Blackjack is one of the most popular casino card games. It is played between a dealer and up to seven players. The goal is to get a better hand than the dealer. To do this, you must build a total of 21 or closer to it without going over. If your total is higher than the dealer’s, you win. If your total is the same as the dealer’s, it is a push (or tie).
Before you start playing, select a seat at the table. Typically, a blackjack table allows five to seven players. If a seat is empty, assume it’s yours unless chips or a coat are holding it for someone else. The dealer will then mark your seat with a clear plastic disk and shuffle the cards.
Most blackjack games use six or eight decks of cards. The dealer deals two cards to each player and himself. The face cards (Kings, Queens, and Jacks) are worth 10 points; number cards (2-10) are worth their face value; and aces can be worth either 1 or 11, depending on which value benefits your hand more.
The dealer then looks at his own card and offers players the option of taking insurance, a side bet that pays 2 to 1 on a dealer’s blackjack. Whether or not you take insurance is up to you, but remember that the dealer’s blackjack can only beat your hand if yours contains an Ace.
Blackjack rules vary from game to game. In single-deck games, for example, dealers are more likely to hit soft 17s, a rule that increases the house edge by about 0.2 percent. Some casinos also offer a variant of blackjack that pays 6 to 5, which reduces the payoff for a winning blackjack and increases the house edge by about 1.4 percent.
Many seasoned blackjack players employ card-counting techniques to improve their chances of winning. The most common approach is a plus-and-minus system that tracks the concentration of aces and 10-value cards in the deck. Whenever the deck is rich in these cards, the counter increases his bets; when it is poor, he decreases them.
A good starting point for counting cards is to track the dealer’s up card, which is revealed after the player takes his first action. Then, count the remaining cards to determine if they are favorable or unfavorable to the player. As a result, high-card counters make more bets and win more hands. This is a major advantage over non-counters, who usually play conservatively. They are afraid to risk more money when their odds of winning are slim.