The deal of the cards

In Blackjack, the deal of the cards is a simple process, whereby once the players have laid their bets, the dealer will deal each player two cards, face up. He deals himself one card face up, called the 'up card' and the other face down, which is called the 'hole card.'

Turns are taken between player and dealer in making decisions regarding their hands. The player has the first take at making his choices. At this point the player may surrender (fold) his hand with the forfeit of half the bet. This choice must be made before any other choices.

If the player has a favourable hand and decides to play, he can then either request another card (hit) in order to raise his hand's score in order to get as close to or exactly 21, or he can stick with the two cards he has (stand).

The player can also split pairs if both their cards are of equal score value and play two simultaneous games. In this case, one additional card is dealt face up to complete each new hand, which is played the same as any other hand.

If a player requests a hit and his score then exceeds 21, he busts and loses his bet. The dealer will deal himself more cards if he sees that he has fewer points than the players, although he can also bust if he exceeds 21 points.

If the player has more points in his hand than the dealer, he wins the bet.