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HISTORY
Though blackjack originated in France, it has been one of the most popular table games in America for decades. Originally played as "21", the game was never as popular in the early American clubs and gambling houses as was poker or craps.

To increase interest in the game, some of the card rooms began to offer higher payouts for certain hands of cards; players who received an ace of spades with a jack of clubs or a jack of spades received a 10:1 bonus. Thereafter the game of 21 became known as blackjack because of those two cards. The game of blackjack remained more or less unchanged until the 1960's when mathematician Edward Thorpe proved that the house edge could be virtually eliminated. With the help of computers, Thorpe and his colleagues calculated the most advantageous way to play every possible card combination. Based on this research, a set of moves known as basic strategy was developed, and then modified by experts over the years. Basic strategy led casinos to develop countermeasures to control losses, and today you will find slight variations in blackjack rules depending on the casino you are in.

GAME PLAY
In blackjack your objective is to beat the dealer in one of two ways. You can either accumulate a higher score than the dealer without going over 21, or sit on a lower score and hope that the dealer goes over or busts. All face cards (jacks, queens, kings) are given the value of 10, and an ace is worth either one or 11, depending on how you want to use it in your hand. Subsequently, any hand that contains an ace that is valued as 11 is called a soft hand as opposed to a hard hand which does not. The remaining cards are worth their face value. The highest hand in the game is a blackjack or a natural, which is a two-card hand that totals 21. The player's hand can not be beat unless the dealer also has a blackjack, which in this case is called a push or a tie. Three or more cards totaling 21 may have the same value but do not beat out a natural 21.

The blackjack table in a casino is set up with five to seven betting spots with a dealer that acts for the house behind the table. The seat at the far left of the table is referred to as third base because it is the last seat to receive a card. Each table should have a plastic placard advertising the table limits and the minimum and maximum bets allowed at that particular time. You can exchange your money with the dealer for chips, but should not place your money in the betting circle as some casinos permit cash to play on the first bet.

Once you have your chips you can place your bet into the betting circle or box in front of you. Most casinos use multiple decks of two or more and can use as many as eight. After the dealer shuffles, a player will be asked to cut the deck. This duty is rotated from player to player in a clockwise motion after each shuffle. The dealer then inserts a colored cut card, about two-thirds the way into the deck so that he will not be tempted to deal down to the bottom. The dealer then places the cards into the shoe, or arranges them in his hand (for two or less decks). The dealer will then discard or burn the first card, and check to make sure that all players have their bets in the right place and in the right amount. The dealer begins distributing the cards to the players from his left to right starting with the spot know as first base.

Each player will be dealt two cards face-up. The dealer receives an upcard dealt face-up and a hole card dealt facedown. Each player is playing a separate game, so after the dealer gives each player and himself two cards, he'll return to first base and start acting on each hand individually. As each players turn comes up he will point to their cards.

After receiving two cards, players must decide whether or not they would like to keep the hand as is, or take additional cards to increase the value of the hand. When you would like to be dealt another card, a hit or a draw is indicated by lightly scratching the table with your hand or cards. Every time you scratch the dealer will give you a card face-up; there are no limits to the number of hits a player can take. If you do not want to take a card, you indicate a stand by waving your hand or placing your cards under your original bet. If you are lucky enough to be dealt an ace and a ten you have what is called a natural or blackjack and should immediately turn both cards face up to let the dealer know. The payout of 3:2 for a blackjack hand is standard in most casinos. If you take a hit and that card puts your total over 21, you lose automatically and the dealer removes your cards with your wager.

After all of the players have made their playing decisions, the dealer's hand is played out according to the rules of the house. What usually happens is that the dealer will reveal his hole card. If the dealer's hand totals 17 or more, he will stand. If the dealer's hand totals 16 or less, the dealer will hit until reaching 17 or more. At the end of the hand, if the totals of your cards are closer to 21, you win. If you win then you will be paid even money, the amount that you wagered, plus your original wager. If the dealer's hand is closer to 21, you lose and your wager goes to the house. If you have pushed, the dealer will rap the table with his knuckles and leave the chips where they stand. You are then allowed to increase, decrease or remove the bet.

PLAYING OPTIONS
What makes the game of blackjack more entertaining is that sometimes you have the ability to increase your bets in mid-hand if you feel you have a good opportunity to win. When presented with the opportunity to make these bets, you should take advantage of them because they help to eliminate the house edge.

One of the circumstances in which you may increase your bet is called doubling down. As the name implies, doubling down means that you are doubling your wager on the chance that you will win. You can double down only after looking at your first two cards; you cannot take a hit and then double down. In many casinos you can double down for less than what you originally wagered, some will allow you to double down on any two cards, and some will allow you to double down after splitting a pair. The only catch is that you must take one, and only one more card. The casino is essentially allowing you to make a second bet equal in size in exchange for the disadvantage of allowing only one more card for your hand.

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