One of the most popular card games played in Casinos is called Blackjack. How did the game get this name, exactly? Originally called 21, the game was not really that popular among card players when it first made its debut in the United States. To turn this around, gambling houses started offering different bonus payouts, one of which involved a 10-to-1 payout for a player whose hand held the ace of spades and a Black Jack. This type of hand was labeled a "Blackjack" and that is how the game came to be called that.

The fun of the game is due to the combination of chance and skills that are involved in Blackjack/21. The basic point of the game is to be dealt a hand value that is as close to 21 as you can get without going over, also known as "busting". You first have to know what the value of each card is before you can begin playing. Cards two through nine are face value. The 10 and face cards are all valued at 10. The Ace can be either a 1 or 11, whichever gives you the best hand. It is also important to know that in Blackjack/21 you are playing against the dealer only, not the other players at the table. When the play begins, the players place their bets and the dealer hands out two cards to every player at the table.

In Blackjack/21, the player goes first by being dealt more cards if he or she so chooses. If the player exceeds 21, then he or she busts and automatically will lose the hand as well as his or her bet. After the player's turn, the dealer then plays his or her hand the same way. If the dealer goes bust, then he or she loses to all the players whose hand is valued at 21 or below. If neither the player nor the dealer busts, then the person with the higher hand value wins. If both have the same hand value, then the hand is known as a "push" and the player's bet is returned to him or her.