View source for Blackjack (card game)

'''Blackjack''', also known as '''pontoon''' , is a card game popular in [[casinos]].  The aim of the player is to achieve a hand whose points total nearer to 21 than the banker's hand, but without exceeding 21. 
It is one of the only casino games in which the house does not have a large advantage. A player who plays flawlessly and employs [[Card counting|card counting]]  can actually enjoy a slim statistical probability of winning money over time. 
In the [[United Kingdom]], Blackjack is used to refer to [[Crazy Eights]].  . 
Also known as '''Twenty-one''' or '''''Vingt-et-un''''' ([[French language|French]]: "twenty-one"), is the most widely played [[casino game|casino]] banking game in the world.<ref>''Scarne's New Complete Guide to Gambling'', p. 342</ref>  Blackjack is a comparing card game between a player and dealer and played with one or more [[Playing cards#French|French decks]] of 52 cards.

The player is dealt an initial two card hand with the option of drawing cards to bring the total value to 21 or less without exceeding it, so that the dealer will lose by having a lesser hand than the player or by exceeding 21. Many rule variations of blackjack exist. Since the 1960s, blackjack has been a high profile target of [[Advantage gambling|advantage players]], particularly [[card counting|card counters]], who track the profile of cards yet to be dealt, and adapt their wager and playing strategy accordingly.

Other casino games inspired by blackjack include Spanish 21 and pontoon. The recreational [[United Kingdom|British]] card game of [[Black Jack (card game)|black jack]] is a [[shedding-type game]] and unrelated to the subject of this article.