Blackjack is a casino game that is played with a deck of 52 cards. The player begins by placing a bet (either in cash or chips) and then either hands the dealer a card or drAWS one.
The objective of the game is to earn as close to 21 (a blackjack) as possible without going over. .
The game is played with two basic strategies: “basic strategy” and “modifier.” Basic strategy calls for the player to aim for a “hand” of 13 cards, including aces (one each), face value, and any two lower values. A hand with an ace and one other card of any rank results in a point being scored.
Hands with two aces, two face cards (two clubs, two diamonds, etc.), and another card of any rank result in 21 points being scored.
Modifier betting allows for more variation in the game. For example, if the player holds an ace and two face cards (two clubs, two diamonds), they would bet either all their chips or just the ace on the blackjack (dealer stands).
This type of betting allows for more action at the table while still giving the player an advantage over basic strategy players.
A blackjack spread is simply the number of different bets that can be placed on blackjack during any given round of play. For example, a three-card spread would include bets on 2-1/2, 3-1/2, and 4-1/2 Blackjacks.
It is important to note that different casinos have different spreads – meaning that one casino’s 3-card spread might be different from another casino’s 2-card spread.
The advantage that a player has when playing blackjack depends largely on how much money they are betting and what their blackjack spread is. For example, if a player is betting $10 per hand and has a three-card spread of 2-1/2, 3-1/2, and 4-1/2 Blackjacks at their favorite casino, they would be ahead 54% of the time when playing against someone who was betting only $5 per hand with a single Blackjack bet at that casino’s basic strategy table.
