Blackjack is a race to get as close to 21 as possible without going over. Everyone plays against the dealer, not against each other, and each decision comes down to one question: take another card, or stop? A hand takes under a minute.

What You Need

Players: 1-7 against one dealer.
Deck: One standard 52-card deck. For a longer game, shuffle two decks together.
Extras: Nothing. Paper and a pencil are useful if you want to keep a running score.

Key Terms

Dealer: The player who deals and plays the dealer's hand. Everyone compares their hand against the dealer's, never against other players.
Hit: Take another card.
Stand: Take no more cards and lock in your total.
Bust: Going over 21. You lose immediately, even if the dealer busts afterwards.
Blackjack (natural): An ace with any 10-value card in your first two cards.
Soft hand: A hand where an ace counts as 11 without busting - "soft 17" is ace plus 6.
Push: A tie with the dealer. Nobody wins the hand.

Setup

Choose a dealer for the first hand. Rotate the dealer one seat to the left after each hand.
The dealer gives each player two cards face up.
The dealer takes two cards for themselves, one face up and one face down.

How to Play

Card values: 2 through 10 are worth their number, jacks, queens, and kings are 10, and an ace is 11 unless that would bust you, in which case it is 1.

Starting to the dealer's left, each player finishes their hand before the next one begins:

Hit to take another card. You may keep hitting until you stand or bust.
Stand to stop.

Once every player has finished, the dealer reveals their face-down card and plays by fixed rules. The dealer must hit until reaching 17 or more, then must stand. Keep the same rule for a soft 17 every hand. A simple choice is to stand on every 17.

Scoring & Winning

Bust and you lose the hand straight away.
If you did not bust, you win when your total beats the dealer's, or when the dealer busts.
A natural blackjack beats any 21 made with three or more cards.
Equal totals are a push. Nobody wins the hand.
If you want an overall winner, give one point for each hand won and play to an agreed target score.

Example

You are dealt 10♠ and 6♦ for 16, and the dealer shows a 7. You hit and get the 4♣ for 20, then stand. The dealer turns over 17 and you win.

Variations

Two decks: shuffle two standard decks together for a larger group or a longer game.
First to a target: instead of playing one hand, keep score and play until someone reaches 5 points.

Tips for New Players

The dealer's face-up card is the key piece of information. Against a 2 through 6 the dealer busts often, so standing on a weak hand is reasonable. Against a 7 through ace, you usually need to improve.
A total of 17 or more is usually strong enough to stand.
Keep the dealer's face-up card in mind before deciding whether to hit a borderline hand.