Blackjack’s basic concept is simple: the goal is for the sum of your cards to be closer to twenty-one than the dealer’s cards, without exceeding twenty-one (bust). You only play against the dealer and the casino, and the other players sitting at the table are irrelevant to you in most Types of Blackjack. We start with an overview of the card values in the game:
Blackjack is played around a table with the dealer on the opposite side. In front of you on the table there is a field for bets and a field for the cards to be dealt. Before the cards are dealt, place the chips you want to bet on the bet field. He then deals two cards to all the players, and two cards to himself. The dealer flips one of his cards face up (dealer upcard).
It varies from table to table how players are dealt their cards. For beginners, it is easiest to play at tables where you do not have to handle the cards yourself. Then you do not have to worry about whether you treat them according to the rule book. The only rule here is simple: Do not touch the cards!Once you have been dealt the cards, the players around the table will in turn from the dealer’s left decide if they want more cards. If you choose to be dealt one or more cards in addition to the first two and the sum of your cards exceeds twenty-one, you have lost.
If the sum of the cards stays within twenty-one, you are still in the game. The dealer plays out the house cards after the players around the table have been dealt all theirs. If your cards are summed closer to twenty-one than the dealer’s, you have won. You also win if the dealer busts if you have not busted first (over 21).While you can choose to draw cards according to your own wishes, the dealer must follow a certain set of rules.
The dealer first flips over his second hole card and must draw new ones until the cards have a total value of seventeen or more. In other words, if he gets a king (ten) and a six, he must draw another card. He gets a king and seven he stands on his hand. On some tables the dealer stands on a “soft 17” (eg ace + six), while on other tables he has to draw a new card.