The goal of blackjack is to beat the dealer's hand without going over 21. You win 2x (1x+1x) your bet. (1:1) Face cards are worth 10. Aces are worth 1 or 11, whichever makes a better hand. There are 6 decks. Each player starts with two cards, one of the dealer's cards is hidden until the end. To 'Hit' is to ask for another card. To 'Stand' is to hold your total and end your turn. If you go over 21 you bust, and the dealer wins regardless of the dealer's hand. If you are dealt 21 from the start (Ace & 10), you got a blackjack. Blackjack usually means you win 2.5x (1x+1.5x) the amount of your bet. (3:2) Blackjack beats 21. Dealer will hit until his/her cards total 17 or higher. Dealer stands on ALL 17s (soft and hard). Doubling is like a hit, only the bet is doubled and you only get one more card. Split can be done when you have two of the same card - the pair is split into ñtwo hands. You can only split once. Splitting also doubles the bet, because each new hand is worth the original bet. You can only double/split on the first move, or first move of a hand created by a split. You can double on a hand resulting from a split. Blackjack insurance is a side bet offered to the player if the dealer's up-card is an ace, as insurance against the dealer's hand being 'blackjack'. Blackjack insurance odds pay out at 3x (2x+1x) (2:1) and the maximum bet allowed is generally half of the player's main bet.
