Casino Astoria Blackjack guide

Blackjack is the most classic and most popular game of all card games.
Almost everyone in New Zealand has ever played black jack or heard about the game.
We at Astoria Casino really love blackjack and the feeling of getting into a blackjack is one of the most wonderful feelings you can experience in the casino world.

This blackjack guide is for those who have never tried blackjack before and for those who are beginners.

Blackjack history

The Moderna form of blackjack originated in the 1700s and spread from France to North America with the French colonists and quickly became a popular card game.
The big boom for Blackjack came in 1931 when it was allowed to play blackjack at the big casinos in Las Vegas. It quickly became one of the most popular games and has been extremely popular ever since.

Blackjack can be played at New Zealand physical casinos such as Casino Cosmopol. There is also the possibility to play at some outdoor places around New Zealand. But with deteriorating conditions.

But what has become most popular lately is blackjack online that you play at online casinos. This is also what we focus on in the Blackjack guide.

Online Blackjack

The reason why it has become so popular is that online casinos are available around the clock, you as a Blackjack player are independent of opening hours and can play when you are hungry. You also do not need to physically go anywhere, but it is enough to have a computer, tablet or smartphone with internet access and you can be up and running in seconds.

Another reason why blackjack online is so popular is that as a beginner you can test play with free money. That way, you can practice blackjack without risking your own money. Then when you feel that you are better can find an online casino with good casino bonus and start playing with Real Money.

How do you play Blackjack?

In blackjack you have no opponents but you play only against the Dealer / Casino. You play independently of the opponent and your hand competes only against the dealer's hand. Your goal in Blackjack is to beat the dealer by getting in close to the card value of 21 as possible. If you get 21, you get a Blackjack and you win the hand. However, if you go over 21, you lose the hand and become ”fat” or ”bust” if you play at an English-language Casino.

Important to know when playing blackjack is that you only need to beat the dealer's hand to win. Many beginners focus too much on getting 21 instead of beating the dealer.

The value of cards in blackjack

The cards in blackjack have different values and this is also how you count their value

• 2-9 have their value written on the card.
• 10, jack, queen and King count as a value of 10
• Aces have a value of 1 or 11
• A Blackjack, i.e. a value card of 21, a value card of 10 and an Ace (10 + 11 = black jack)
• The color of the cards does not matter for the card value.

How is a Blackjack game played?

On the game table, there is a betting box in front of each player. To be in the game, you always need to bet chips in the betting box for the dealer to deal cards to you.

The levels of the bet vary between which level you choose to play at.
The dealer begins by dealing 2 cards to each player, from right to left.
After that, the dealer deals 2 cards to himself. A card that is visible to all players and 1 card that is face down as players cannot see the value of the card.

Once these cards are dealt, it's time for you as a player to make decisions based on the cards in front of you and the dealer's cards on how to proceed.
After 2 cards are dealt, the cards are divided into 2 different categories.

Hard hand:

A hard hand means that you have 2 cards that do not contain aces. For example, 10-5
Hard hands usually mean that you can go thick on the next card.

Soft hand:

This means that you can use the ace as 1 or 1 .
All 2 cards that have an ace included.

Based on your cards and the dealer's cards, you as a player can choose different game options, here they come.

Take cards (hit *)

This is your choice if you want to get another card from the dealer and you need to improve your hand against the dealer's. In land-based casinos, this is shown by pointing to existing cards.

Stop (Stand *)

You choose this if you do not want to have additional cards and you are satisfied with the value of the cards in relation to the dealer's or that additional cards do not help you.

Split (split*)

You can choose this if you get 2 cards with the same value. You do this by placing an additional bet equal to your original bet. Then you can split the cards to be able to play on 2 hands. The dealer will then deal 2 more hands, 1 on each dealt card.

Then the hand works just like a regular one. Should you receive another card of the same value, you can choose to deal again and then play as usual. In which situations you should choose to share, there are a variety of theories and strategies.

Double

Doubling means that you have the opportunity to double your bet after 2 cards have been dealt.

This is done when you as a player have a seemingly stronger starting position after 2 cards than the dealer has. The dealer then gives you one more card and only one more card to count into your game.

An example of when you as a player should double is if after 2 cards you have a value of 11 which gives a good starting position for a value of 21 while the dealer is sitting with a value 5th or 6:which is the best starting position for the dealer to get fat.

Insurance (Insurance)

Can be used when the dealer's only face-up card is an ace which creates a high probability for the dealers to get 21. Insurance means simply insuring yourself against the dealer getting black jack.

You as a player bet half of the original bet when you insure and the dealer gives you 2:1 in money on a blackjack. As a player, you go + - 0 if the second card gives a black jack.

If the second card does not give the dealer a black jack, the bet is lost to insurance. An insurance policy is usually a bad bet that gives additional advantage to the casino.

Surrender

Giving up is a rather unusual alternative in casinos. Very few casinos offer this. You simply have the option to give up which costs you half your instats.

There are two variants of surrender in blackjack

1.Ge up early
Then you have the option to give up before the dealer has seen his second card. Give advantage to the player which makes this rarely offered.

2.Ge up late
Then you have the option to give up after the dealer has seen his second card.

Blackjack strategies

There are a plethora of different Blackjack strategies that you can use here we recommend some books that may be interesting to read.

• Theory of Blackjack by Peter Griffin
• Million Dollar Blackjack by Ken Uston
• Beat the Dealer by Edward O. Thorp
• When it comes to online blackjack, John May is the main Pioneer, his book ” Get the edge in blackjack” is a must for anyone who wants to become the king of online blackjack.

Casino Astoria Blackjack table

A blackjack table is also really good to have if we at Astoria Casino have made one of our own that you can use.

Follow our simple table to succeed in a blackjack game

Casino Astoria Blackjack tips

Play blackjack at New Zealand online casinos with good conditions, here are tips on some conditions you should look for.

• A good signup bonus.
• Few decks of Cards
• Ability to choose bet level according to your budget.
• If you have never played before, try playing for free money first so you learn the basics before you start playing for real money.
• Last but not least have good luck and so much fun at the blackjack table we wish at Astoria Casino