Basic Rules of Blackjack: Casino Play #3

I have described a little bit about different opportunities that are available in blackjack. You can consider them as tactics approaches as sometimes it brings a lot of value.

Please read the beginning of rules overview:
Blackjack Basic Rules #1
How To Play Blackjack in Casino: Basic Rules #2

Other Opportunities of Casino Player

Having got 2 initial cards you have a number of additional opportunities.

Double Stake in Blackjack

If you like the initial cards, you can double a stake. After that, you automatically get only one additional card and stop taking others.

Card Splitting

Having two cards of the same value (2 threes, 2 tens and so on) you can split them. Meanwhile instead of one initial combination, you have two, which consist of one initial card. You should make a stake on each new combination, which coincides with the initial stake, that is why you should to bet $100 more.

Having split all the cards, you begin an additional taking for one combination, and having completed it, you start with another one.

The second card for any new combination you get automatically, after that in accordance with general rules you can double a stake. Each new combination you can also split one more time, but the total number of splitting should not exceed three. In other words, the maximum number of combinations, which take part in a game, is four.

An ace and a ten, that form a new combination (after the splitting of 2 aces or 2 tens) are not considered as blackjack, they bring just 21 pips. A special rule is applied after the ace splitting: the second card, which you get to a split ace, completes your combination. The taking of new cards and the doubling are impossible, but if the second card is an ace, you can split again.

The sharing of cards is often called “a split” or “splitting”.

Insurance in Blackjack

If the exposed card of a dealer is an ace then, having completed card dispensing he offers you to secure yourself. Having offered this proposal, you insure against the possible dealer’s blackjack. Meanwhile you make an additional stake – the insurance, the sum of which should not exceed the half of the initial one.

In fact, you make a collateral bet and stake that the dealer would have a blackjack. If it really happens, he would pay you a double insurance, otherwise the insurance is lost.

If you have blackjack, the insurance proposal does not concern you. Instead of that, a croupier offers you the so-called “even money”: you can immediately get a winning, but not in ratio 3:2, but at the rate of initial stake. Having refused you can lose a winning at croupier’s blackjack.

Game refusal or “surrender”

If you do not like two initial cards, you can refuse to play further, having immediately admitted your defeat. In this case, you lose not the whole stake, but only a half ($50). If you have already split, you are not allowed to refuse.

As a rule, a dealer reminds to the players about the ability to refuse, it happens at once after initial card dispensing. But, if a player has already taken an additional card, you are not allowed to surrender. However, in some casinos it is possible to refuse at any convenient moment, when a dealer addresses straight to your box.

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