What is Blackjack?

Blackjack is a casino card game in which your goal is to finish with a hand total closer to 21 than the dealer's, without exceeding 21 (going "bust"). Numbered cards count at face value, all face cards count as 10, and an ace counts as either 1 or 11, whichever helps the hand. A "natural" blackjack — an ace plus any ten-value card in the first two cards — is the strongest hand and typically pays 3:2. The order of play matters. The player acts first, choosing to hit, stand, double or split; only afterwards does the dealer play, following fixed house rules with no discretion — commonly standing on 17 and drawing on 16 or below. Why it matters: that 3:2 payout on a natural is significant. A £100 bet that hits blackjack returns £150 profit, not £100. Beware tables advertising 6:5, which pay only £120 on the same hand and quietly increase the house edge — a 6:5 game is markedly worse value and best avoided. Played with correct basic strategy, full-pay blackjack offers one of the lowest house edges in the casino, around 0.5%. Worked example: you are dealt an ace and a king — a natural 21. At 3:2 your £100 stake pays £150. At a 6:5 table the identical hand pays only £120. Over many hands that difference compounds heavily against you, which is why checking the natural payout before sitting down is essential. Common mistake: making decisions on feel rather than basic strategy, and ignoring the natural's payout ratio when choosing a table. The rules in force — deck count, whether the dealer hits soft 17, and the blackjack payout — materially change your odds. Compare to: Basic Strategy, Bust, Even Money (Blackjack).