blackjack

Options, options, options! These make the game more exciting. Blackjack is a card game wherein the object is to hold cards having a higher count than those dealt to the bank, up to but not exceeding 21. But a player may split pairs, double down the bets, surrender his bet or place an insurance bet. The possibilities are endless:

Pair splitting

If the player has two identical value cards, he may place an additional bet equal to the original bet and play two hands instead of one, using each of the two cards as the start of a hand.

Doubling down

The player can double his bet and receive just one more card (forfeiting the opportunity to hit further). Doubling down, whether the cards are split or unsplit, is a good idea when (and only when) the player has an edge on the dealer in the hand, that is, the player should expect to win more often than lose if he takes just one more card. Therefore, this is usually done on a total of 10 or 11 when the dealer shows a weak card like a Four, Five or Six.

Surrender

A player who has a bad hand is allowed to give up the hand and get half his bet back.

Insurance

If the dealer has, as his up-card, an Ace, the players are offered the option of insurance before the dealer views the hole card. This is a side-bet that pays back 2:1; the insurance wager needs to be exactly half the amount of one or more of the player's wagers.