Blackjack, also known as twenty-one, is a comparing card game between usually several players and a dealer, where each player in turn competes against the dealer, but players do not play against each other. It is played with one or more decks of 52 cards, and is the most widely played casino banking game in the world.
Blackjack is a member of a large family of traditional card games, known as trick-taking games, that includes bridge, spades, hearts and whistles. The object of the game is to beat the dealer’s hand by having a total that is greater than the dealer’s hand without exceeding 21. .
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Players are each dealt two cards, face up or down depending on the casino and the table at which you sit. In the U.S., the dealer is also dealt two cards, usually one up (exposed) and one down (hidden).
European blackjack tables may use four, six or even eight decks of cards. Aces may be worth 1 or 11 points. Face cards (kings, queens and jacks) are each worth 10 points. The value of a player’s hand is the sum of the point values of their cards.
The best possible blackjack hand is an opening deal of an ace with any ten-point card. This gives you Blackjack and pays 3-2 odds (assuming standard six-deck games with no rule variations).
If both you and the dealer have Blackjack, it’s a push or tie and your bet doesn’t win or lose.
The goal of every hand is to get as close to 21 as possible without going over (busting). All other hands are compared to this one to see who has won or lost the hand. If you’ve never played blackjack before, here’s a quick rundown of how it works:
The player places a bet before receiving any cards
The dealer deals two cards to each player and two to himself (1 card face up, the other face down)
Blackjack occurs when an Ace is combined with a 10 point card
If this happens on the first deal (2 cards), it pays 3:2 odds
If you do not have blackjack, you may elect to Hit (receive another card) Stand (keep your current hand) Double Down (receive 1 more card and double your bet) Split (if you have 2 of the same card you can split them into 2 hands) Surrender (give up half your bet and end your hand).
A true blackjack occurs when an Ace is combined with any 10 point card on the first deal – this pays 3:2 odds. If you do not have blackjack but still want to play your hand, you can elect to hit (receive another card), stand (keep your current hand), double down (receive 1 more card and double your bet), split (if you have 2 of the same card you can split them into 2 hands), or surrender (give up half your bet and end your hand).
