Millions of players have heard the message that of all casino table games, blackjack is the one to beat. In the early 1960s, a practical blackjack card counting system was made available to the general public to gain an edge over the casino. As it happened, few players learned how to beat the dealer. The playing field has also changed since then. Some tables use more than one deck at a time or eliminate a percentage of the cards from play so that the card counter never sees them. Check out our guide to online casino games in 2023 here!

Although most players do not have the skills to win consistently, the belief that blackjack can be beaten was enough to create a boom in the game. Blackjack is the most popular casino table game in the United States, with more players than craps, roulette and baccarat (the James Bond game).

rules

Blackjack is played with one or more standard decks of 52 cards, each denomination having a point value. Cards 2 through 10 are at face value. Kings, queens, and jacks are worth 10, and aces can be used as 1 or 11. The player's goal is to draw cards closer to 21 without exceeding the dealer's cards.

The best amount is 21 with two cards or blackjack. Blackjack pays 3-2 - e.g. Two $5 21s will win you $7.50 instead of the usual $5 flush for other winning hands. However, if the dealer has two 21s, the hand will fold or call and simply return your original bet. But if the dealer draws 21 from three or more cards, blackjack still wins 3-2.

The game is usually played on an arc-shaped table with up to seven players outside and the dealer inside. In one corner of the table is a rectangular poster that shows the minimum and maximum bet for that table, as well as variations of the general rules. For example, the sign might read: "BLACKJACK. $5-$2,000. Deal three times each pair. Double every two cards." This means that the minimum bet for this table is $5 and the maximum bet is $2,000. Pairs may be split according to the rules described below, and if more than one matching card is dealt, pairs may be split up to three times, for a total of four hands. The player can double the original bet (double down) and only get one card out of the two cards.

Most games today use four, six, or eight decks. After shuffling, the cards are placed in a container called a shoe, from which the dealer can draw one card at a time. Most common in Nevada, but also popular in Mississippi and some other markets, one- or two-deck games can be dealt from the dealer's hand.

The game begins when you place a chip or chips in the betting box directly in front of you on the table. After all bets are placed, each player and the dealer are dealt two cards. In a shoe game, each player's cards are dealt face up and players are not allowed to touch their cards. In games where one or two decks are dealt from a hand, the cards are dealt face down and players can take them with one hand. Either way, one of the cards in the dealer is turned face up for the players to see.

After the cards are dealt, players take turns deciding how to play their hands. After all the players have finished, the dealer plays according to certain rules: The dealer must draw several cards to a total of 16 or less and stay at least until 17. In some casinos, the dealer will also draw a "soft" 17-17, including an ace or ace, which can be considered a 7. The most common soft 17 is ace-6, but there are many other combinations, such as ace-3- 3 or ace-4-2, ace-ace-ace-ace- ace-ace-ace in a multi-deck game, soft 17s.