Blackjack is the most popular table game in casinos because it offers the best chance for beating the house. Rather than relying on the cold, mechanical whim of slot machines, you make decisions at blackjack that help determine your fate. Each hand of cards at the blackjack 1 options, and the choices you make with your cards may ultimately affect whether you return home a winner or a loser.
You may have avoided blackjack in the past - because place as a Playboy bunny at a Billy Graham crusade. But simple game to understand, and with just a few lessons ind can feel comfortable and confident at the tables. This chapt basics and gives you the tools you need for your first venture of blackjack.

Even you had never set foot in a casino, you’re probably familiar with black jack from the movies.

Whether on the silver screen or in the real world, you play blackjack on a semicircul ar, felt table that seats up to seven players on the half-moon side of the table, while the dealer stands opposite (see Figure 7-1). These blackjack tables are clustered together into pits, which you usually find in the middle of a casino. The only other accoutrements to the game are the cards - the game uses; anywhere from one to eight decks (more about that in “Dealing what’s in the cards” later in this chapter) - and the chips, which you use to make your bets. In addition, small placards indicate the table limits and minimum and maximum bets allowed. (Check out “Eyeing table bet levels” later in this chapter for more information about bets.)

In blackjack, the cards are normally worth their face value , or their pip number. A 4 counts as four points, an 8 is equal to eight points, and so on. The only exceptions are that 10s and face cards all are 10 points, and worth an ace can count as either 1 or 11 points, depending how you want to use on it. The ace is also the most important card in the deck - the combination of an ace and any ten-point card (10, jack, queen, or king) on your original two cards results in a natural, or a blackjack.
spades, or
Unlike games like poker, individual suits - clubs, hearts spades, or diamonds - make no difference whatsoever in blackjack