Blackjack

It is the most widely played casino banking game in the world. It uses decks of 52 cards and descends from a global family of casino banking games known as Twenty-One.

Objective:

Players attempt to achieve a hand value closer to 21 than the dealer's hand without exceeding 21, with numbered cards worth their face value, face cards worth 10, and an Ace being worth either 1 or 11, while utilizing strategic decisions such as hitting, standing, doubling down, and splitting.

Rank of hands:

Ace (which can be counted as 1 or 11), Face Cards (King, Queen, Jack), and Numbered Cards (10 to 2).

History:

Blackjack's immediate precursor was the English version of twenty-one called Vingt-Un, a game of unknown (but likely Spanish) provenance. The first written reference is found in a book by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes.