Card game

Blackjack: rules and how to play

Add up your cards, stop at the right moment and avoid going over 21.

Players: You against the dealer
Cards: One or more 52-card decks
Goal: Get closer to 21 than the dealer without going over

Blackjack is played against the dealer, not against other players. You each try to build a hand that totals as close to 21 as possible without going over.

Card values

Cards 2 to 10 count at face value.
Jack, Queen and King each count 10.
An Ace counts 1 or 11, whichever suits the hand better.

Key terms

Hit: take another card.
Stand: keep your total and take no more cards.
Bust: go over 21, which loses the hand.
Blackjack: an Ace plus a 10-value card as your first two cards, totalling 21.

Table rules vary. A common rule is that the dealer must keep drawing until reaching at least 17.

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