The goal of blackjack is to come up with the best hand possible, and to do this, you must understand the rules of the game. There are three basic types of blackjack: traditional blackjack, hard-rock blackjack, and progressive blackjack.
Traditional Blackjack is the most basic form of the game. The object is to get as close to 21 as possible, by drawing cards until you have a pair, a three of a kind, or a straight. At that point, you are allowed to either keep the hand or exchange it for another card. If you draw another card that ties your total (e.g., you have an ace and a two), then you automatically lose the hand. Hard-Rock Blackjack is similar to traditional blackjack, but there are some important differences.
First, the dealer stands on soft 17 instead of hard 21, so if you draw two cards that total 17 (e.g., an ace and a two), then you would bust instead of keep the hand. Second, there are no doubles in hard-rock blackjack; instead, if you draw two cards that total 13 (e.g., an ace and a six), then you would hit and add that number to your total instead of drawing another card. Finally, hard-rock blackjack has a 10% house edge. .
Progressive Blackjack is similar to traditional blackjack, but with one important difference: the dealer always starts with two cards face down in front of him/her. This means that each time you make a bet (i.e., put money into the machine), the dealer flips over one of his/her cards – this is how you know what your starting point for betting is (i.e., 2nd hand or 3rd hand). The object is to get as close to 21 as possible without going over – this is where the “progressive” part comes into play. Whenever you beat the dealer’s hand (e.g., he/she has an eight handed and you have a four), then he/she flips over another card and your bet increases by one unit (i.e.
, from $2 to $3). So if you manage to stay ahead every single time at this point, then over time your bet will reach $5 (i.e., 2 hands + 1 unit bet = 3 hands + 2 units bet = 5 hands + 1 unit bet). If at any point during this process your bet falls below $5 (i.e., after winning one hand but before winning another), then the game is automatically over and you lose your original wager plus any additional money that was put into the machine since your last loss (i.e., if someone put $10 into the machine after losing their last hand and they lose again on their next hand – their total loss would be $20).
The key to playing any form of blackjack successfully is mastering basic strategy – which basically boils down to understanding how different cards interact with each other and how much chance you have of winning based on those interactions alone. However, even with solid strategy it’s always best to have a backup plan in case things don’t go according to plan; in other words, it’s always worth considering whether or not playing electronic blackjack is right for you based on your personal gaming habits and preferences.
