- Also called:
- twenty-one and pontoon
- Related Topics:
- gambling
- card game
- game
- banking game
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What is blackjack?
Blackjack is a popular gambling card game played in casinos worldwide. The game's origins are debated, but it is related to French and Italian gambling games. In Britain, since World War I, the game has been called pontoon.
The goal is for a player's cards to total 21, or to come closer to 21 than the dealer, without exceeding 21. Face cards count as 10, aces count as 1 or 11, and the remaining cards are at their index value. A hand with an ace and a face card or 10 is a natural or blackjack.
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How is blackjack played?
Blackjack is a casino card game where players aim for a hand value of 21, or as close as possible without exceeding it, beating the dealer's hand.
Cards are valued as follows: aces count as 1 or 11, face cards as 10, and the rest at their index value. A hand of 21 on the first two cards is a natural, or blackjack. Players can request more cards, known as a "hit," to improve their hand. If a playerâs total exceeds 21, they "bust" and lose the game.
Blackjack offers skilled players a chance to combat the house edge through card counting.
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What is the goal of blackjack?
In blackjack, players aim to reach a total card value of 21, or get closer to it than the dealer, without exceeding 21. Aces count as 1 or 11, face cards as 10, and other cards hold their index value. A hand totaling 21 with the first two cards is a natural, or blackjack. Players can request more cards to increase their total, but exceeding 21 results in a bust and a loss of their bet. The dealer also aims for 21 or a total close to it, and must draw cards until reaching 17 or higher. If the dealer exceeds 21, players win; otherwise, the higher hand wins.
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How are cards valued in blackjack?
In blackjack, the goal is to reach a total card value of 21 or get closer to it than the dealer without exceeding 21. Here's how cards are valued:
- Aces Count as either 1 or 11.
- Face cards (King, Queen, Jack) Count as 10.
- Number cards (2-10) Count at their index value.
A hand totaling 21 with the first two cards, consisting of an ace and a ten or a face card, is known as a natural or blackjack. Suits have no relevance in the game.
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What choices can players make during their turn?
In blackjack, players have several choices during their turn to influence the outcome of the game. These choices include:
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Hit: Requesting an additional card to increase the hand's total value.
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Stand: Declining to take any more cards, ending the player's turn with their current hand.
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Split: If holding two cards of the same rank, players can split them into two separate hands, requiring an additional bet equal to the original.
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Double Down: Increasing the initial bet by 100% and receiving only one additional card.
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Insurance: When the dealer's faceup card is an ace, players can place an insurance bet, which is a side bet that the dealer has a blackjack.
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How does the dealer play and how is the winner determined in blackjack?
In blackjack, players aim for a hand value of 21 or to get closer to it than the dealer, without exceeding 21. Face cards count as 10, aces as 1 or 11, and the rest at their index value. A hand with an ace and a ten-value card is a natural or blackjack.
The dealer reveals their downcard; if the dealer doesn't have a natural, naturals are paid 1.5 times the bet. With a count of 16 or less, the dealer draws until reaching 17 or more. If the dealer exceeds 21, they lose; otherwise, they pay players with higher counts (without exceeding 21). Players with matching totals push or tie.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
blackjack, gambling card game popular in casinos throughout the world. Its origin is disputed, but it is certainly related to several French and Italian gambling games. In Britain since World War I, the informal game has been called pontoon.
Players hope to get a total card value of 21 or to come closer to it, without going over, than the dealer, against whom all betting is done. For this purpose aces count as 1 or 11, face cards as 10, and the rest at their index value. A hand counting 21 on the first two cards (an ace and a 10 or face card) is called a natural or a blackjack. Suits are irrelevant. In most varieties of the game, a player receiving two cards of the same rank may split them, receiving a second card for each, and play the two hands independently of each other. Another common rule is to allow âdoubling downâ with two cards that total 11 (in some variants 11 or 10)âthe player doubles the bet, turns up the cards, and takes one more card facedown. In some games a player wins extra by getting five cards without âgoing bustâ (going over 21).
House rules in American casinos vary. In casino play each player places a bet, and then the dealer gives two cards to each player (both down, both up, or one down and one up, depending on the casino) and two to the dealerâs own hand (one up and one down; in British casinos the dealer waits until all transactions are over before dealing the last card faceup). The players, each in turn, call for more cards dealt faceup one at a time until they bust or âstand.â Anyone dealt a natural wins immediately unless the dealer is showing an ace or a 10. If all players bust, the dealer wins without further play. Otherwise, the dealerâs downcard is revealed, and, if the dealer does not have a natural, any playerâs natural is paid off at one and a half times the bet; the dealer who has a natural wins all the bets except when there is a tie, or âpush,â with anyone else holding a natural. With a count of 16 or less, the dealer draws cards one at a time until there is a count of 17 or more. A dealer who busts loses; otherwise, the dealer pays anyone showing a higher count (without busting), and a push occurs for players with a matching total. All cards are collected and taken out of play before the next hand is dealt.
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As a casino game blackjack offers players considerable scope for skill, and obsessively dedicated players have been so successful in combating the house edge by a laborious system of card counting that many have been barred from play in major casinos. Because a large proportion of high cards still in the deck increases a playerâs odds against the house, card counting essentially depends on making small bets until a favourable proportion obtains and then placing a large bet. In an effort to deter card counting, casinos now use multiple decks, often reshuffling them long before the stock of cards held in the shoe has been exhausted, to minimize any change in the relative proportions of high and low cards.