Master the art of blackjack

Casino rules for blackjack vary. This is a simple version to be played with friends and family. However many players are at the table, blackjack is fundamentally a two-person game – you against the dealer, with the aim of gaining a hand totalling closer to 21, without going over (‘busting’).

Scoring: Number cards are of face value. Aces can be one or 11. ‘Face cards’ (jack, queen, king) score 10.

Rules: Each player is dealt two cards, face down; the dealer has one card turned up, the other down.

■ If you’re dealt an ace and a 10 or face card, you have a ‘natural blackjack’, an instant win – unless the dealer also has a natural, in which case there is a tie or ‘push’ between you and the dealer while all the other players lose.

■ If nobody has a natural, each player in turn has the option to be dealt another card (a ‘hit’), to stay with the cards they have (to ‘stand’) or to surrender if they bust.

■ When all players have chosen to stand or surrender, the dealer reveals their face-down card. If they have a total of 16 or less, they must hit and as soon as they have 17 or more, they must stand. If the dealer busts, all players still in the game win. Otherwise, players with higher point totals than the dealer win.