Playing Blackjack (cont.)

Doubling Down
"Doubling down" means turning the cards face up and placing by your original bet an additional bet of the same amount or smaller. The dealer then gives the hand one more card — never any more than that, and never any less.
At most casinos you can double down on your first two cards. Rarely will you find a casino that will allow doubling down on three or more cards. At many casinos you can double down on a two-card total after a pair split. When we say "double down on any first two cards," then you cannot double down after splitting. At most casinos you can double down on any first two cards, but some casinos restrict doubling down to certain totals, such as ten and eleven only.

Hit
To "hit" a hand means to receive another card. You signal for a hit by scratching the table with your cards. Then the dealer inserts another card face up in front of you. Additional scratching brings additional cards. If your first two cards are face up, you ask for a hit by scratching the table with a finger or tapping the table in the vicinity of the hand that needs the hit. If a hit brings your total to twenty-two or more with all aces counting one, your hand is "busted." You have lost, and the dealer picks up your busted hand and your bet.

Stand
To "stand" is to be satisfied with the hand, i.e. to want no more cards from the dealer. If the cards have been dealt face down, you indicate your desire to stand by placing your cards face down under your bet. Manners demand that this be done without handling the bet. To touch your bet after you have received cards is to invite suspicion of cheating. If the cards are face up, you indicate your decision to stand by shooing an imaginary fly away from your cards.

The Dealer's Hand
After all the players finish their hands, the dealer turns up the hole card and plays out the hand according to preset rules. If the hand totals sixteen or less, the dealer takes a hit and continues hitting until the hand totals seventeen or more. The dealer cannot split pairs, double down, or surrender. Most casinos specify that their dealers stand on soft seventeen, but at some places house policy is dealers hit soft seventeen. The dealer has no choice; the casino rules either specify a hit or specify a stand, and all dealers in the casino act in accordance with these rules.

After reaching seventeen or more, the dealer turns your cards face up. If your cards add up closer to twenty-one than the dealer's or if the dealer's total exceeds twenty-one, the dealer pays you even money. If the dealer's total is closer to twenty-one without going over, you lose. In a tie, which is called a "push," no money changes hands. The dealer picks up the used cards and places them on the bottom of the pack or in the used-card tray.

Time for the next round. Put another offering on the sacrificial spot and pray again. This time the dealer does not shuffle, does not offer the deck for a cut, and does not burn a card. Rather, the next round is dealt from the unused cards.
This procedure has many minor variations. The dealer may not check the hole card to see if the hand is a natural. One deck may be used, or two or more decks may be shuffled together. The cards may be held by the dealer or placed in a box called a "shoe." Used cards may be placed on the bottom of the pack or stacked on the table or placed in the chip rack. One or more players may battle against one dealer at the same table; each player tries to beat the dealer. A player may play more than one hand. Players' naturals may be paid off immediately or after the dealer's hand is finished. The dealer may shuffle after every other round or halfway through the pack or not until most of the cards have been used. You will encounter other minor variations from casino to casino.

The dealer will deal several rounds between shuffles but generally will not start a new round with fewer than 26 cards (single-deck games) or 52 cards (multiple-deck games). With one deck and four or more spots bet, you can plan on two rounds per shuffle; with one deck and three spots bet you generally will get three rounds per shuffle. Only with fewer than three spots bet, or with multiple decks, will you get more than three rounds per shuffle.

Blackjack is the only casino game in which dealer procedures and player options vary so much from casino to casino. Online Blackjack News presents basic strategy for most past, present, and proposed rules for blackjack.

To keep up with what rules and playing conditions currently are offered in American casinos, you might consider Current Blackjack News, published monthly plus special issues since 1979.

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