Blackjack is a game of skill and strategy that pits the player against the dealer. The objective is to get a hand value closer to 21 than the dealer’s without going over. Each card has a value; face cards (Jack, Queen, King) are worth 10 and Aces can be counted as either 1 or 11. The game is played with one or more standard decks of playing cards. The player places a wager before being dealt two cards, then decides whether to “hit” (receive additional cards) or “stand.” The dealer also receives two cards but only one is exposed.

If a player’s first two cards total 21 (an ace with a picture card or a ten), the hand is known as a “natural” and the player wins immediately. The dealer must pay out any player with a natural and collect the bets of players who do not have one. A player with a natural is paid one and a half times their original bet. A player may also choose to split pairs or double down on their initial two cards.

The game rules are generally set by casino regulations, but the casinos are free to implement permissible rule variations at their discretion. Some of these rules change the house edge of blackjack, making it more difficult to beat. For example, some casinos offer “insurance” on the dealer’s hole card, which pays out at 2 to 1. This increases the house edge by about 1%. Likewise, some casinos reduce the payout on blackjacks to 6 to 5, which increases the house edge by about 1.4%.

Novice blackjack players miss many opportunities to win. They will often stand too much when they should hit and they will fail to take advantage of splitting pairs or doubling down when the odds favor doing so. Expert players will bust more often but they will also win more hands.

There are hundreds of side bets that can be made at a blackjack table, but they all require a player to place a wager at the same time as the main bet. These bets can range from betting on getting a pair as your first two cards to betting that the dealer will make a poker hand with their up card. Some side bets also pay out when the dealer hits or stands on their blackjack hand.

Most blackjack games have a minimum and maximum bet amount posted on the table. Once all bets are placed, the dealer will deal two cards to each player and himself. The player must then decide whether to “hit” and receive more cards or “stand.” A player’s decisions will not affect the other players at the table. However, the other players’ hands will have an effect on whether the dealer busts or not. If a player’s hand exceeds 21, they lose and the game is over. If the dealer busts, all remaining players win. If a player’s hand is equal to the dealer’s, it is a tie and bets are returned.