Two Cards on Hand

Card games are enjoyed by the young and old alike. Some of these card games involve bets that can be as high as a few hundred dollars at stake. For the youngsters, they play card games that require a minor dose of betting that doesn't involve money and the skill of bluffing. Among the young and old players, they are quite familiar with how blackjack is played. Yet, a few don't know when and how it originated.

The card game blackjack is also known and played as 21, the corresponding of a two-hand card of a player. The cards can be a jack of spades and an ace or two of any cards that add up to 21. If the player holds a two-card hand with an ace of spades and jack of spades, he is automatically the winner and is called a natural. The name blackjack got stuck to the game because of this.

The cards are valued according to their face value. For cards 2 to 10, they are valued as they are while the face cards like the king, queen and jack cards are valued at 10. An ace is either valued at 1 or 11, depending on how the game is set-up.

The game starts with two cards dealt faced down to each player. Each player has the opportunity to draw more cards to get a sum of 21 from all of his cards. He also has the option to discard cards on his discretion and if a player has a number of cards that exceed 21 in value, it is called a bust or too many and therefore loses the game.

The main objective of the game is to beat the dealer using the cards on hand. A player can bust the dealer if he has the least number of cards on hand that sums up to 21. Every player is playing against the dealer so, if the first player gets busted by the dealer, it's possible he wins against the other players.

Blackjack may seem complicated to those who don't know the game. As one gets to know how it's played, varieties can be made from the game itself, customized according to the age group and playing skills of the players. Though blackjack is one of the most played card games in casinos, playing it with our families and friends in our households don't have to involve betting. As long as we are enjoying it and fostering camaraderie at the same time, it doesn't have to involve money.