Blackjack is the card game of intellectuals, mathematicians, and those who like a real chance at beating the house. It was once the king of casino table games. But nothing lasts forever, and blackjack now plays second fiddle to baccarat on the Las Vegas Strip. Competition from other tables and sports betting hasn’t helped, either.

Blackjack players sit down at a table, place their bets in the betting box, and wait for the dealer to give them two cards. The dealer will then shuffle the deck and ask you to cut it. Most blackjack games today use multiple decks, but the cards are dealt face up from a shoe, a boxlike device that holds the cards in rows. If your first two cards total 21 or come closer to it than the dealer’s, you win and get paid 6 to 5. If the dealer busts, you lose. If your hand and the dealer’s have an equal value, it’s a tie and you get your original wager back.

To improve your chances of winning, learn the basic rules. Always split aces and eights and never double down on 10s or higher. If your first two cards are a pair of 10s or face cards, you can choose to split them again and receive an additional card for each one. You can also opt to “stand” if your hand is valued at 17 or higher and the dealer’s face-up card is 7 or lower. You can also “hit” if your hand is below 16 and the dealer’s face-up card shows a 10 or ace.

If you decide to hit, the dealer will draw cards until their hand reaches a value of at least 17 or higher. If their hand is greater than yours, you win and are paid out your original wager. If the dealer’s hand is less than yours, you lose, and if it’s an equal value, you get paid even money (a push). If you have a Blackjack, which is any Ace with a 10 or a Jack, Queen, or King, you are paid 6 to 5.

The best way to improve your odds of winning is by learning how to count cards. Counting isn’t difficult, but it requires practice to master. It involves keeping track of the concentration of aces and 10s in the deck, increasing your bet size when those values are high and decreasing it when they’re low. The most successful card counters don’t try to count every single card; instead, they use a simple plus-and-minus system that makes only slight adjustments as the deck shifts in favor of the player or the dealer. This is why some tables now use more than one deck and/or cut a percentage of the cards out of play. This makes it much more difficult for a counter to gain an edge. Fortunately, there are still some casinos that are willing to accommodate a skilled blackjack player. These tables are usually located in upscale casinos or high-end hotels.