USA Gaming Tips
Our staff at American Player Casinos has put together a comprehensive list of online casino game strategies, for you to use in order to better understand the games you will be betting your hard earned money on. It is very important to understand all the rules of these games before betting on them, in order to increase your chances of a successful betting experience.
Blackjack Strategies
Black Jack Terms
- blackjack - the first two cards being dealt to a player are a ten value card and an ace
- bust - when the dealer or player draws cards to a total of more than 21
- face card - King, Queen and Jack
- hard hand - a hand that does not have an ace or a hand that cannot use the ace as eleven
- hit or draw - to draw additional cards
- hole card - the face down card dealt to the dealer
- insurance - side wager for up to half of the original wager when the dealer is showing an ace
- natural - a ten value card and an ace
- push - when the dealer and player have identical card values. No winner or loser.
- press - to increase the amount being wagered after a win usually by the original amount
- soft hand - a hand that can use the ace as one or eleven
- split - to make two hands from a pair
- stand - to not draw any more cards
- stiff hand - a hand between twelve through sixteen
Blackjack Rules
To win you need to beat the dealer without busting. You bust when your cards total to more than 21 and you lose automatically. The winner is whoever has closest to a total of 21. You reach 21 by adding up the values of the cards.
Before receiving any cards players must place a wager. Then the players are dealt two cards face up. The dealer gets one face up, one face down. Each player in turn either stays or takes more cards to try and get closer to 21 without busting. Players who do not bust wait for the dealer's turn. When all the players are done, the dealer turns up the down card. By rule, on counts of 17 or higher the dealer must stay; on counts of 16 or lower the dealer must draw.
If you make a total of 21 with the first two cards (a 10 or a face and an Ace), you win automatically. This is called 'Blackjack'. If you have Blackjack, you will win one and one-half times your bet unless the dealer also has Blackjack, in which case it is a Push or a Tie (or a Stand-off) and you get your bet back.
The remaining players with a higher count than the dealer win an amount equal to their bet. Players with a lower count than the dealer lose their bet. If the dealer busts, all the remaining players win. There are other betting options namely Insurance, Surrender, Double Down and Split.