Blackjack is a card game where the objective is to accumulate cards that total as close to 21 as possible without going over. Each player starts with two cards and can choose to stand (stop drawing cards), hit (request more cards), or double down based on a specific set of rules. The dealer also receives two cards and must decide what to do based on the player’s hand and his own up-card and the casino’s hole card.
The game is played with one or more 52-card decks. Each card has a value – face cards have ten, jacks and queens have ten, and kings have eleven. Aces can count as either one or 11, depending on the situation. There are many variations of the game, including side bets. Some side bets pay if the dealer has a certain hand, and others are placed on a player’s hand winning against the dealer’s.
If the player’s initial two cards total 21 or an Ace with a ten, the hand is a “blackjack” and the player wins immediately if it beats the dealer’s. Otherwise, the hand ties and the original bet remains on the table. Ties are called a “push” or a “standoff.” The dealer collects the cards, shuffles and cuts the deck, then starts a new round.
Some players use counting systems to increase their odds of winning. The most common is a plus-and-minus system that tracks the concentration of 10s and aces in the deck. When the concentration is favorable to the player, he increases his bets; when it’s unfavorable, he decreases his bets. Some more advanced blackjack players also track aces and count cards as they are dealt, which requires a little more skill than simply using a basic system.
Almost all blackjack games offer insurance bets, which are bets that cover the dealer’s potential hand of blackjack. These bets can be up to half the amount of the player’s original bet and pay 2-1 in case the dealer has a blackjack. Some casinos also offer additional side bets, such as “Dealer Match,” which pays when the player’s cards match the dealer’s up card. The dealer must reveal his hole card before he continues dealing, and some players watch how long and at what angle the dealer looks at his card for clues as to whether he has a blackjack or not. This information is helpful for predicting the next card to be dealt.