Basics of Blackjack

Blackjack is one of the most popular casino card games. It is also known as twenty-one as well as by the name Pontoon. The name for blackjack came about when the game was first being introduced in the United States. The game wasn't very popular at the time, so casinos gave a 10 to 1 payout incentive if their winning hand consisted of an ace of spades and a black jack (either the Jack of Clubs or the Jack of Spades). Such a hand was called a "blackjack" which came to refer to the game. The name stuck even after the 10 to 1 payout incentive had long been dropped.

Each player is given 2 cards and they each are playing against the dealer (who plays with one of his cards face-up so the other players can see it). The dealer's face-down card is known as the "hole card". Blackjack is scored by the total of the card values. Any hand that exceeds 21 points loses (such a hand is referred to as a "bust"). Cards 2 through 10 have the same number of points as their face value. The Jack, Queen and the King are each worth 10 points each. An Ace is worth 11 points as long as the total for the hand would not cause the player to bust. If the Ace with 11 points will cause the player to bust, then the Ace is worth 1 point. Of the players who did not bust, the players with a hand that has a higher number of points than the dealer wins. If a player and the dealer both have the same number of points, this is called a push and neither wins. If a player busts and the dealer busts, the player still loses. A two-card hand of 21 (an ace plus a ten-value card) is called a "blackjack" or a "natural", and is an automatic winner. A player with a natural is usually paid 3:2 on his bet. All other bets are normally paid out at the odds of 1:1.

The player's options for playing his or her hand are:

• Hit: Take another card.
• Stand: Take no more cards and the player ends his turn.
• Double down: Double the wager, take exactly one more card, and then stand.
• Split: Double the wager and have each card be the first card in a new hand. This option is available only when both cards have the same value.

If the player busts, then his turn is automatically over and he loses the hand.

After all the players have finished making their decisions, the dealer then reveals his hidden hole card and plays the hand. House rules say that the dealer must hit until he or she has at least 17, regardless of what the players have. In most casinos a dealer must also hit a soft 17 (such as an ace and a 6). The felt of the table will indicate whether or not the house hits or stands on a soft 17.