Is Blackjack Easy to Play?

Blackjack is a comparing card game between a player and dealer, meaning players compete against the house rather than other players. It is played with one or more decks of 52 cards. The objective of the game is to beat the dealer in one of the following ways:

– Get 21 points on the player’s first two cards (called a “blackjack” or “natural”), without a dealer blackjack;
– Reach a final score higher than the dealer without exceeding 21; or
– Let the dealer draw additional cards until his or her hand exceeds 21 (“busted”).

If both the player and dealer have blackjack, it is a tie, called a “push”, and nobody wins or loses. Otherwise, the winner is the player who has a total closer to 21 than the dealer.

Players are each dealt two cards face up. The dealer also deals themselves two cards, but only one is face up. The face up card is called the “up card”, while the face down card is called the “hole card”. After looking at their own two cards, each player can either choose to “hit” and be dealt another card, or “stand” and stick with their current hand. Once all players have either busted or chosen to stand, it then becomes the dealers turn. The dealer must hit if their total is 16 or less, and must stand on 17 or more. If the dealers hand busts, all remaining players win their bet.

If not, then whoever has the closest hand to 21 wins their bet. In cases where there is a tie (e.g both player and dealer have 19), this is called a push, and nobody wins or loses money on that particular hand. Blackjack usually pays 3-2 odds, meaning that a player who bets $5 will win $7.50 if they are dealt a blackjack. If you’re playing at an online casino, then you may find that blackjack pays 6-5 odds instead which gives the house a greater edge. Some casinos may also offer “side bets” which are independent of whether you win or lose your main bet.