A beginners guide on how to play Blackjack

Blackjack is probably the most popular casino game in the world. The exact origin of blackjack is unknown but references of the game dating back to the 17th century have been found. Whoever the inventor was they have been responsible for countless hours of entertainment for centuries. This is a brief guide for players new to blackjack or for those who want to brush up on their knowledge of the game!

The Rules

Before playing any casino game you should always familiarise yourself with the basic rules! Luckily the rules of blackjack are quite straightforward. In a game of blackjack, the player is competing against the dealer. The objective of the game is to have a total that exceeds the dealer’s total but is not greater than 21. In blackjack all cards count as their face value, picture cards count as 10 and aces can count as either 1 or 11. In blackjack, the card suits and colours are disregarded. The total of any hand is the sum of the card values in the hand.

To start the game the dealer deals 2 cards to themselves and each player. One of the dealer’s cards is dealt face up (the upcard) so that the players can see its value while the dealer's second card is dealt face down (the downward). The players' cards can be dealt either face up or face depending on the game. The dealer deals from a dealing shoe which normally contains 4, 6 or 8 decks of cards.