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"The House" or the "Dealer" is the person who staffs the Blackjack table and deals cards to each of the players. 

The Game objective 

The aim of the game is to get a hand totaling 21 points. You get "a Blackjack" when your hand totals 21 within the first two cards dealt to you. If you don't get a 21 on the first two cards you're dealt, you need to try and get as close to 21 as you can without going over 21 (busting) or have a higher hand than the House.

After they have placed their bets, each of the players receives two cards face up and can choose to stick (hold) their initial two cards or to take more cards (hit). If a player does not bust, they wait for the House's turn. The House turns up the down card. The House is required, under the rules of the game, to stay on counts of 17 or higher. If the House gets a count of 16 or less, they must draw another card. An Ace can count as either eleven or one point. A face card counts for ten points. All others cards count for their face value. A "hard hand" is a hand that doesn't contain an Ace or where the Ace counts as one point. A "soft hand" is a hand that contains an Ace which is counted as 11. 

Players who have busted or who have a lower count than the House will forfeit their bets. Players will win an amount equal to their initial bet if end up with a hand larger than the House's. Players with hand of 21 (for example an ace and a queen) win on a 3 to 2 basis. 

Insurance Bets 

Side bets are an effective way for casinos to sway the odds for making a greater profit in their own favor...you should avoid making any side bets unless you are an experienced and expert card counter. By way of example...if you were playing alone at a table - just yourself and the House. Let's say you were dealt a natural 21 at a single deck table, and the House's up card was an ace. Excluding the House's Ace, your ace and your ten, there would be 49 cards left. That would leave fifteen tens to potentially give the dealer a blackjack and a push. By not insuring your blackjack, it means that you would be paid 3 to 2 thirty four times and push just fifteen times (49 total - 15 tens = 34). That would mean that your winning percentage would be 104% by not insuring and only 100% if you did insure. (This doesn't take into consideration any other players' cards, which would definitely decrease the House's odds of obtaining a push - and also clearly show why you should avoid taking insurance). 

Splitting your pairs 

It is important to know when to split your hand into two hands, and it's not difficult to learn about the situations when this should be done. Always split a pair of eights or a pair of aces. If you split a two eights, it means that you are breaking up a hand of sixteen, which is the worst hand you could possibly have. A pair of aces would either total twelve or two. If you split them, each card will be worth eleven. Split pairs of threes and twos when the House's card is between a four and seven. Split sixes when the Healer has a three, four, five or six. You must split a pair of sevens when the House has a three, four, five, six or seven. Split a pair of nines when the House has two, three, four, five, six, eight or nine. Never split a pair of fours, fives or tens. 

Standing or Hitting 

If you have a hard hand, and your cards total 12 or higher:

• Hit if the player hand totals 12, 13, 14, 15 or 16 and the House has a seven or higher.
• Stand on any hand totaling 17 or higher.
• Stand if the player cards total 12, 13, 14, 15 or 16 and the House has two, three, four, five or six. If you have a soft hand: 
• Always draw to soft 17 or less.
• Only draw on soft 18 if the dealer has an eight, nine or ten. Doubling Down (doubling the bet in exchange for one more card): 

If you have a hard hand:

• Double down when the player's cards total nine and the House has a four, five or six.
• Double down when the player's cards total 10 and the House has a nine or less.
• Double down when the player's cards total 11 and the House has a ten or less. 

If you have a soft hand:

• Double down with a soft 17 and soft 18 when the House has three through six.
• Double down with a soft 15 and soft 16 when the House has a four, five or six.
• Double down with a soft 13 and soft 14 when the House has a five or six