What is Blackjack:

The Blackjack game, also known as 21, originated in France and has spread worldwide, boasting a long history. You can find Blackjack at casinos around the globe, and with the development of the internet, Blackjack has entered the online era. The game is played by 2 to 6 people using a deck of 52 cards, excluding the jokers. The players' goal is to have card values totaling no more than 21 points while getting as close to that number as possible.

Blackjack has a long history, with French casinos offering this 21-point card game around the 1700s. In French, it is called "vingt-et-un" (meaning 20 and 1, due to the complexity of French numbers, simply 21). After becoming widely popular, the game became known as "21." In 1931, when gambling was declared legal in Nevada, USA, the game appeared publicly in Nevada casinos for the first time. Within 15 years, it replaced dice games and became a popular casino game involving the dealer.

With the development of the internet, Blackjack rules have transitioned to the online era.Blackjack casino

How to play Blackjack:

1. The game is played by 2 to 6 people using a deck of 52 cards, excluding the jokers. The aim is to have card values totaling no more than 21 points while getting as close to that number as possible. When using a single deck, each card appears once (excluding jokers).
2. Blackjack typically uses 1-8 decks of cards.
3. Card values are calculated as follows:
• Cards 2 through 9 are counted at face value; K, Q, J, and 10 are counted as 10 points (commonly denoted as T, meaning ten).
• An Ace can be counted as either 1 point or 11 points at the player's discretion.
4. At the start, the dealer deals two face-up cards to each player (called players) and two cards to themselves: one face-up and one face-down.
5. Once all the initial cards have been dealt:
• If a player receives an Ace and a 10-point card (in any order), they have a Blackjack.
• If the dealer's face-up card is a 10-point card and the face-down card is an Ace, the dealer should reveal the card and has a Blackjack.
• If the dealer's face-up card is an Ace, players may choose to buy insurance. The insurance amount is half the original bet and is non-refundable.
• If the dealer's face-down card is a 10-point card (resulting in a Blackjack), it is revealed, and those who bought insurance receive a payout equal to their initial bet.
• If the dealer does not have a Blackjack, the face-down card remains, and the game continues.If a player has a Blackjack and the dealer does not, the player wins 1.5 times (or double, in case of 1-to-2 odds) their bet.
• If the dealer has a Blackjack and the player does not, the dealer wins the bet. If both the dealer and player have a Blackjack, it's a tie, and the player retrieves their bet.
6. Then follows the regular card drawing phase:
• A non-Blackjack player may choose to Hit, Stand, Double, Split (if holding two cards of the same value), or Surrender (allowing the dealer to keep half the bet).
• If a player chooses to Hit, they can then only Hit or Stand.
• If a player's card total exceeds 21, they lose, resulting in a Bust, and the dealer wins the bet, regardless of the dealer's total later.
• If the player stays below 21 and decides to stop drawing cards (Stand, Double, or Surrender), the next non-Blackjack player takes their turn.
7. When all players have stopped drawing cards, the dealer reveals their face-down card and continues drawing until their total reaches at least 17 (if they have an Ace, it is counted as the maximum without busting). If the dealer busts, they lose, and each player wins an amount equal to their bet. Otherwise, the higher score wins. Equal scores result in a tie, and players retrieve their bets.

Game Terms

1. BLACKJACK:A hand consisting of two cards totaling 21 points (such as an Ace and a face card or a 10-point card).
2. HIT:Draw an additional card. A player can draw a card as long as their total is under 21. The dealer must draw based on house rules or has the option to draw.
3. STAND:Do not draw any more cards. A player may choose to stop drawing cards at any point.
4. SPLIT:A player places an additional bet equal to their original bet, splitting the first two cards into two separate hands. The two cards must have the same value (such as a pair of 8s, a pair of Ks, or a pair of Qs; in some games, two 10-point cards like a 10 and Q can also be split). However, a Blackjack after splitting is only counted as a normal 21, with odds of 1 to 1. After splitting, each new hand is played under normal game rules.
5. DOUBLE:After receiving their first two cards, a player may choose to double their bet and receive just one more card. If they get a Blackjack initially, doubling is not allowed (in some variations, doubling is allowed even with 3 or more cards, but only one additional card will be given; doubling may also be allowed after a split).
6. INSURANCE:If the dealer's face-up card is an Ace, the player may buy insurance, which is an extra bet worth half the original bet. The player bets that the dealer's next card is a 10-point card. If the dealer indeed has a Blackjack, the player wins double their insurance bet; if not, the player loses their insurance bet, and the game continues as normal. Blackjack is valued higher than other 21-point totals (insurance is sometimes not allowed in certain variations).
7. SURRENDER:If a player only has two cards, they have the right to surrender and receive half their bet back (only applicable when the dealer's face-up card is not an Ace; surrender is sometimes not allowed in certain variations).
8. WIN:A player is declared the winner if they have a Blackjack (provided the dealer does not also have a Blackjack), they have a total closer to 21 than the dealer without exceeding 21, or if the dealer busts and the player's total is 21 or less.
9. PUSH:If the player's total equals the dealer's total, or if both have a Blackjack, the result is a draw, and the player's bet is returned.
10. LOSE:The player loses if the dealer has a Blackjack (but the player does not), if the dealer's total is closer to 21 than the player's without exceeding 21, or if the player's total exceeds 21.
11. Odds:Blackjack pays 1 to 1.5 or 1 to 2, insurance pays 1 to 2, and other bets pay 1 to 1.