Blackjack is a casino game that has a number of variants, but the most common form is called “standard blackjack”. In this variant, players are dealt two cards face down, and then are given the option to either stand (keep the cards) or hit (put the cards into play). If the player chooses to hit, they must choose whether to hit on the first or second card. If they hit on the first card, they must then choose whether to hit on the second card; if they hit on the second card, they can either keep the original bet or double it.
If they choose to stand, they lose their original bet and receive nothing back. The player with the most points at the end of the hand is victorious.
In “basic strategy” blackjack, which is used by most players, there are only two types of hands: Aces and 10s. In an Ace-10 hand, for example, if you are dealt an Ace and a 10, you should stand; if you are dealt a 2 and a 9, you should also stand. There is no need to hit in this situation.
If you are dealt an Ace-2 hand, however, you should either hit or go all-in; if you hit and get another Ace or 10 (a “natural”), you can keep your original bet and double your bet if you get another Ace or 10 again (a “four-of-a-kind”). In other words, in basic strategy blackjack there is no such thing as an ace that doesn’t count as a point – any ace counts as one point.
There are several other variants of blackjack that use different rules: “double Exposure” allows players to double their bet after any two cards are turned over (rather than just getting another card), while “triple Exposure” allows players to triple their bet after any three cards are turned over (rather than just getting another card). These variants tend to be less popular than standard blackjack because they increase the chance of losing money – especially in hands where an ace doesn’t count as a point.
