Blackjack, also known as 21, is one of the most popular casino games in the world. The game is simple to understand and can be played with anywhere from one to eight players. The object of the game is to have a hand value that is higher than the dealer’s hand value, without going over 21.
Blackjack is played with a standard deck of 52 cards, with the Ace counting as 1 or 11, depending on what is advantageous for the player. The other cards are counted at their face value, with 2 through 10 being worth their numerical value and the Jack, Queen, and King each being worth 10.
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The game begins with each player placing a bet in their respective betting areas. Once all bets have been placed, the dealer will deal two cards to each player face up, as well as two cards to themselves, one face up and one face down. The player’s hand value is determined by adding together the values of their cards.
If the player has an Ace and a 6, their hand value would be 17. If a player’s first two cards are an Ace and a 10-value card (10, Jack, Queen or King), they have Blackjack and are automatically paid 3-2 on their bet.
Once all players have been dealt their initial two cards, play begins with the player to the dealers left and continues clockwise around the table. On their turn, a player has a few options available to them:
Stand: Take no more cards and pass play to the next player
Hit: Take another card from the dealer
Double Down: Place an additional bet equal to their original bet and take one more card (this option is only available on the player’s first two cards)
Split: If the player’s first two cards are of equal value (e.g., two 8s), they may choose to split them into two separate hands by placing an additional bet equal to their original bet.
They then receive one additional card for each hand (e.g., if they split two 8s they would now have two hands with an 8 and a 2).
If at any point during play a player’s hand value exceeds 21 (this is known as “busting”), they immediately lose their bet and play passes to the next player.
Once all players have had their turn, if any still have active hands (i.e., have not busted), play passes back to the dealer who then reveals their face-down card. If the dealer has Blackjack, all players still active in the hand immediately lose their bet except for those that also have Blackjack who push (tie). If the dealer does not have Blackjack but does have a hand value of 17 or higher, they stand and play passes back to the next player whose turn it is.
If the dealer has a hand value of 16 or less they must take another card (hit). Once they reach 17 or higher they then stand and play passes back around the table until all players either bust or stand. If at any point during this process the dealer busts then all remaining active players win their bets automatically. Otherwise, once all players have either busted or stood, whoever hasthe closest hand value to 21 wins their bet while everyone else loses theirs. In cases where there is a tie (known as “push”) between one or more players andthe dealer then those players simply keep their original bets without winning or losing anything extra.
