The basic game of blackjack is a rather simple one, but as in all simple games of skill, the complexities of best play are enormous. I don't mention this to frighten you off, but prepare you to learn, to study and restudy the information in this page.

In the casino game one or more decks may be used but we'll start with a single deck at the outset, since all strategies flow from the original single-deck version of the game.
Blackjack is played with a standard deck of fifty-two cards in which all four suits are of equal value.

In blackjack each card has a specific value or numerical count, with the exception of the ace, which has two values, but we'll discuss the ace last. The value of any card is determined by its spots. A 2 is worth 2 points, a 3 is worth 3 and so on to 10. The face cards: jack, queen, and king-are also worth 10 points apiece. The 10 jacks, queen, and king, in blackjack parlance, are known as "10-value cards."

The ace is unique in having two separate values. It can either be counted as 11 or as 1, at the player's discretion, when playing out the hand. Having this dual value makes the ace the most powerful of all cards at blackjack.
The object of this game is simple. It's to beat the dealer, but in order to do so, a player must have either a higher valued band than the dealer, or the dealer must go over a total of 21 while the player has a valid hand with 21 or fewer points. In this game, a tie between the dealer and player is a standoff, with neither winning.

If either the player or dealer is dealt an ace and a 10-value card in the first two cards, he has a blackjack. A blackjack is an immediate winner, and if the player has one and the dealer has an ordinary hand, the player wins at 3-2. If the dealer has a blackjack and the player has an ordinary hand, the dealer wins. If both the dealer and player have blackjacks, it is a tie and thus a standoff, with neither winning.