In blackjack, a player is dealt two cards face down. The player can then either stand (stay in the game) or hit (put another card into the deck and hope for a better hand).
If the player hits, they hand the dealer two additional cards face down. The dealer then deals the player one more card and the game is over. .
If the player stands, the dealer then deals them an additional card. This continues until either the player hits or they have received 13 cards.
At that point, if the player has not hit, they are considered “under” and must pay either 21 or 13 points to stay in the game. If they have hit, they are considered “over” and are paid 11 or 10 points respectively.
It is important to remember that blackjack is a zero-sum game – that is, if one person is “over”, that means that another person must be “under”. Thus it is important to keep track of both your own and your opponents’ hands in order to make informed decisions about whether to stay in or hit.
In most cases, it is easiest to count cards by looking at both of your own cards and counting up from 2 (e.g., if you are dealt a 2 and a 3, you would count as follows: 2, 3, 4, 5).
However, it is important to remember that this method only works if both of your cards are face down – if one of your cards is showing (e.g., if you are dealt a 4 while your other card is hidden), then you will need to use another method to determine whether or not you have been counted out.
Overall, counting cards in stadium blackjack can be tricky but ultimately very helpful in making informed decisions about whether or not to stay in or hit.
