Blackjack which is also known as Twenty-One or 21, is considered to be the most played casino game in the entire world and the inspiration for our blackjack app feature. The Blackjack card game is a card comparison game between the player and the dealer which pits them directly against one another. All players in a Blackjack game compete against the dealer but not against any other players in the game, making it an extremely unique casino game. It is played with one or more decks of 52 cards and the object of the game is to beat the dealer.

 

Beating the dealing can happen any of the following ways:

• Get 21 points on the your first 2 cards (called a “blackjack”), without a dealer blackjack occurring
• Reach a final score higher than the dealer without exceeding a 21 point total (outlined depending on the card(s) you have)
• Let the dealer draw additional cards until the dealer hand exceeds 21 points, which allows you to win.

The player or players are dealt an initial two-card hand and add together the value of their cards. Each card has a specific point attributed to it. For example, face cards such as kings, queens, and jacks are counted as 10 points each.

A player and the dealer can count his or her own ace as 1 point or 11 points which is usually outlined before the game starts either by the dealer or on a informational sign at the table, posted by the casino

All other cards in the deck (not face cards or the ace) are counted as the numeric value shown on the card. For example a 9 card of any suit would be 9 points.

After receiving their first two cards each player has the option to take a “hit” which means taking an additional card in their hand from the dealer. The player or the dealer wins the game by having a score of exactly 21 or by having the highest score that is less than 21. Scoring higher than 21which is commonly called “busting” or also referred to as “going bust” results in a loss.

Additionally, a player wins by having any final score equal to or less than 21 if the dealer “busts”. The hand is called “soft” if a player holds an ace valued as 11, meaning that the player cannot go bust by taking an additional card. In summary, 11 plus the value of any other card will always be less than or equal to 21points, otherwise, the hand is considered “hard”.

The dealer has to take hits until their cards total 17 or more points. Players win if they do not bust and have a total that is higher than the dealer’s at the end of “hits”. The dealer loses if they end up going “bust” or if they have a lesser hand than the player who has not busted. If the player and dealer have the same point total it is considered to be a “push”. In this scenario the player typically does not win or lose money on that particular hand.