After the cards have been handled to the players, he has to count the value of his cards. The player that has the highest value, which, however, should not exceed 21, wins. If the value exceeds 21 then the deal is called „the bust”. All figures in the cards have value 10 and cards less than 10 have their prescribed value. Only ace has value 11. However, if the value of all cards exceeds 21 than we assume that the ace is worth one point. A situation when the ace has a value 11 is called an easy deal, because “bust” does not occur.

Every player wants to win by collecting 21 points in his cards. Please pay attention to the fact, that even if both, you and a dealer, have a bust, then you are considered as a looser. A similar situation, when both, you and dealer, have the same value less than 21, is called „push” and in the end, neither the dealer nor the player wins. Every player has his individual „battle” against the dealer in free poker, so even if one of the players falls out, nothing is going to change for the rest of he players.

Minimal stake in blackjack is set by casino. The most popular stake in the USA is 5 $, although it is possible to find casinos that require less than 1$. After paying for the entrance, dealer handles cards to the players from one of the decks he has, known as a “pitch” or from the shoe containing four or even more decks (kind of machine for cards dealing). The croupier gives each player two cards, including himself. One of his cards is uncovered and the second one remains covered. This covered card is known as “hole card”. In the European blackjack, the covered card is not handled as long as the players do not start playing. The cards are given uncovered when coming from shoe containing and covered, if given as a „pitch”. If a player has 21 in his two cards (an ace and a card with value of ten) he has been claimed the winner. This situation is called blackjack. The winner gets usually the money in the value of 3: 2 from what he had invested at the beginning. However, in 2003 some casinos started paying out the 6:5 value of the player’s investment.

In the game, you have to obey following rules:

If croupier has a blackjack and a player does not, the player looses.

If player has a blackjack and croupier does not, the player wins.

If both, croupier and player have a blackjack, and then it is „push” situation.

If neither croupier nor player has a blackjack, then they play continues.

If all players have finished, the croupier plays alone.

If a player can play again, he has following game options:

• Hit. Taking an additional card.
• Stand. Not taking additional cards.
• Doble down. Doubling the stake, taking an additional card, and standing.
• Split. Making additional bet that allows splitting your cards in two parts and selecting two additional cards to each part. This option is available only when the two starting cards have the same value.
• Surrender. Loosing the half of your stake and giving up. This option has been popular at the beginning of the XX century, but it is not available nowadays.

The game finishes when player decide not to take additional cards. Instead he doubles down or busts. If he has a bust, he looses everything, no matter what the dealer has. If players make they all decisions dealer may uncover all his cards. If dealer has the bust, then all players win. The winning are paid out in relation 1:1 to the invested money.
Some of the most popular rules have their own variants:

· Giving up early. A player may give up, before croupier checks for a blackjack.

· Giving up later. Player may give up after croupier checks for a blackjack.

· European rules for the uncovered card. Croupier is given only one uncovered card and he does not get the second one as long as all players have their decisions made. It means that players loose their previous stakes as well as money invested in Split and Double Down. However, this rule does not necessary mean that you are going to loose what you had won before.

There are many blackjack variants. Every casino may have its own rules and strategies. That is why you should first ask your casino about its rules.