The blackjack game can easily be found everywhere today. Whether it’s a physical game at a casino, an online game or an application on your phone, blackjack is surprisingly easy and a lot of fun
History of Blackjack
Blackjack originated from Europe, where it was known as the game of "twenty-one", where players add the numbers on their card without going over 21. When 21 was introduced in the United States, the game failed to gain popularity. Consequently, various bonuses were added to entice players. One of them was when the player's hand consisted of a black Jack and the ace of spades; this scenario would grant the player a 10-to-1 payout. This hand was called the "blackjack" and the name stuck ever since even though the play is now simply an ace plus a ten-value card, which gives a value of twenty-one
How to Play Blackjack
Blackjack is played with one or more decks containing 52 cards. The game begins with the player receiving an initial two card hand in hopes of being dealt a value of twenty-one (see History of Blackjack). If the player received a value of less than twenty-one, he may choose to be dealt more cards until he either reaches a value of twenty-one, a value that they feel comfortable with to play, or a value that exceeds twenty-one, in which case the player is said to "go bust". The winner of the game holds the hand with the value of, or nearest to twenty-one without exceeding it
Blackjack Terminology
Hit – the player requests another card from the dealer
Stand/Stick/Stay – the player requests no more cards from the dealer
Split a Pair – the player's first two cards are a "pair" and he wishes to "split the pair" where the dealer separates the cards to create two hands, placing one bet with each hand which allows the player to play two distinct hands
Surrender - the player may "surrender" by giving up half his bet and not playing the hand once the dealer has checked for blackjack
Double Down - the player doubles his initial bet in exchange for receiving only one more card from the dealer
Card Counting – the player carefully observes exposed cards by the dealer during the course of a blackjack game and then makes larger bets when he has the advantage
