|
Of course, it isn't QUITE that simple. There are some advanced rules that casino
goers must be aware of. First, gamers should be aware that a dealer must hit
(draw an additional card) if his or her total is 16 or under. Likewise, he or
she must stand (pass on the opportunity to draw extra cards) on anything 17 or
higher. Players may also hit or stand, but they have other options. If they
have two cards of identical value, they may "split" their cards, in which they
double their initial wager and literally split the two cards into separate
hands. They may also opt to "double down" meaning that they add a second bet up
to the value of the initial wager. In this situation, they may only receive one
additional card and must play the hand as-is.
Guarding Against Dealer Blackjack
Finally, there are the rules regarding "insurance" in which a player buys
protection against a possible dealer Blackjack. This may only be done if a
dealer has an ace as his or her face-up card. It pays 2-to-1 if the dealer has
Blackjack, but is lost if the face down card does not have a value of 10. In
this instance, the hand continues on as normal. So when should you buy
insurance? Most experts advise to do so rarely, as insurance pays off less than
2% of the time. Only do so in cases when no aces or ten-value cards have been
dealt for a while, and definitely avoid doing so in cases where multiple such
cards can be seen among the players' face-up cards. According to one expert,
there is only a one in 55 chance that a dealer will hit Blackjack, so unless a
player has calculates a real possibility that a dealer has Blackjack, or has a
strong gut feeling, he or she should avoid placing an insurance wager.
|