A blackjack table seats a dealer and one to seven players. The number of players is limited to the number of boxes on the table. Each player plays against the dealer separately. A player may wager on as many boxes at each table as he/she wants to, given there are no other players wishing to play at the same table.

Basically, the objective of the game is to beat the dealer with a total of 21 or less at hand, without going over 21 or bust. You can beat the dealer in two ways. If your cards total 21 or lower and that total is higher than the total of the dealer's hand, you win. If the dealer goes over 21, i.e. busts you win as well. Of course, the later also applies to you if your hand's total is over 21 then you have busted and lose your bet.

Until the 70s, blackjack had been played with a single deck (52 cards). As time went by more sophisticated card counting systems were developed, which gave a player an edge over the house. Casinos responded to this trend by increasing the number of decks up to four, six or sometimes even eight. Thus, the number of decks may vary with 6 decks being the standard. After the cards have been shuffled, the dealer cuts them, i.e. divides the pack into two parts. The larger part (about two thirds of the pack) is then dealt out. Since dealing with more than two decks in the hand is awkward, three and more decks are dealt out from a special box called shoe. Using a shoe is also believed to reduce the risk of stacking the cards by the dealer.

Before any cards are dealt, the player must make his bet by placing it in the designated space in front of his table position. The dealer then deals two cards to each of the players, and two to himself (one of the dealer's cards is dealt face up and one is dealt face down). The latter applies mostly to American houses, while in Europe you can often see the dealer dealing a single card face up to himself.

The dealer is always the last on to play his hand. It means that his face-down card (also called a hole card) remains unknown to the players until he turns it over to play his hand. This makes the game a real challenge to the players, since they have to judge how to play their hands taking into account the dealer's upcard and the total of their hand, while guessing the value of the dealer's hole card.

There are two ways the players' cards can be dealt. If the game is played using one or two decks, then the cards are dealt face down. The later is due to the fact that the use of only 52 or 104 cards makes it easier for the players to keep track of the cards as they are exposed. By dealing the cards face down the dealer makes it tougher for player to count cards. The use of three or more decks increases the house advantage, and players are allowed to see each other's hands to compensate for this. Should the cards be dealt face up never touch them, this restriction is aimed at preventing players from cheating. When the cards are dealt face down you are allowed to use one hand to pick them up.

Face cards (kings, queens and jacks) have the value of 10, ace can counted either as 1 or 11 (up to the player), and all other cards are counted at their face value. Suits are irrelevant.

BLACKJACK
If the player's first two cards are an ace and a 10 or face card (that makes a "natural" 21), he wins. However, if the dealer also has a blackjack, it is a standoff, as are all ties or pushes. A winning blackjack pays the player 3 to 2.

HIT and STAND
To hit a hand means to draw another card. To stand means to take no more cards. The dealer plays his hand automatically. If the dealer's hand is 16 or less he must take a card. If the dealer's hand is 17 or more he must stand. Some casinos allow the dealer to hit on soft 17, which gives the house a small additional advantage.

On the contrary, the player is free to choose whether to stand or hit. Both decisions are shown with hand signs. Hand signals are believed to be more convenient in the noisy atmosphere of the casino; they also allow the casino security personnel to survey games with cameras that don't have sound.

If playing a single- or double-deck games, you should scrape your cards towards you on the table if you want to skip. If you want to stand, tuck your cards under your chips. When more than two decks are used in the game, and you cannot touch the card, use your fingers to signal. To hit, you scrape the table towards you, to stand you, wave your hand over the cards.

Upon receiving his two cards the player has four options to choose from, before proceeding to play the hand. They are: double down, split pairs, surrender, and take insurance.

DOUBLE DOWN
The player is allowed to double the bet on his first two cards and draw one additional card only to improve his hand. The advantage of doubling down is that the player is allowed to raise his bet after he has seen his first two cards and the dealer's upcard. The disadvantage is that he cannot draw more than one card.

SPLITTING PAIRS
If the player's first two cards are of the same rank, he may split them into two independent hands, bet the same amount on each and then play them separately. Aces receive only one additional card. After splitting, A-10 counts as 21, and not as blackjack. Yet, some casinos do not allow doubling after splitting a pair.

SURRENDER
Where permitted, a player may give up his first two cards and lose only one-half his original bet. A late surrender means this option is allowed only if the dealer does not have a blackjack. More valuable to the player is the early surrender, which is allowed even if the dealer holds a blackjack. But the casinos seldom offer this option.

INSURANCE
If the dealer's up card is an ace, the player may take insurance, a bet not exceeding one-half his original bet. Actually, it is a side bet that the dealer has a natural. If the dealer's down card is a 10 or any face card, the player wins 2 to 1. Otherwise the insurance bet loses.