The beauty of blackjack lies in its simplicity. The object of the game is to beat the dealer. This requires a little more than scoring a higher-valued hand than the dealer, because going bust is tantamount to game over. Therefore a more precise description of the goal of blackjack is to beat the dealer by scoring as close to/or 21, without going bust. And even then, there are hands with a total value of 21 which are better than others.
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Blackjack is a fast game by its very nature. The dealer hands out two face-up cards to the player from the box of shuffled cards called a shoe. Typically there are 6-8 decks (52 cards) of cards used in a game of blackjack. This is done for minimizing the effectiveness of card counting (a technique used to keep track of the cards remaining in play). Next the dealer deals two cards to him/herself. Note however that one card is dealt face-down.
Now is when the fun begins. Because only one of the dealer’s cards is visible, the player must make decisions based on what is known. If the dealer has anything less than a 10-value card then the dealer cannot possibly be holding blackjack. This automatically gives more leeway to the player. If the dealer’s upcard is an Ace, then the player should be careful. It is possible to take out insurance which pays 2:1 if a player suspects the dealer has blackjack.
When does the dealer stop taking more cards?
Unlike the rules of play governing a player’s actions, a dealer has very strict rules to abide by. For example if a dealer is holding a K + 4, the dealer will draw another card. If this card is a 2, the dealer will continue to draw cards until he/she is holding a hand valued at a minimum of 17. This is called standing on 17 or above. There are soft 17s and hard 17s – depending on whether the Ace is counted as 11 or 1.
An option that is sometimes available to players in blackjack is the surrender option (giving up half your bet when your hand is poor compared to the dealer’s hand). Another rule is splitting and doubling down. Something that many players aren’t aware of is that splitting can be done on any 10-value cards – not necessarily only pairs. The act of ‘doubling down’ entails doubling your original bet against the dealer when you’re certain that you’ll beat him/her.