Blackjack
Hit 21 without busting · BJ pays 3:2 · dealer stands on 17
History
Blackjack has its roots in the 18th-century French game "Vingt-et-Un" (twenty-one). The name "blackjack" arose in the United States in the early 1900s, when casinos offered a bonus for a hand with the ace of spades and a black jack. The mathematician Edward Thorp published the 1962 book "Beat the Dealer", which proved that card counting gives the player an edge — and changed the game permanently.
Edward Thorp’s 1962 book "Beat the Dealer" was revolutionary: it showed mathematically that a player can gain an edge by tracking the remaining cards. Casinos responded by adding decks and shuffling more often. Thorp’s work made blackjack the only casino game where skill can in theory turn the edge to the player’s side — which is why it is still studied and taught.
Where it is played today
Blackjack is one of the most played casino games in the world, standard equipment in every casino from Las Vegas to Macau. Online it is popular both as a computer-driven game and as a live-dealer version. It is one of the few casino games where the player’s decisions affect the outcome.
Rules
Goal: get your hand value closer to 21 than the dealer, without going over. Face cards are 10, an ace is 1 or 11. You get two cards, the dealer one face up. "Hit" adds a card, "Stand" ends your turn, "Double" doubles the bet against exactly one more card. The dealer draws until reaching at least 17. A two-card 21 is a blackjack and pays 3:2.
Odds & the maths
Played with basic strategy, blackjack’s house edge is only about 0.5% — one of the lowest in the casino. This is because the player’s choices (when to hit, when to stand) affect the result. With poor choices the house edge rises to 2–3%. Blackjack is a good example that skill can shrink the house edge — but not remove it.
Basic strategy is a mathematically computed table of which action (hit, stand, double) is best in every hand-versus-dealer-card situation. It does not promise a win, but it minimises the house edge to about 0.5%. The single most important mistake beginners make is standing too early out of fear of "busting" — even though the probabilities often favour taking another card.
| Outcome | Pays | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Player wins (non-BJ) | 1:1 | ~42% |
| Dealer wins | — | ~49% |
| Push (tie) | bet returned | ~9% |
| Two-card blackjack | 3:2 | ~4.8% |
Played with basic strategy the house edge is only ~0.5%. With poor choices it rises to 2–3% — the player’s decisions matter more than in any other casino game.
Beginner’s guide
A simple rule of thumb for a beginner: always hit when your hand is 11 or below. Always stand when you are 17 or above. In between (12–16) decide by the dealer’s up card — if the dealer has 7 or higher, hit; if 6 or lower, stand. That is the core of basic strategy. Double when your hand is 10 or 11.