What is Blackjack?
Q: What is Blackjack?
A: Blackjack is a kind of card game which usually involves gambling and is often played in casinos.
Q: How does the dealer deal cards?
A: The dealer deals cards from a special device called a 'dealer's shoe' or a 'shuffling machine'. When there are one or two decks, the dealer usually holds the decks instead of dealing from a shoe.
Q: How do players win?
A: Players win if their cards add up to more than the dealer's hand to a limit of 21. Hands which add up to more than 21, called busted hands, lose. Face cards count as 10 and Aces can count as one or eleven. 'Blackjack', an ace and a face card or ten, is the top scorer. Five cards adding to 21 or fewer is the next ranking hand.
Q: What happens when both player and dealer bust?
A: If both the player and dealer bust, the dealer wins.
Q: What choices do players have when playing blackjack?
A: Players have a choice whether or not to get extra cards - stand means to get no more cards and hit means to ask for another card (wave your hand back and forth for stand; wave your hand toward you for hit). You can ask for any number of cards unless you bust.
Q: What rules must dealers follow?
A: The rules that dealers must follow are set by either the casino (which cannot change after the game has started) or by government regulations in some states/countries. In the UK, for example, dealers must stand on 16.
Q: Is there any skill involved in blackjack?
A: Yes - there is some skill involved in blackjack because odds change as different cards are dealt so it's important to keep track of how many tens (including facecards) have been dealt as well as how many Aces since they are needed for blackjacks - this process is known as 'card counting' but it may be illegal if done with devices like computers so many casinos will tell players who they think are counting cards to leave
