The game is played with a variety of deck setups, from single deck all the way up to 8 decks (and beyond in some places). In single and double deck games, the dealer holds the cards as he or she deals. For larger deck games, a “shoe” is used. The shoe is simply a long cardholder that sits on the table and the dealer removes one card at a time from it. Usually an automatic shuffler is used, but some houses might make the dealer hand shuffle.

A blackjack game starts with the dealer dealing two cards to each player. The cards are dealt in a clockwise rotation, with the dealer being last. Each player is given one card per rotation. The dealer’s first card is dealt face up. The second card, the hold card, is dealt face down and placed under the first card. The object of the game is to not go over 21 and to beat the dealer’s hand. Aces are worth one or eleven—you decide. Face cards are worth 10. If you are dealt an Ace and a face, you have blackjack. All wins pay even money with the exception of blackjack, which pays 1.5 to 1. However, if the dealer has an ace showing, you can call out “even money”, which means you get paid the exact amount of your bet. Why would you do this? Well, if you don’t and the dealer has blackjack too, you push, which means you win no money.

Once all the cards are dealt, and the dealer checks for blackjack if he or she is showing an ace or a ten, the round starts. The progressing is clockwise starting with the first person on the dealer’s left. When your turn comes, you can hit, stand, double down or split. Let’s break down these terms.

Hit – This means you want another card. You can keep hitting until you are satisfied or you bust (go over 21).

Stand – You are satisfied with your present count and wish to end your turn.

Double Down – This option is only open at the start of your turn. When you double down, you double your bet and take only one card. This is a great move when you have 11. You can also double for less if you want.

Split – If both of your cards are the same, two aces for example, you can create two separate hands. You would need to double your bet to do this. If you split aces, some houses will only give you one card per hand, while others will let you play the full hand out. Splitting forms two hands that you play in turn.

Some houses allow you to surrender if a 10 is showing. This is not too common these days, but if the house allows it, you can say “surrender” and lose ½ of your bet. It comes in handy if the dealer is showing a ten and you have a poor hand.

Once all the players have completed their turns, the dealer takes his or her turn. Each house has its own rules, but the most common rule is the dealer stands on a hard 17, but hits a soft 17. A soft seventeen is a hand that equals seventeen and an ace is being played as an eleven instead of a one. A hard seventeen is a hand where there is no ace being used as an eleven. The dealer will continue to hit until he or she either busts or has a hand equal to or greater than the required minimum.

Finally, the dealer goes around the table clockwise to either pay or take each bet. That’s Blackjack in a nutshell. Once you have the basics down, you can now begin to think about how you should play. For example, if you have a fifteen and the dealer’s up card is say a six, you should not hit. Instead, you should stay on fifteen and hope the dealer busts. In other articles on Wise Bettor, I will talk about ways to play.