Depending on the first 2 cards you’re dealt, you must make a decision of whether to hit (get dealt another card in order to increase your hand total) or stand (which means you are satisfied with your hand total).

If a hand does exceed 21, that’s known as a bust and the player automatically loses. To find your total, simply add up the card values in your hand. You should assume your ace counts as 11 unless that would make your hand total exceed 21. In terms of the card values, numbered cards count as their face value, picture cards count as 10 and aces count as either 1 or 11.