The easiest explanation of Black Jack available today.

 

In blackjack, the cards are valued as follows:  An Ace can count as either 1 or 11, and always has the value that makes the best hand. The cards from 2 through 9 are worth points at face value.  The 10, Jack, Queen, and King are all valued at 10. The suits of the cards do not have any meaning in the game.

The dealer stops taking cards (stands) after his hand reaches 17 points, but must draw more cards (hit) if he has less than 17. Also, the dealer cannot split pairs, but must simply hit until he reaches at least 17 or busts by going over 21.

The point of the game is to hold cards with a total value that is closer to 21 than that of the dealer, without going over 21. Other players at the table are of no concern. For example, a hand containing 5, 7, and a 9 has the value of 21.

Once all the bets are made, the dealer will deal so that the players and the dealer have two cards each. You are only allowed to touch the cards with one hand.  You must keep the cards over the table. Any cards that the dealer subsequently deals to your hand must be left on the table, not added to the cards in your hand.

A blackjack, or natural, is a total of 21 in your first two cards. A blackjack is therefore an Ace and any ten-valued card, only when these are your first two cards. A winning blackjack pays the player odds of 3 to 2, more than just a regular winning hand, which pays 1:1.  A player blackjack beats any dealer total other than a dealer's blackjack, including a dealer's regular 21. If both a player and the dealer make blackjack, the hand is a tie or push.

Surrender offers you as a player the choice to fold your hand, at the cost of half of the original bet. You must make that decision prior to taking any other action on the hand. For example, once you draw a third card, or split, or double down, surrender is no longer an option. The dealer checks for blackjack first, and then only if he does not have blackjack, he will allow players to surrender their hands.

A decision every player must make during the game is whether to draw another card "hit", which you can indicate by tapping the table behind your cards with a finger. Another option is to stop with a current hand ("stand"), which you can demonstrate by waving your hand in a horizontal motion over your cards. If you go over 21, or "bust", the dealer will collect your bet, and remove your cards from the table immediately.

Doubling down  can only be done with a two card hand, before a third card has been drawn. You double your bet and receive only one additional card to the hand. Place the additional bet adjacent to the original bet, not on top of it. Players are allowed to double down for any amount up to the original bet amount.

When you are dealt a pair of matching cards (regardless of their suits), you have the ability to split the hand into two separate hands, and play them independently. Let's say you are dealt a pair of 8s. You split it to 8 and 8, and hope that new cards dealt to each hand will add up to more than 16 points. In this option, you must place a matching bet beside the original bet in the circle.

If you get additional pairs in the first two cards of your split hand, you can split again, making yet another hand.  You are also allowed to split any 10-valued cards, so you could split a (Jack, Queen) hand. However, this is usually a bad play. Splitting Aces is a very strong player move, so the casino restricts you to drawing only one additional card on each Ace. Also, if you draw a ten-valued card on one of your split Aces, the hand is not considered a Blackjack, but is instead treated as a normal 21.

If the dealer’s first card is an Ace, he will offer "Insurance" to the players. Insurance bets can be made by betting up to half your original bet amount in the insurance betting stripe in front of your bet. The dealer will check to see if he has a 10-value card underneath his Ace, and if he does have Blackjack, your winning Insurance bet will be paid at odds of 2:1, so in other words you recover the main bet which would otherwise be lost.

When you have a Blackjack, the dealer will offer you "even money" instead of the insurance bet.

Let's assume that the dealer has an Ace as a first card, and you decide to take insurance for the full amount, or $5. Now, two things can happen:
1) the dealer has a Blackjack. You tie with the $10, but collect 2:1 on the $5 insurance bet for a total profit of $10.
2) The dealer does not have Blackjack. You lose the $5, but collect $15 for the Black Jack. Total profit will either way be $10.