How to Think of a Deck of Blackjack Cards

The next time you see a deck of blackjack cards think of it as a calendar:

-There are 52 cards in a deck, 52 weeks in a year
-There are four suits in a deck, four seasons in a year.
-12 picture cards, 12 months.
-13 cards in each suit, 13 lunar cycles in a year.

5 Tips for Casino Night Events

For some people, a high rolling Las Vegas vacation is one of the great pleasures of life. The glitz and glamour of the shows, the endless amounts of food and drink and the thrill of gaming in the casino hot spot of the world makes it one of the top vacation getaways on the planet. But not everyone can throw down a few thousand bucks every time they get the itch to sit at a blackjack table and try their luck. For this reason, casino night parties have become very popular. From frat parties to office soirees, hosting a casino night can be a lot of fun — if you do it right. Here are some tips to make sure that your casino night event goes down without a hitch.

5: Hire Real Dealers

 

If you live in a fairly large city, then chances are you’ll be able to hire some experienced dealers to run the tables for your casino night. Check the Internet for local listings for dealers and compare prices. If you have the budget, having some real dealers can make a big difference in the overall experience of your guests. If you’re hosting the party and can’t foot the bill for real dealers, then get some friends who are familiar with the games to volunteer as dealers and make sure everyone is up to speed on the rules of the games. Playing dealer can be a lot of fun for the guests, so you shouldn’t have much trouble getting volunteers.

 

4: Rent Your Equipment

 

It’s one thing to host a poker party and set up a few card tables in your living room. But if you want to throw an authentic casino night event, then you’re going to want more options for your guests and the proper equipment to enhance the experience. Check around for places that rent out casino equipment and then spend some time deciding what you can afford and what games you want to feature.

 

Blackjack and poker tables are relatively inexpensive, whereas a craps table or a roulette wheel may cost a little more. But while poker and blackjack tables will only fit six to eight players at once, a craps table can accommodate as many as 12 to 15 players at a time, so your money may be better spent. For a well-rounded party, try to offer at least three to four different game options.

 

3: Consider a Theme

 

Las Vegas casinos are all about themes, so your casino night event shouldn’t be any different. If you have a few bucks to spend on décor, consider paying homage to one or more of the iconic Vegas casinos to give your party a fun edge.

 

Caesar’s Palace is one of the most famous casino brands in the world, so think about decking out your gaming room with some nods to ancient Rome. The same goes for the MGM Grand, the Flamingo and even newer casinos like Paris or New York New York. You can either go with one central theme, or divide your room up into zones to feature multiple motifs. Your guests will appreciate the extra effort when your bartender is dressed like Julius Caesar.

 

2: Raise Some Funds

 

One of the great things about a casino night event is that you can have a great time throwing a rocking party all for a good cause. If you’re considering a casino night event, think about partnering with a local charity to help raise some funds. There are several ways you can go here.

 

One option is to charge money for tickets to attend the casino event. Typically, the ticket will also buy guests a certain amount of gaming chips to get them started. Or you could have free entry, but the guests have to buy in to get their chips.

 

At the end of the night, the guests won’t trade in their chips for cash like at a real casino, but they get the prestige of being the big winner for the night and the honor of helping out a worthy cause in the process. If you want, you can offer a few prizes for top winners to give them a little something to play for.

 

1: Work Within a Budget

 

If you’re going to throw a great casino night event, it’s going to cost some money. Hiring dealers, renting gaming equipment, buying food and beverages, decorating your space — it all adds up. It’s best to decide what your budget is early on and then back your way into what you can afford.

 

If you have a limited budget, you won’t be able to have it all, so you’ll need to prioritize what is most important. This is true for any party, but especially true for such a specifically themed event like a casino night. Food, drinks and décor are all important, but for a casino night, the top priority has to be the games. Put that at the top of your list, and then see what you can afford in the way of professional dealers, hors d’oeuvres and the bar. And remember, requiring your guests to “buy in” for the gaming can also help cover a lot of the costs.

