One of the world’s most popular casino games is no doubt blackjack. It has climbed to the top of everyone’s favorites list because the rules are easy to learn, and also because of the fast rounds. When you’re partaking in a game of blackjack, your aim is to get as close to the number 21 as possible, beat the dealers hand, and not go over the number 21.

All of the fun starts right after the wagers are put on the table, and each player is dealt two cards. After all of the cards are dealt and bets are made the dealer will flip a card over on the table so that everyone can view it. This leads to the part of the round where participants are able to ask for more cards, stay with their current hand, double down, or split their hand.

The dealer will hit until the numbers on their card faces add up to 17 or higher.  The jack, queen, and king are all worth 10. The ace can either be worth 11 or 1; if the Ace will make the total more than 21, it will be used as a 1. The number cards are worth their number – i.e. an 8 is worth 8.

When a player chooses to double down, it enables the player to double their original bet and receive one more card from the deck. If a player has two cards with the same value, they are able to split their hand and, in turn, play two hands at the same time.

When you are dealt a 21 within the first two cards, it is called a “natural.” With a hand like this you’ll receive one and a half times the original bet. If the player and the dealer both get a natural, the bet turns into a push and the player will get their first bet back. The rest of the players who didn’t get a natural will lose their bet without having a chance to draw another card when the dealer receives a natural.

Now that you know the basics, time to get your feet wet!