The objective is to beat the dealer’s hand either by having the final total of your cards exceed the dealer’s final total, or by not going over 21 when the dealer does.
After players bet, the dealer will deal two cards to each player and two to herself with one face up, and the other face down.
All cards count their face value; picture cards count as 10; and Aces count either 1 or 11. Card suits have no meaning.
After the initial deal, each player must decide how to play his or her hand to beat the dealer
1) Hit …draw one or more additional cards. But if you go over 21, you automatically lose. Or bust
2) Stand … do not want to receive any more cards
3) Double Down … double your initial wager and receive only one hit card
4) Pair Split … double your initial wager and split two cards of the same rank into two separate hands
5) Surrender… give up playing your initial two-card hand and forfeit half your initial wager
A hand with an Ace and 10-value card is known as a blackjack and is paid at 3 to 2 (*if untied).
If your unbusted hand exceeds the total of the dealer’s hand, you win and get paid at 1 to 1. If you and the dealer have the same total, the hand is a tie and you retain your bet.
Like most casino games, the house has the edge, but by using an optimal blackjack playing strategy, you can reduce it to less than 1%.