Before you get out a deck of playing cards and start inviting your friends round, there are certain considerations to make before you host a blackjack party. These considerations may set or turn off the mood for the game.
You may even want to play a few games yourself after reading our guide to playing blackjack online on FanDuel Casino to get a grasp of the rules. After you have gained the knowledge of playing blackjack, you will have some skills as a dealer and various bits of equipment.
The Equipment You Will Need
Though you can play blackjack on your own, that’s hardly fun. For a proper blackjack party, you will need a few pieces of equipment which includes a blackjack table, casino chips, and playing cards.
A Blackjack Table
To make your blackjack party seem that bit more authentic, invest in a blackjack table. This will give some definition to your gathering with the right number of seats, the appropriate areas for the decks of cards, and betting boxes. To prevent any arguing between your friends, the rules are also clearly displayed. The professional blackjack tables will typically fit up to seven players and you would need somewhere to put it for those times when you are not hosting a blackjack party.
Should you have a big enough table, you can invest in a tabletop version of a blackjack setup. You will still have the distinctive crescent shape and that iconic design. Try to secure it down to the table so cards and chips do not fall onto the floor below. One final consideration is a blackjack mat which can cost only a few dollars, plus you can roll it up to transport it really easily.
Casino Chips
The thrill of a blackjack game should come with a set of casino chips. They may not look as impressive as the ones you can find in Vegas yet building up a stack, winning, and just betting is all part of the fun in blackjack. The chips will prove versatile and can be brought out for poker games too. When looking for your set of casino chips, remember that the players will need, at the very least, three denominations of chips so look for colors, not numbers, to make it easier.
Playing Cards
Clearly, you will require at least one set of playing cards for a blackjack party. Try to insist on a set of plastic-coated cards, even though they will cost more they will last longer. The cheaper decks of playing cards will get marked and damaged really easily. Higher-quality cards are also easier to deal with and you can throw them around with some abandon. Also, in a standard 52-card deck, the joker substitutes for the burned card which features in a casino-based game of blackjack.
Remember that a bona fide casino will use around eight decks of cards and then change them every hour or so. You may not need eight decks for your games yet if you are using dealing shoes then you should want to invest in as many decks as it will hold. That may mean that it takes longer for the dealer to shuffle the cards yet does mean uninterrupted hands before the game needs to be paused. If you want to use one deck of cards then that’s fine for a game at home yet that deck will need to be shuffled following each hand which can get irritating.
The cards will have the very same values as they would in casino blackjack. This means that aces are still worth either one or 11 while face cards are worth 10 points including kings, queens, and jacks. The other cards are simply worth their rankings and the suits do not matter.
For private games, one player picks up the deck of cards and shuffles them while the player to the right gets to cut them before being dealt out. The very first player to get an ace becomes the dealer for that first game though you can devise your own random method to pick the dealer. The joker should be placed face-up on the bottom of the deck to make sure it replaces the burned card.
Number Of Participants
Keep your invites to a minimum of eight as your game can have between two and seven players. One of you can simply be the host and make sure everyone has what they need to play including drinks and snacks so no player has to leave the table.
Betting In A Private Blackjack Game
Just like deciding on the dealer, you can make your own rules for the betting limits though it is usually the dealer who gets to choose. A lot of parties do decide on the betting limits as the invites go out to prevent any confusion or arguments at the game itself. That can be set low such as between a single dollar and give for each hand. The dealer can also decide on doubling every player’s bet after he receives his first card.
Ensure that each player begins with an identical stack of chips and enough of them so they can keep betting. Just before each round is dealt, players should be invited to place their bets and given a few seconds to do so. There should be a limit on both maximum and minimum bets to make it feel like a realistic experience. You do not want players to go bust early on or have to reload their chips every couple of hands.
Summary
Remember that it is illegal to run a blackjack game for money, unless you have a gaming license. Even if you want to earn some money and avoid the police, playing for actual money can take the fun out of a fun evening with your friends. There is also the possibility of failing to manage fairness and even security should the stakes get out of hand. If you are hosting a blackjack party then you may want to insist on playing without real money and as the host, what the house says always wins out.
