How Video Blackjack Is Played Part 2
Once the player is dealt his first two cards, he must decide whether to ask the dealer-in-the-machine to hit him, that is, give him another card; or, he must indicate that he is content with his first two cards and will stand.
The player can also decide to do any of the following:
1. If he has a pair of the same number, the player can split them and make each card the first card of a new hand. The dealer will then deal him a second card on the first hand and the player will play out that hand. When he is finished, the dealer will deal him a second card on the second hand and the player will play out that one.
2. The player can double down on his first two cards (when allowed). This means that the player is placing a bet equal to or less than his initial bet and will now receive only one card.
3. In some video-blackjack games, the player can surrender his hand. That means he gives up playing the hand in exchange for losing only half his bet.
4. The player can insure his hand against a dealer's face-up ace. He would put in a bet that can be as much as half his original bet. The insurance bet pays two to one. This bet is a side bet where the player who is insuring is wagering that the dealer-in-the-machine indeed has a blackjack—thus, the dealer-in-the-machine has a 10 in the hole with the ace on top. This is a very poor bet and should never be made, unless the player is counting cards and has a reasonable assurance that the 10 is underneath.
If the player should bust his hand (go over 21), the dealer-in-the-machine will immediately indicate that this round is over. In a game with more than one player, if the dealer-in-the-machine should subsequently bust, the player who has busted first still loses. This is the casino's biggest edge—the player must play his hand first and if he busts, regardless of what the dealer-in-the-machine does, the player loses.
Once the player(s) has played his hand(s), the dealer-in-the-machine plays his. However, the dealer-in-the-machine does not have any individual discretion in the playing of the hands but must play according to a prearranged set of rules. These rules are usually posted on the machine or can be found by pushing the INFORMATION button on the console.
There is very little variation from machine to machine. The dealer-in-the-machine must hit all hands that total 16 or less, and stand on all hands that total 17 or more. The only area where machines differ in the application of these rules concerns the soft hand of 17 (ace + six). Some machines have their dealers-in-the-machine stand on soft 17. Some machines have their dealers-in-the-machine hit a soft 17. It is to the player's advantage if the dealer-in-the-machine stands on a soft 17.
When the dealer-in-the-machine has finished playing his hand, he pays off and/or takes the bets from the losers who didn't bust beforehand.
Simple? Quite. Yet, there are many rules variations within the structure of blackjack that can make the game more or less favorable for the players.
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