Blackjack is a popular casino game that is played with either two decks of cards or with one deck. In blackjack, the objective is to draw cards until you have an Ace, then put all other cards back on the table.
You can also “stand” (not put any more cards into the hand) if you have an Ace. If you draw two cards that add up to aces, you “bust” and lose the hand.
There are several variations of blackjack, but the most common is called “basic.” In basic blackjack, each player starts with two hands and tries to earn as much money as possible by playing cards until they bust or reach 21 points.
The house edge in basic blackjack is about 1.5 percent.
If you’re looking to play blackjack at a lower house edge, some casinos offer “zero-percent” blackjack which features slightly different rules than basic blackjack. For example, in zero-percent blackjack, players must split any pair of cards and must always hit if they have an Ace or higher.
The house edge in zero-percent blackjack is still about 1.5 percent, but it can be significantly lower than in basic blackjack.
If you’re looking for a more challenging game, some casinos offer “double-down” blackjack which features higher payouts for winning hands and higher house edges. In double-down blackjack, players must put two additional chips into the pot whenever they win a hand, which increases the house’s advantage somewhat.
Double-down blackjack is usually only offered by high-limit tables; low-limit tables usually offer basic or zero-percent blackjack instead.
