Blackjack is a card game in which players take on the dealer. In a nutshell, the aim of the game is to beat the dealer’s hand without going over 21.
Face cards are all worth 10, while Aces can be 1 or 11, whichever makes for a better hand.
Each player starts with two cards but one of the dealer’s remains hidden until the end of the game. On your turn you can ask for another card by saying ‘hit’. Saying ‘stand’ ends your turn, keeping your total as it is.
If your hand goes over 21 you go bust and the dealer wins, regardless of their own hand. And if you’re lucky enough to be dealt 21 from the start (by getting an Ace and a 10), that’s known as a Blackjack. Depending on the casino, getting a Blackjack usually means you win 1.5x your stake.
The dealer will hit until their cards total 17 or higher. You can choose to double, which is basically a hit except the bet is doubled and you get just one more card.
If you get two of the same card, you can split – this means that the pair is divided into two hands. Splitting doubles the bet as each new hand is worth the original bet. But you can only double or split on the first move, or the first move of a hand created by a split.
Also, you can’t play on two aces after they are split. If you double on a hand resulting from a split, you triple or quadruple your bet.
Each game of Blackjack has it own specific rules page which are available after opening the game.