How do you play and beat the dealer? The ideal result is to get a hand total of 21, or to hit a higher value than the dealer's hand but not to exceed 21.
After choosing the bet, the dealer gives the cards one by one from the "first base", which is his far left side, to the "third base" which is his far right.
After each participant has received 2 cards, the strategies can be applied. In some situations when the cards have the same value, the pair can be split in two. This is recommended for those situations when the cards' value is 2, 3 or 7.
If the player is reaching a value like 17, 18 or closer to 21, it is preferable to stand or not to take any card, hoping that the dealer's hand is lower or exceeds 21.
In any case, the player must keep an eye on the dealer's face-up card and, based on this value, choose to hit, to stand, to double down or split the cards.
In some games, there is also the option of surrendering. In this situation, after the player decides to surrender, the house or the bank takes half of the player's stake and gives him back half of the bet.