Blackjack – 17 und 4

Player: 1–7 players against the bank · Cards: French-suited deck, 52 × 1–8 decks (casinos usually 6–8 in the shoe) · Type: Banking game / casino

Play Blackjack against the computer

Objective

Beat the bank: have a hand closer to 21 than the dealer without going over (bust).

Equipment & setup

A Skat deck (32 cards). One player is the bank and shuffles. Every other player places a bet and receives one face-down card.

Card ranking & card values

Ace 11, king 4, queen (Ober) 3, jack (Unter) 2, 10 to 7 face value. Suits don't matter. (House rule in some families: court cards count 10.)

Gameplay

1) In turn, each player buys further cards from the bank – face down or face up – until they want to stand.

2) Whoever has more than 21 has bust and loses their stake immediately.

3) Then the bank draws cards for itself.

4) Whoever is closer to 21 than the bank wins.

Special rules & special cards

Fire: two aces as the first two cards (22) count as a win – usually paying double. Ties are usually won by the bank.

Scoring & points

Win 1:1, fire usually 2:1. The bank wins ties.

End of game & winning

After each round the bank passes on. Play as long as everyone enjoys it – or until an agreed chip total is reached.

Origin & history

Its forerunners are the Spanish veintiuno (mentioned by Cervantes around 1600) and the French vingt-et-un of the 18th century. In early 20th-century US gambling halls a bonus was paid for the ace of spades + a black jack – hence the name, which stuck after the bonus disappeared. In 1962 Edward Thorp's book 'Beat the Dealer' made card counting famous.