Blackjack is a fairly simple game to play. This is a very basic introduction to the rules and basic strategy. Find out more about Blackjack strategy.

The object is to make a wager in advance that you, the player, will draw a combination of cards equal to or less than 21 points in value, and that your total score will be closer to 21 points than the dealer-your only opponent.

The cards dealt to you and the dealer are those contained in any standard deck of playing cards, often referred to as a "poker deck." They contain four cards each of thirteen values (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, jack, queen, king, and ace) To determine the number of points in your hand, the following applies.

1. All numerical cards count their face value (a 5 of diamonds is five points).
2. The jack, queen, and king each count as ten points.
3. The ace counts as one or eleven points, depending on your preference. The person (dealer or player) who has the higher total number of points without exceeding a point count of twenty-one wins the wager. If the player and the dealer have identical point counts at the conclusion of the hand of play, the hand is a push, or tie, and no money changes hands.

If the player exceeds a point count of twenty-one, he automatically loses, regardless of what the dealer does later in the hand. If the dealer exceeds a point count of twenty-one, he pays all players who still remain in the game (those with a point count of 21 or less).

A blackjack (also called a natural) is any ten-point card and an ace received by the dealer or player in the first two cards dealt. If the player has a blackjack, and the dealer does not, the dealer pays the player one and one-half times the amount originally wagered. If the dealer has a blackjack, and the player doesn't, the dealer wins the amount of the original wager.

If the player and the dealer both have blackjack (a ten-point card and an ace), the hand is a push, and no money is exchanged. The suits of the cards (hearts, spades, diamonds, clubs) play no part in the play of the basic game.

You, as a player, are only playing and wagering against the dealer. The actions of the other players that may be seated at the table (up to six players in most casinos), have no affect on your wager with the dealer. It's possible for you to win a hand against the dealer while every other player loses to him; it's also possible to lose while every other player wins.


Extract from The Ultimate Blackjack Book by Walter Thomason
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