Known as Black jack, Pontoon or simply 21.

Blackjack took over from craps as the most popular casino bame available. This is partly due to the belief that blackjack games can be beaten by the public. Casino's have done nothing to discourage that belief as blackjack is now their major income.

You get dealt two cards face up in blackjack, the dealer gets one card face up.

You then have the option to take another card for yourself with the intention of getting as near to 21 with the combined total of your cards without going over this limit.

The dealer then turns his other cards over and does the same.

Basically, whoever gets nearer to 21 without going over out of you and the dealer wins the value of the bet.

When blackjack was first introduced in the United States it wasn't very popular, so gambling houses tried offering various bonus payouts to get the players to the tables. One such bonus was a 10-to-1 payout if the player's hand consisted of the ace of spades and a black Jack. This hand was called a "blackjack" and the name stuck even though the bonus payout was soon abolished.