Blackjack or 21 as it is sometimes known is one of the most popularly played games in the casinos. In this game the hand having a total of 21 or closest to 21 wins. If your total exceeds 21 then you’re bust or out of the game. For counting the total of the cards, all cards from 2 to 10 are worth their face value, Jack, Queen, King are all 10 and Ace can be either 11 or 1 depending on what suits the total best.

Before starting to play everybody will place their bets and then the dealer will deal 2 rounds of a card each to all the people on the table starting from his left. So now everybody has 2 cards each. If anyone has a total of 21 in these two cards only then it is called a blackjack or a natural and wins 3:2. If nobody has a natural then you proceed with the game. How you play your game depends totally on you. Some of the important player decisions are listed below with the terms used for them.

Hit – Asking for another card.
Stand – No more cards needed.
Double Down – Double up the original bet. Incase you feel you have good chances of winning you can double your bet but in this case you will be given only one more card not more than that.
Split – Split your cards and play two different hands. If you get a pair or two cards of the same value then you might want to split your game and play as two different hands.
Surrender – give up or forfeit your game. Though for this option you will have to check with the rules of the casino you’re playing in as all casinos do not allow this.

Your chances of winning or losing will depend on how good you are at the game and of course your luck. Lots of people resort to card counting and many other strategies. A few of my own strategies are listed below to help you play better.
1. When splitting pairs, remember only to split Aces or Eights. None of the other pairs are helpful.
2. If the total of the dealers first two cards is 9 or lower and your first two cards is 10 or 11 then always double up.
3. If the dealer’s up card is 7 or higher then continue to draw cards till you have a hard count of 17 or higher or a soft count of 18 or higher.
4. If the dealer’s up card is 6 or lower then draw cards till you have total of atleast 12.

These are a few of my strategies; hope they help you in your game.