these coins that
you wish to wager in the next spin by clicking on
the BET ONE button once, twice, or three times. If
you choose to bet the maximum amount of coins (3),
it is also possible to push the BET MAX button.
If you press the
BET MAX button, the slot machine will spin
automatically. If you bet one or two coins, you
start the machine by pressing the SPIN button or
clicking on the arm.