Blackjack Rules
Blackjack, also known as 21, is by far the most popular gambling game after slot machines.

To win you need to have a hand value that is closer to 21 than that of the dealer, without going over 21.

You play your hand against the hand of the dealer only. Your cards are always dealt face up since it doesn't matter that other players or the dealer see your hand.
The rules the dealer must play by are very simple. You win automatically if you receive a total of 21 in the first two cards. That requires a ten-value card and an Ace. This is refered to as a natural or a blackjack.

Blackjack Card values:

Aces can count as either 1 or 11, as demonstrated below.
Cards (2 - 9) are valued as indicated by their ranking.
The 10, Jack, Queen, and King are all valued at 10.

The value of a hand is the sum all the cards in the hand.
For example:
J-J-A = 21
but
A-A-9 = 11 otherwise you go over 21

A hand that contains an Ace is called a SOFT total if the Ace can be counted as either 1 or 11 without the total going over 21.

2 ways of playing blackjack:

DEALER STANDS ON ALL 17S: (the rule used by most casinos and blackjack players)

This means the dealer must continue to take cards until his total is 17 or greater. An Ace in the dealer's hand is always counted as 11 if possible without the dealer going over 21. In recap,if the dealer's hand is 16 or less, he/she must take a card. If the dealer's hand is 17 or more, he/she must stand.

DEALER HITS SOFT 17:
It's the same as the other one except for what occurs when the dealer has a soft total of 17.

Hands such as A-6, A-A-5, and A-2-4 are all examples of soft 17.

The dealer hits these hands, and stands on soft 18 or higher, or hard 17 or higher. This rule gives a slight advantage to the house against the players.

PAYOUTS and SIDE BETTING:
When you get a blackjack you win a bonus. Usually all bets are paid off at even money at blackjack, but when you get a blackjack, you receive a 3 to 2 payoff.

INSURANCE
Insurance is considered to be a game of its own within Blackjack. If the dealer has an Ace as his up card, you’ll be given a chance to buy insurance. When you buy insurance, you’re betting that the dealer has a blackjack. It allows you to try and protect yourself when you think that the dealer may have Blackjack. When buying insurance, you place half of your initial bet by pressing the Insurance button. If the dealer does have Blackjack, you are paid 2 to 1 on your insurance bet. If the dealer doesn’t have Blackjack, you lose your insurance bet.
You don't get paid if the dealer also has a blackjack then it's a push. You can take insurance to prevent this is called side bet. It isn't advised to use side betting unless you count cards. This side bet is half the value you bet originally. If the dealer has a blackjack you get the 2 to 1 for your side bet but lose the original bet money. If the dealer doesn't get a blackjack you lose the side bet but keep the original bet.