Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games. Unlike games like roulette and craps, which are based entirely on luck, blackjack requires a fair amount of skill as well. This combination of luck and skill is the reason for the popularity of blackjack.

Since the advent of Internet technology online blackjack has become the most popular online casino game. Online blackjack has many benefits over the brick and mortar version of the game. The main advantage is that it can be indulged in from home or anywhere with an Internet connection and a computer. Today with laptops and wireless technologies online blackjack can be played while traveling. The latest extension of online blackjack is mobile blackjack that can be played on cell phones. (Read More)

Blackjack evolved from several medieval gambling games, notably the French games of 'chemin de fer and 'French ferme' and the Spanish game of 'one and thirty'. The blackjack rule of going bust can be traced to an Italian game called ?seven and a half?. A version resembling the present blackjack game was first played in the 1700s in the French casinos of that time. The game was called 'vingt-et-un', the French for twenty-one, which referred to the hand value over which the player and dealer bust. (Read More)

Blackjack rules are based on card values and hand values. The picture cards are given a value of 10. Cards from twos to tens are given their face value. Aces are given a value of either 1 or 11 depending on the circumstances. In blackjack the hand value is the total of all the card values.

The objective of blackjack is to get a hand value that is closer to 21 than the dealer's hand value but without the hand value exceeding 21. When a hand value exceeds 21 it is known as "bust" in blackjack parlance. (Read More)

Blackjack originated in France in the 1700s where it was called vingt-et-un or twenty one. In blackjack, you do not play against other hands but the dealer across the table and the hand with the highest total emerges a winner so long as he doesn't exceed 21. Picture cards such as King, Queen and Jack are valued at 10 points each, with an ace at either 1 or 11 depending upon the hand and other cards taken at their numerical face values. The player with a total over 21 loses or busts. If both the dealer and the hand have the same total it is a push where neither of them wins, resulting in a draw. (Read More)

Before talking about Blackjack strategy, it would be interesting to know why the game came to be known as Blackjack. Those who are familiar with the game are aware that if a player has a Jack of Spades and an Ace of Spades in the first two cards, he is entitled to some extra payments. The game derived its name from the Jack of Spades which is black in color. In Blackjack, the aim of a player is to get 21 points or as close to it to win. Getting more than 21 points means the player goes bust. The cards in Blackjack have their face value, barring the Jack, Queen and the King that are worth 10 points each and the Ace can either be used as 1 or 11 depending on the choice of the player. (Read More)

In a blackjack game there may be seven or eight players at a table but each player is competing against the dealer. There is no competition between the players themselves. For all practical purposes each player plays as if the other blackjack players do not exist. However in blackjack tournaments the players at a table compete against each other. Though the rules of the blackjack game may be the same, the objective is different in blackjack tournaments. Therefore different skills are required. (Read More)

It is important to understand the concept of payouts in any gambling game, like blackjack for instance. Payout is expressed as a ratio of two numbers, for example 5 is to 8. This is often written as 5:8. This payout means that if the player wagers $5 and wins then he will win $8.

Blackjack payouts vary with the type of bet and hands dealt. If the player loses he forfeits his bet. If the player and dealer tie then the rules of blackjack come into play. In most casinos ties result in the player gets his wager back. But in some casinos the blackjack rules are that the dealer wins ties. In this case the blackjack player loses his bet on a tie. This adversely affects the player's chances and players should avoid blackjack tables where this rule is in force. (Read More)

Though the essentials of the blackjack game are the same everywhere it is played, there are minor variations from country to country, from city to city, from casino to casino and sometimes from table to table within the same casino. Two blackjack variations are significant and need detailed explanation. (Read More)

If you like to play blackjack, you know it's available at pretty much any casino, whether online or land-based. That's great if you're looking for a black jack game or a blackjack tournament. You can always find a blackjack online casino or a black jack table. The question, though, is which online casino offers the best blackjack tables. While overall, any given blackjack 21 game isn't likely to be all that different from another. There are very few black jack rules that vary from casino to casino or table to table. (Read More)

Blackjack rules give the player a special option if his two dealt cards are of the same denomination, such as a pair of nines. This blackjack option is known as "splitting". The player places another wager equal to his initial wager and then splits the pair into two independent hands. (Read More)