Also known as 21, Blackjack is played with a standard deck of 52 cards where either the dealer or the player is dealt an ace as well as a ten-value card on their first two cards.
The objective of the game is to beat the dealer by getting as close to 21 as possible without their card values going over the same number.
Speaking of card values, the card from 2 to 9 are taken at face value while their aces can either be taken as 1 or 11, depending on the situation. Joker cards aren’t used in this game.
Terms like a soft or hard hand depends on the value of the ace card that you choose so as to get as close as possible to the number 21, and in doing so, beating the dealer to win the game.
In this game, you get dealt two cards each (including the dealer) starting off with the player from the left. After this, the dealer will expose one of their cards and based on this, you’ll have to decide whether you should take new cards or stand ‘pat’.
Since the rules indicate that players will have to act first, if you “hit” or take a card but end up going over 21 with a hard hand, you lose.
Alternatively, if you aren’t over 21 and prefer to stand, this means that you are waiting for the dealer to complete their hand to see if their total beats yours or they “bust”.
The highest total closest to 21 wins the game, and if both you and dealer have the same total, then it’s not considered a win or loss, but a tie.