 

How to Play Blackjack

Rules: Blackjack is played with one or more standard 52-card decks, with each denomination assigned a point value. The cards 2 through 10 are worth their face value. Kings, queens, and jacks are each worth 10, and aces may be used as either 1 or 11. The object for the player is to draw cards totaling closer to 21, without going over, than the dealer’s cards.
The best total of all is a two-card 21, or a blackjack. Blackjack pays 3-2–that is, a two-card 21 on a $5 bet will win $7.50 instead of the usual $5 even-money payoff on other winning hands. However, if the dealer also has a two-card 21, the hand pushes, or ties, and you just get your original bet back. But if the dealer goes on to draw 21 in three or more cards, your blackjack is still a winner with its 3-2 payoff.
The game is usually played at an arc-shaped table with places for up to seven players on the outside and for the dealer on the inside. At one corner of the table is a rectangular placard that tells the minimum and maximum bets at that table, as well as giving variations in common rules. For example, the sign might say, “BLACKJACK. $5 to $2,000. Split any pair three times. Double on any two cards.” That means the minimum bet at this table is $5 and the maximum is $2,000. Pairs may be split according to the rules described below, and if more matching cards are dealt, the pairs may be split up to three times for a total of four hands. The player may double the original bet (double down) and receive just one more card on any two-card total.

The standard table layout for blackjack.

Most games today use four, six, or eight decks. After being shuffled, the cards are placed in a receptacle called a shoe, from which the dealer can slide out one card at a time. Single- or double-deck games, most common in Nevada, but also popular in Mississippi and some other markets, may be dealt from the dealer’s hand.
Play begins when you place a bet by stacking a chip or chips in the betting square on the table directly in front of you. After all bets have been placed, each player and the dealer are given two cards. In a shoe game, all player cards are dealt faceup, and the players are not permitted to touch their cards. In a single- or double-deck game dealt from the hand, cards are dealt facedown and players may pick them up with one hand. Either way, one of the dealer’s cards is turned faceup so the players can see it.
Once the cards have been dealt, players decide in turn how to play out their hands. After all players have finished, the dealer plays according to set rules: The dealer must draw more cards to any total of 16 or less and must stand on any total of 17 or more. In some casinos, the dealer will also draw to “soft” 17 — a 17 including an ace or aces that could also be counted as a 7. The most common soft 17 is ace-6, but several other totals, such as ace-3-3 or ace-4-2, on up to ace-ace-ace-ace-ace-ace-ace in a multiple deck game, are soft 17s.

Hit: If you hit, you take another card or cards in hopes of getting closer to 21. If the player’s total exceeds 21 after hitting, the player is said to “bust” and loses the bet. In shoe games, the player signals a hit by pointing to his cards or scratching or waving toward himself. In facedown games, the player signals a hit by scratching the table with the cards. Verbal calls to hit are not accepted — signals are used for the benefit of the security cameras above the table, so a taped record is on hand to settle any potential disputes.

Stand: If you stand, you elect to draw no more cards in hopes that the current total will beat the dealer. Signal a stand by holding a flattened palm over your cards in a faceup game or by sliding your cards under your bet in a facedown game.

Double down: You may elect to double your original bet and receive only one more card regardless of its denomination. Some casinos restrict doubling down to hands in which your first two cards total 10 or 11. Others allow you to double on any two cards. Double down by taking a chip or chips equal to the amount of your original bet and placing them next to your bet. In a facedown game, at this point you also need to turn your original two cards faceup.

Split: If your first two cards are of the same denomination, you may elect to make a second bet equal to your first and split the pair, using each card as the first card in a separate hand. For example, if you are dealt two 8s, you may slide a second bet equal to the first to your betting box. The dealer will separate the 8s, then put a second card on the first 8. You play that hand out in normal fashion until you either stand or bust; then the dealer puts a second card on the second 8, and you play that hand out.

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