Black Jack

Blackjack is played either with one deck or multiple decks of cards, called shoe. The idea of the game is simply to get as close to 21 points as you can without going over. How is this established? Pretty simple really. Number cards are worth the value on the card, therefore a 3 is worth 3, a 5 is worth 5 and a 10 is worth 10. Face cards are worth 10 points, and Aces have the distinct honor of being worth 1 or 11 points. The ace will be worth whatever makes the best hand.

At the beginning of each hand, two cards are dealt to each player playing after a bet is made and two cards are dealt to the dealer. The two cards for the player are dealt face up, while the dealer has one card up and one card down. At this time a player can determine whether to take another card (Hit), keep his total (Stand), split cards if they are the same rank (split), or double their bet if it's really advantageous (Double Down). If the player is closer to 21, he or she wins the same amount bet, called even money. If 21 is attained in two cards by a player, via an Ace and a ten-point card (10, J, Q or K) that is called "Blackjack" and the player is paid 3 to 2, so a $50 bet would win the player an additional $75. If the dealer gets blackjack, he wins unless the player also has a blackjack, in which case the hand is a push.

If the player exceeds 21, it is considered a bust and the money the player wagered is forfeited. If the dealer goes over 21, the dealer busts and all non-busted players win the hand. The hand is a push if both players have the same total.

Learning basic strategy is not hard. There are guides online you can print or you can buy them for $2 in casinos that tell you basic strategy on every hand.