I started dealing blackjack when I was 23, a long time ago. Dealing was not the easiest job, but it gave me a different perspective to how people react when there money was on the line. It also made me a much better player. It startled me to see how bad most people play this game, its not rocket science. Yet player after player would lose there money on my table by making monumental mistakes. I only realized later when I started playing why people made these mistakes.

The following is a small excerpt from ‘How To Make Extra Money Playing Blackjack’. This is a step by step guide to understanding and playing blackjack to win.

THE BASICS OF BLACKJACK
THE OBJECT OF BLACKJACK
Like many other casino card games your objective is to beat the dealer. After the dealer has dealt a series of cards to the players and himself, if the total of your hand is greater than the dealers without exceeding twenty one, you win. Although there are many variations of this great game, this rule does not change. If the dealer and any of the players have the same total after a hand has been completed the result is called a push (not a win and not a loss).

PLAYING BLACKJACK
All cards from two to ten have a value equal to the number on the card. All face cards, that is, jacks, queens and kings have a value of ten. The ace has a value of either one or eleven. For example, if you are dealt a queen and a nine your total is nineteen, if you are dealt an ace and a eight your total is either nine or nineteen. If you are dealt an ace and any card value of ten you have a blackjack which beats all other hands except one. That is if the dealer has a blackjack, in which case the result is a push, resulting in the end of the hand and a new hand is dealt.

By Stephen Kiteris
Passionate Blackjack fan and author of How To Make Extra Money Playing Blackjack