BlackJack (sometimes called '21') is a standard casino favorite. In the simplest form, it is you (the player) playing against the dealer (the house or casino).
A standard card deck is used. The cards in are assigned the following values:
Ace: 11 or 1
Face Cards: 10
All other cards are their printed value.
The object of the game is to be the closest to 21 without going over (known as 'busting').
Each player is dealt two cards in the beginning (either face up of facedown, depending on the casino) while the dealer is dealt two cards, one up, one down. Each player, based on the sum of his/her cards, has two options -- Hit, or Stay. A Hit means taking another card to increase the total, while a Stay means the player wants no more cards. The player may continue to hit until he/she wants to stop (A Stay) or exceeds 21 (bust). If the player busts, it is an automatic loss.
After the player is done with his/her hand, the dealer plays his/her hand in an attempt to beat the player's score.
There a few specific rules the dealer must follow during hand play. If the dealers cards total less than 17, he/she must take a hit. If the total is greater than 17, then the dealer must stay. If the dealer busts, the player wins.
The ace is a special card in that it's value can be either 11 or 1 at the hand owners discretion. a BlackJack is a hand in which the first two cards are an Ace (11) and a ten or face card (10) totalling 21. A BlackJack is an immediate winner, and casino's usually pay 150% on them.
There is an additional rule concerning the dealers and Aces. Any hand that contains and Ace whose value is calculated as 11 is termed 'Soft' (since the Ace could also be figured as a 1, reducing the total score by 10). In the event that the dealer has a Soft 17, (meaning an Ace at 11 and other cards totalling 6), he/she must Hit. Soft hands totalling greater than 17 need not be hit.
Bets are made on the outcome of the hand. Before cards are dealt, the player makes a bet on the next hand. If the player wins, the bet is doubled (or paid 150% in a BlackJack). If the players loses, the house keeps the bet.
There are a couple different game play betting options one can make. The first is called Doubling Down. If it the beginning of your hand (ie, you have only two cards), you have the option of Doubling your bet on the condition that you will take one Hit only. The second is called Splitting. If at the beginning of your hand you are dealt a pair of cards, you may split the pair into two hands. The dealer the hits each hand, and you play both. The bet on each new hand is required to be the same as the original bet. Then each hand is played normally, where all options apply (such as doubling down, or even splitting again if another pair is dealt).