You start with 1,000 simulated chips. Place a bet, then you and the dealer are dealt two cards each, with one dealer card hidden. Number cards count at face value, face cards count 10, and an ace counts as 11 or 1, whichever is better for the hand.

On your turn you can hit to take another card, stand to keep your total, or double down. Doubling doubles your bet, deals you exactly one more card, and then the dealer plays. Going over 21 is a bust and loses the bet.

The dealer reveals the hidden card and must keep drawing until reaching 17 or more, and then stands. If either you or the dealer is dealt 21 on the first two cards, the hand is settled straight away.

The game uses a single 52-card deck that is reshuffled when fewer than 15 cards remain. There is no splitting, no insurance and no surrender. If you lose all your chips, your balance resets to 1,000 on the next hand.

A normal win returns your bet plus the same amount again. A natural blackjack pays 3 to 2, so a bet of 100 returns 250 in total. A push, when you and the dealer tie, returns your bet. A bust or a loss forfeits it.

Your highest chip total is recorded as your best score. It is a practice scoreboard only and has no monetary value.

Basic strategy is a fixed table of the best play for each combination of your hand and the dealer visible card. It will not guarantee a win, but it avoids the most common mistakes.

The core ideas are simple. Always stand on a hard 17 or more. Always hit a hard 8 or less. With 13 to 16 against a dealer showing 2 to 6, stand and let the dealer risk the bust. With 13 to 16 against a 7 or higher, hit. Double down on 10 or 11 when the dealer shows a weaker card.

The dealer must follow a fixed rule: draw below 17, stand on 17 or more. That makes the visible card a strong clue. A dealer showing a 5 or 6 is likely to end up with a weak hand or bust, so you can afford to stand on a shaky total. A dealer showing a 10 or an ace is likely to reach 17 or more, so a 15 or 16 has to improve.

A soft hand contains an ace counted as 11, for example ace and 6 for a soft 17. You cannot bust by taking one more card from a soft hand, because the ace can drop to 1. That is why soft totals up to 17 are usually worth hitting, while a hard 17 is not.

Blackjack grew out of European card games of the 18th century, such as the French game vingt-et-un, meaning twenty-one. The name blackjack comes from a bonus once paid in some casinos for holding the ace of spades with a black jack.

Practising strategy here costs nothing, which makes it a safe way to learn how the hands work. Real-money gambling carries real risk, and no strategy removes the casino edge. This game is for entertainment and education only.