What Is the Concept of Blackjack?

Blackjack is a popular casino game that is played with a standard 52-card deck. Blackjack can be played with one or more decks of cards.

The aim of the game is to beat the dealer’s hand by having a higher point total than the dealer, without exceeding 21.

In blackjack, cards 2 through 10 are worth their face value, while aces are worth either 1 or 11 points, depending on which is more beneficial for the player’s hand. All face cards — jacks, queens and kings — are worth 10 points.

The game begins with each player receiving two cards, face up or down depending on the casino’s rules. The dealer also receives two cards, but only one is dealt face up.

If either the player or dealer has an ace and a 10-value card (a “natural” 21), that person wins immediately. If not, play proceeds as follows:.

The player can choose to “hit” (take another card), “stand” (keep his current total), “double down” (double his bet and take one more card) or “split” (if he has two of the same card, he can separate them into two separate hands).

Once the player has finished making his decisions, it is then the dealer’s turn to play. The dealer must follow certain rules when playing out his hand: he must hit if his hand totals 16 or less and must stand if his hand totals 17 or more. If the dealer has an ace and a 10-value card (a natural 21), he immediately wins. If not, and if the player has not already Bust (gone over 21), play continues until either the player or dealer Busts, or both have reached a Stand.

At that point all players who have not Bust are paid 1:1 on their bets, except for those who also have blackjack, in which case they are paid 3:2 on their bets. If both the player and dealer Bust, or if both have blackjack, then it is a push (tie) and no money changes hands.

The concept of blackjack is simple: to get as close to 21 as possible without going over, and to beat whatever total the dealer happens to end up with. In order to win consistently at blackjack, however, players need to learn basic strategy which takes into account all of the possible combinations of player hands against all possible dealer upcards.

Basic strategy charts can be found online and in many blackjack books.