Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games around. It is popular because it is simple, fun, and the house advantage over the player can be slight in comparison to other casino games, when played properly. In fact it's even possible to turn the tables and gain a slight advantage over the house! Here you will find the basic rules, and some strategy to help you have fun, and win!

The Basics of Blackjack
The object of the game is to get a point total greater than the dealer, without going over 21. The player must beat the dealers card total to win the bet. Ties are called a push. A push is when neither the house nor the player collect any winnings. When a player or the dealer goes over 21, they have "busted" and lose the hand.

Each hand begins with the player making a wager. The amount of the wager varies from table to table. Most tables have a minimum and maximum bet limit set. Once all players have made their initial bet, the dealer begins dealing the cards. Each player at the table will receive two cards, customarily dealt face up. The dealer will receive one card face down (the hole card), and one card up, (the up card).

The player to the immediate left of the dealer (sometimes referred to as "First Base") must then instruct the dealer how he wishes to play his hand. Once that player has played his hand out, each player then plays their hand, going around the table in a clockwise direction. Finally the dealer plays out his hand, and all wagers are collected or paid.

The player or dealers card total (or score) is determing by adding up the point total of all cards in the hand. 2-10 count as face value. Jacks, Queens, Kings (Face Cards) count as 10. Aces count as 1 or 11. As soon as a point total exceeds 21 the hand busts, and cannot receive any more cards.

Player Options
The following actions are the options available to the player. Below you will find a chart that will help you with when to choose each action.

Stand	If the player feels that the current card total is enough to beat the dealer and win the hand, the player stands. The player will receive no more cards.
Hit	If the player feels that the current card total is not enough to beat the dealer, and that taking another card will improve those odds, the player hits. The dealer will deal the player one card per hit.
Double Down	This is a "proposition" bet. If the player feels that it is likely the hand can be won by taking a single "hit", the player may bet an additional amount up to the original bet, and receive one more card. Traditionally a double down can only be made when the player has 2 cards. However, occasionally a casino will have more liberal rules that allow players to double down at other times. Such rules are beneficial to the player, and should be taken advantage of whenever possible.
Split	If the player is dealt a pair of identical cards, the player has the option of "splitting" the cards. Splitting means that the player will make an identical wager to the initial wager, and the cards will be split so the player can play two hands. The dealer will deal one more card to each split card, and the player will play it as a separate hand. With each hand the player is free to then double-down, hit, stand, split again, etc. There are some limitations on splitting, however, and they differ by casino. For example, when splitting Aces the player will usually only receive a single hit to each hand with no option of making additional plays. Also, there may be a limit to the number of times that cards can be split on a single hand. Reaching this limit is very unlikely, however.
Insurance	If the dealer's "up card" is an Ace, the player has the opportunity to take "insurance". An insurance bet is a bet that the dealer has Blackjack. Insurance usually pays 2-to-1, so the customary insurance bet is to bet half of your Blackjack wager. The insurance bet is strictly a side bet, and players who choose to take insurance usually do it as protection against losing their hand. But ultimately taking insurance is usually a bad idea.
Surrender	Some casinos offer a "Surrender" bet. If after receiving the first 2 cards, the player feels the dealer's odds of winning are significant, the player may surrender the hand. Surrendering means the player does not actually play the hand out, and in return sacrifices half the initial wager, taking back half. Just as insurance is usually not considered a good bet, surrendering is usually not a good idea.

Dealer Rules
The dealer must play his cards according to a consistent set of rules. The exact rules sometimes differ slightly by casino, but the basic rules are standard Blackjack.

1. The dealer must hit when the card total is 16 or less.
2. The dealer must stay when the card total is 17 or more. One possible exception to this is soft hands. A hand is considered soft when an Ace is counted as 11 in the hand. Some casinos hit a soft 17 (for example Ace and a 6), others stay.

Basic Strategy Chart
There are many combinations of possibilities in the game of Blackjack. When to hit, when to double-down, when to stay. It's knowing what to do in given situations that is crucial to coming out ahead in Blackjack.

Fortunately, many mathematically gifted people have analyzed all the possible situations, and have summarized that information in easy to follow charts. Consistently following these charts should maximize the player's chances of winning over the long term.

How to read the chart
The chart is simple to follow. First find the column corresponding to the dealer's up card. These values run across the top of the chart. Next, add up the point total of your hand. For actions labeled double down or split, you must only have 2 cards in your hand. Otherwise just take the total of all cards. For example Ace-Two-Three would be in the A-5 row, because it's a soft 16. You just can't double down in this situation, but you can take a hit. The action that will be most beneficial for you is the intersection of the Dealear's Up Card column and the Your Hand row.