Blackjack is a card game played between a dealer and one or more players. The game is played on a semicircular table that can accommodate varying numbers of players, from 7 to 12. The dealer faces a deck of cards and stands behind the table. Each player is dealt two cards and the dealer deals themselves an up card and a down card. The player can choose to take ‘insurance’, betting that the dealer has a blackjack (a 10 value card in the down position). This side bet pays out 2-1 and is recommended by most dealers.

The object of the game is to beat the dealer by getting a hand value closer to 21 than the dealer. If a player has a total of 21 in his or her first two cards, this is a ‘natural’ or ‘blackjack’ and the player wins immediately unless the dealer also has a natural. In the event of a tie, or ‘push’, bets are returned without any adjustment.

If the player has a pair of matching cards, he or she may split them. This creates two separate hands and they are played independently of each other. Each hand is then dealt an additional card, if appropriate. The player may also double down, increasing his or her initial bet by up to a maximum of twice the original amount.

After each round of play, the dealer will collect the players’ cards, shuffle and begin a new deal. If a player has a blackjack, he or she immediately receives his or her original bet back.

Blackjack has long been the king of casino games, but its reign may be ending. Despite a brief revival in popularity after the 2008 film 21 introduced card counting to a wider audience, the game has largely been replaced on the Vegas Strip by games like baccarat, which attract Asian ultra-high rollers. Competition from these and other games has forced casinos to whittle away at the edge of blackjack, which is now less profitable than ever.

In addition to the standard game of blackjack, many casinos offer a variety of side bets. These can include insurance, which is offered when the dealer’s up-card is an ace, and various other bets that pay out if the player has specific hand values such as blackjack or a straight. These bets are typically placed at the same time as the main wager and are not subject to the same rules as the standard game of blackjack. However, some of these bets have been found to have negative effects on the game’s overall house edge.