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There are American gamblers who sit down to play their very first hand of blackjack each and every day. Of course, some of these people prefer to learn the game as they go, but there are others who want to take the time to read all of the blackjack rules before they get started. This is always a good idea because it gives the player a better handle on gameplay and results in more wins. The rules themselves aren't difficult to learn, but they do take some time to master. It is recommended that new blackjack players start out with the most traditional and classic variant of the game before moving on to the more obscure variations like Duel 21 or Double Exposure, which have different rules.

The Basics

The first of the rules of blackjack is that the player will only be competing against the dealer, or the house, rather than other players at the table. In a land-based casino, there may be up to seven or more players at the same table, but they all compete against the house. The objective is not to get a blackjack or a hand that values exactly 21 as many people believe. The true goal of the game is to create a hand that beats the dealer's hand without going over a score of 21, otherwise known as "busting". The value of cards is as follows: cards two through nine are equal to face value, Aces can count as either one or 11 points, and 10s as well as face cards like the Jack, Queen and King count as 10 points.

Gameplay

Both the player and dealer will receive two cards, but the dealer will have a face-down card known as the 'hole' card while the player's cards are both face up. The player will review the cards in play that he or she can see and then determine whether to hit (take another card) or stand (stop taking cards and stick to the hand value).The blackjack rules of the house will dictate certain aspects of gameplay such as whether or not the dealer can hit or stand on soft 16 and 17, and the natural Blackjack (a two-card 21) pays out the highest at a standard 3:2.