OK – you're all set for Vegas. Let's see. Caesars reservation? Check. Bathing suit? Check. Alias persona? Double check. Ready to dump all your gaming money into the slots? Well. Not really. That's right – this time you're ready to try something a little more exciting. Hey – how about Blackjack? Playing cards against a real live dealer will be a lot more challenging – and fun. To help you on your way, we have a few beginners' tips that you can use to even things out a bit when playing against the house…

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions:

1. In the game of blackjack (or"21") you're playing solely against the dealer. Between the two of you, whoever gets the closest to the value of twenty-one will win the hand. If the both of you tie, then it's called a "push" and you just keep your bet. Face cards (Kings, Queens and Jacks) count as 10. Aces will count as either a one or an eleven. Originally, you'll be dealt two cards and if you want more cards you'll ask for a "hit". If you go over the twenty-one limit, it's called a "bust" – and you lose that hand. Easy, right? Actually, it is – but certain math and probability principles will apply. So you need to keep a few things in mind.
2. Interestingly enough, you can actually train for this game, like a professional athlete, and it won't cost you a cent. There are a surprising number of free online blackjack games that you can practice on. Rushmore Casino is a good example and it has a very helpful training environment. Cool, huh? This will give you the opportunity to become comfortable with the game and test out your new strategies.
3. Most casinos will be more than willing to help you out. By this, I mean that the dealer will add up your cards for you and give some basic strategy hints. For assistance, just ask them "What does the book say on this?" Other, more experienced, players will usually offer some tips, as well. You can even find small laminated cards, at the casino gift shop, that will list every possible card combination in relation to the dealer's hand.

We'll continue our lesson in Part 2.

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