Blackjack is derived from a game called twenty-one. Twenty-one was played in France and Spain since the 16th Century. Twenty-one introduced in the United States in the 1800’s. It was originally not popular so local casinos began offering bonus or progressive payouts to get players to try the game. One of these bonuses was a 10 to one payout if the ace of spades and a blackjack were dealt to the player. This became known as Blackjack. The name stuck although the bonus did not.
In casino blackjack there may be anywhere from one to seven players plus a dealer. The game is played at a horseshoe shaped table. Each player plays against the dealer and not each other. Before the hand is dealt, each player places a bet. They then receive their initial hand of two cards. The object of the game is to get a hand that totals more than the dealers hand without going over twenty-one. If a players hand does total more than twenty one they automatically lose no matter what the dealer does. Going over twenty one is called breaking or busting. In totaling the hand the jack, queen and king each have a value of 10. Cards with the numbers two through ten printed on them hold that same value. The ace can be either a one or eleven according to the player’s choice. The player to the dealers left goes first and can either hold pat with the cards that he has been dealt or he may take additional cards. If the additional cards bring his hands total to over twenty one, he busts and loses his initial bet. The deal goes around the table and each player has the same options as the first player had. The dealer then plays his hand. The dealer must hit on all hands under 16 and stand on all hands over 17. If the dealers hand totals more than 21, he busts and all remaining player hands that have not busted win. Ties count as a push or tie and the original bet is returned to the player.
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