Blackjack is a card game in which the objective is to beat the dealerās hand without going over 21. The game begins with each player being dealt two cards face up and the dealer being dealt one card face up and one card face down. The player must then decide to hit, stand, split, or double down. The player must hit if they wish to receive another card from the deck. To stand is to keep oneās current score and wait for the dealerās turn. Splitting is allowed when the player has two of the same card rank (for example, two 9s). The player then divides the cards into two separate hands and each hand is treated in the same way as a regular game. Other rule variations include doubling down on any two cards and being allowed to double down after splitting.