How to Deal Blackjack

Any top-rated casino game must have a structured format to make the game enjoyable, with plenty to play for. The blackjack rules are easy to follow, but you must understand them before playing and know why the dealer performs the blackjack deal the way they do.

At Betsquare, we offer more than casino reviews, which is why this article wants to teach you how to deal with blackjack hands so you can grasp the dealer’s role at the table.

Preparing the Deck

How is a deck of cards prepared before the hands are dealt to players at the table? Let’s look at this from the perspective of you being the dealer and applying the blackjack rules: 

• Preparing blackjack deck: To avoid uncertainty about the game’s legitimacy, a dealer should open a new deck of cards so nobody can gain an advantage.
• Washing the cards: A dealer will typically “wash” the cards by spreading them face-down on a table and jumbling them together. Aim to have each card touch the table to begin with. Pick the cards up so you don’t see any of their values.
• Riffle: Next, split the deck and take one half in each hand. With the top corners of each half close to each other, use your thumbs to go from the bottom upwards to the top of the half decks so that the two piles fall between each other. You can then gently push the piles into one more enormous pile. You can repeat this step several times.
• Box cut: Take the deck in one hand, take around a quarter off the top, and place it on the table face down. Keep doing this in approximate quarter quantities until the deck is back on the table.
• Another optional riffle: Shuffling cards sufficiently is crucial, so perform the riffle again if you wish.
• One-handed cut: Don’t perform this task with two hands because players could accuse the dealer of cheating. Pick up half of the deck and place it to the side of the other half on the table, then take the bottom half and put it on top of the other half. 
• Burn a card: Before every deal, the dealer must burn a card to prevent cheating, as the backs of cards can occasionally be marked intentionally or unintentionally. The burn means the dealer will only briefly show the back of the card.

Blackjack Betting Rules

Alt Text: A player tossing a pair of kings while gambling

Blackjack betting isn’t like betting on poker because you need to place your bet in its entirety before any cards are dealt in blackjack; however, the betting opportunities are staggered throughout a game of poker as more cards are dealt.

Before any cards are dished out in the blackjack deal, establish your stake with the dealer and place your bet. This means nobody can be accused of cheating or placing late bets when playing blackjack, a trick some roulette players have performed.

Blackjack Dealing Process

If there is only one player versus the dealer in this round of blackjack, it’s straightforward. After the shuffling, the blackjack dealer will give you a face-up card to see its value. 

Next, they will deal themselves a card face up, too. Then, you’ll get your second card face up so you can see what your total is from both cards. The dealer then deals themself a second card face down, so nobody knows what card it is, and you only know what one of their cards is worth – this completes the initial blackjack card order.

You’ll need to tally your card values and see how close you are to 21 to decide whether you hit or stand. Hypothetically, if you are dealt a two and a three on your opening hand, it would be wise to hit. 

Let’s say you get a seven on the next hand, and you currently stand at 12; the dealer wouldn’t deal themself a card next because you’d complete your round until you either stand or are bust. 

If you go bust, it doesn’t matter what the dealer draws, as your stake will be lost. However, if you have a total under 21 and decide to stand, the dealer must complete their round to see if they get closer to 21 than you without going bust themselves. 

They would turn over their face-down card to reveal the score of their two cards and, if necessary, continue to try to get close to 21 with more cards.

Remember that a card must be burned before every new deal occurs to ensure no cheating when dealing with blackjack cards. 

Dealer’s Actions and Insurance

The blackjack insurance option is only available to players when the dealer’s face-up card is an ace; this means you’ll have the opportunity to place insurance bets before you know what their second card (face down) will be.

But how does the insurance bet work? If the dealer’s up card happens to be an ace, you are invited to place a side bet, providing you with “insurance” if the dealer hits blackjack. If you place the bet and the dealer’s next card is a ten or picture card, you will win with odds of 2:1. If the dealer does not get blackjack, the betting round will continue, but you will lose the insurance bet.

Remember that an element of blackjack strategy depends on your cards; you might not feel it’s necessary to place the insurance bet if your hand is strong enough, as you might think it’ll eat into your winnings, but remember that this carries risk.

Blackjack Rules – Playing the Hands

There are chronological steps to playing blackjack that happen depending on what is dealt, but generally, the steps are as follows:

1. Players will place their bets before any cards are dealt.
2. The dealer will shuffle the deck and deal two cards to each player, starting with the player on the left. Everyone’s cards will be face up except the second card of the dealer’s pair.
3. Players can place an insurance bet if the dealer’s face-up card is an ace. Otherwise, the game will continue.
4. Knowing what your total sum of the two cards is, players need to decide whether they stand with what they have or ‘hit’ and get dealt another card.
5. The game is over for a player if they decide to stand or go bust by reaching more than 21. Beating the dealer’s hand (as long as it’s 21 or lower) means you win. 

The blackjack rules include splitting, which allows players who are dealt the same value cards on their hand to separate them into two hands, and doubling down, which means you double your stake and take another card if you feel confident of winning.

Concluding the Game

The game is over once you have beaten the dealer by getting closer to 21 than they did, the blackjack dealer has beaten you in the same method, or you go bust by reaching a total beyond 21. 

You don’t need to worry about the correct way of settling bets if you’re betting in a casino because the dealer will know how this should be done. 

In a home game, however, it might be wise to have one person oversee the conclusion of a game and the subsequent settlement to ensure fairness. The blackjack dealer’s actions should be the same wherever you play and indicate whether you have won or lost.

Hosting a Blackjack Party

Hosting blackjack parties can be a lot of fun and add an element of competitiveness to an evening. A home blackjack game can be just for fun if you wish, but to make the game as enjoyable as possible, the rules should be stipulated and understood from the very beginning.

You don’t need to have a new deck of cards to play with friends, and it’s unlikely that anybody will want to cheat friends during a game of blackjack at home, but make sure there are no significant markings on the cards that will raise eyebrows, ensuring a fair game.

One of our blackjack party tips is to let everybody take turns to be the dealer, assuming they know how to do this; this means one person won’t be left frustrated at having to shuffle and deal all night so they can enjoy their evening as much as anybody else. 

Ensuring Fair Play

Everybody needs to play fairly and understand that, even if money is being bet, a large part of playing blackjack is for the enjoyment of it; that’s why the blackjack rules are in place, and nobody should try to unfairly scam others out of money through edge sorting, card counting, or any other means of cheating.

If you’re in a casino, either online or in a land-based casino, the dealer will almost certainly not perform their role questionably, meaning there should be no disputes. 

However, dealing with blackjack at home can be problematic and cause problems among attendees if not done correctly. Fair play blackjack is the only way to make the game enjoyable and worthwhile.

Bottom Line

Knowing the rules of blackjack and how a dealer performs their role is vital to the game being played enjoyably and effectively. Dealing cards correctly is simple once you learn how it should be done to help the game operate. 

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