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How To Play Blackjack At Home

How To Play Blackjack At Home: Do We Need a Dealer?

The game of blackjack online is fun; players try to score a total of 21 or get close to 21 without going over. Once the value of your hand doesn’t exceed 21, and it beats the dealer’s hand, you win Blackjack. Since the objective of the game is pretty straightforward, learning how to play blackjack at home is simple.

Blackjack is popular in casinos, but how often is it played at home or with friends? Playing Blackjack at home can be fun as it fosters more bonding with the people you play with, be it your friends or family members. But you need to understand some important things if you want to learn how to play Blackjack at home, and they include:

  • Playing with no dealer
  • Blackjack equipment to use
  • Winning strategies, etc.

Usually, when playing Blackjack in a casino, there is an active presence of a professional casino dealer who helps coordinate the game and performs other duties for the smooth running of the game. 

So how do we learn how to play blackjack with friends without the presence of a dealer? There are a few ways you can go about it, highlighted in this guide. Take your time to read through, and implement it when you want to learn the game from the comfort of your home.

How To Play Blackjack At Home: Do We Need a Dealer?

Now that you know you want to learn how to play Blackjack at home, ask yourself if you want to do it for fun or money. To avoid disagreements or accusations amongst yourselves, you can decide to play for fun or money before the game starts. Choosing to play for fun or money will determine if you’ll play with a dealer.

These are the options of picking a dealer or not; read through, and decide which fits the personality of yourself and your friends:

  1. Using a Fixed Dealer

One person in your group can decide to be the dealer for everyone, although such a person needs to know that being the dealer won’t be fun. But if such a person is happy to do it, it will make the game easy.

The reason for saying being the dealer might have little fun while playing is because he can’t play a hand, more especially if playing for real money. And if he decides to play his hand for real money, there should be a level of trust among your group to avoid accusations against the dealer for manipulating the cards since the dealer will know what the hands are.

  1. Rotating the Role of the Dealer

You may also rotate the dealer amongst every player, this way; every player will participate in one game. For example, if there were four players, one would not partake in one game every four rounds.

Rotating the role of the dealer is a very effective way, more so if you decide to play for real money, as players get a chance at playing hands before it reaches their turn to become the dealer. So by the end of the game, every player will have played and dealt the same number of times.

  1. Using No Dealer at All

Not having a dealer when learning how to play Blackjack at home could be tough, but you can decide not to use one.  Since no one is taking a peek at the dealer’s hole card, it will be left unturned till the end of the game, and everyone will serve as the dealer. The dealer stands on 17, so you must keep hitting until you reach 17 or above till you bust.

Equipment Needed For Playing Blackjack At Home

You have decided to learn how to play Blackjack at home and require using the necessary equipment to make your gaming experience blissful. You can find most of these pieces of equipment at your local stores and even online. Below are the types of equipment necessary to learn how to play Blackjack at home:

  • Card Table: About four to six players are allowed to play the game of Blackjack, and a standard blackjack table is needed to contain all players. A card table is not an option but a must if you want to enjoy playing Blackjack with friends.
  • Chips: Chips are used for betting and are quite cheap and easy to find. Using betting chips helps calculate the money used by other players very quickly. It promotes transparency amongst players.
  • Playing Cards: To play Blackjack, you need playing cards; they can range between 1 to 5 decks depending on how much you want to use. You can easily get real playing cards instead of cardboard cards, which are more durable.
  • Dealer’s Button: Using a dealer’s button keeps every player from needing clarification on who the dealer is. A dealer’s button is very important and is placed in front of the person dealing cards.
  • Shoe: You should get a “shoe” and deal your cards from it if you want to use more than one deck when playing Blackjack at home. You will not need a shoe if you use a single deck. Using a shoe is even more useful if you learn how to play multi hand blackjack.

Strategy For Playing Blackjack At Home

Blackjack is not a game of luck but a game that is majorly based on strategic moves and calculations, and there are several strategies you can use when learning how to play Blackjack at home. Make use of the following strategies to maximize your chances of winning:

  • Double down on a hard 11

Whenever you have a hard 11, double down against the dealer’s upcard, a double-down on a hard 11 will give you a better chance of winning.

  • Split pairs of 8s and Aces

A good move as a player is to split a pair of 8s and aces, though players don’t want to split them, especially when the dealer shows an upcard of 9, 10, or ace. 

  • Don’t take the insurance bet.

The temptation to take the insurance bet can be very high, but you should never take the insurance bet at any point in time. The insurance bet pays out  2 to 1, and the dealer’s odds of getting a blackjack are less.

  • Card Counting

Card counting is a strategy that is mostly not accepted at casinos, although it is not illegal. You can use the card counting technique while playing with friends at home. Counting cards is not hard; as long as you learn how to count and practice counting cards regularly, you’re good to go.

Other strategies may include:

  • Don’t split pair of 5s or 10s
  • Hit a hard 12 when the dealer has an upcard of 2 or 3.
  • Hit between ace to 7 if the dealer shows an upcard of 9, 10, or Ace.
  • Double down on ten if the dealer shows an upcard of 9 or fewer.

Final Thoughts

Bond more with your friends and family by now learning how to play Blackjack at home using these Slots Paradise Casino guides.

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FAQs

When does a dealer hit in Blackjack?

When the dealer has a hand with a total of less than 17 or a soft 17 in Blackjack, he is required to hit.

What is the RTP in Blackjack?

The theoretical return to player in Blackjack is estimated to be 99.54%.