Blackjack is a casino card game played between a dealer and one or more players. The goal is to accumulate cards that total as close to 21 as possible without going over. The cards are numbered and have different values, including face cards that count as 10 and aces that count as either one or 11 depending on the type of hand. There are many ways to improve your blackjack skills, but the most important thing is to follow basic playing strategy. This will minimize the house advantage and increase your chances of winning.

Effective bankroll management is key to successful blackjack play. You should set a limit for each session and determine how much you are willing to risk per hand. By sticking to this limit, you will avoid emotional decisions that can cost you money in the long run. Additionally, you should not attempt to make up for lost money by increasing your bets after losing a hand.

Keeping a running count is another effective strategy for blackjack players. You can practice this by using a single deck of cards and adding up the value of each as you turn them over. You can also use a calculator to get the true count, which takes into account the number of cards remaining in the shoe. This is an important factor in blackjack because the higher the true count, the lower the house edge.

In blackjack, you must decide whether to stand or hit based on the current value of your hand and the dealer’s upcard. Stand if you have a high total, such as a hand of 17 or more, and hit if your total is lower, such as 12 or 16 or the dealer shows a ten. If you have a weak hand, you can choose to surrender, which allows you to recover half of your initial bet. This is the best option if you think that the dealer has a high probability of having a blackjack.

Some blackjack games have side bets, such as the Lucky Ladies bet, which pays out between 4 and 1000 times your initial bet if the first two cards of your hand are a pair of aces or kings. These bets are not available at every table, however, and you should only place them when they have a good payout potential.

When you have a hand of blackjack, you can opt to take insurance, which is offered by the dealer. This bet pays out 1:1 if the dealer has a blackjack, but loses if he or she does not. Alternatively, you can choose to decline insurance and win the dealer’s original bet back, which is known as pushing.