For everyone who doesn't know, Black Jack is played like this. Skip this if you know how to play.
Everyone at the table gets 2 cards face down. The dealer, though, gets one face down and one face up. All the numbers equal their value. 2 = 2, etc. 10 through King though, gets a value of ten. Ace gets a value of one or eleven. Now, you're trying to get to a value as close to 21 as possible. If you go over, you're out; you get a bust. You're trying to not go over. So you "hit" to get another card if you don't feel you will go over 21. Then after you're done with hitting (it's logical to stop hitting after you get 17-21), the dealer hits until he/she gets more than you, while staying under 21. If they get over 21 and you didn't bust, you win. If they beat your card value without going over 21, dealer wins. BUT, that's just one game. After that game is played, the deck is not shuffled back together. The cards in that game are thrown out and you start a new game with the same deck.
Simple. =)
Now, there's been studies that depending on what cards are turned on those first couple games, that there's a better or worse chance of the player(s) or dealer to win. Here starts a whole nother value available in the multiple games of Black Jack played at the tabe.
2 = +1
3 = +2
4 = +2
5 = +2
6 = +2
7 = +1
8 = 0
9 = 0
10 = -2
Jack = -2
Queen = -2
King = -2
Ace = -2
While the games are going on, you count. You add and subtract the cards that are put down according to that method. If you have a high plus, then there's a good chance of you winning. But if there's a minus, then there's a worse chance.
People can get jumped when they are caught; it's legal, but it's not okay with the casino losing the money. So people tend to bet big when they have a good chance of winning and they sometimes get caught and jumped. (Hehe, I can say I learned how to count cards at age 13..)
Anyone else learned about this? I think it's fun. Ha, it came up because I was watching the new movie "21". It was a good movie and my friend taught me how to count. He's won 700 dollars at a casino in Vegas off 2 dollar bets from counting. Hehe..
Discuss. =)