Step back, Mac, time for blackjack

What it is: Blackjack is a card game that dates back to 1700s France, where it was typically called “Vingt-et-un” (French for “21”).

What it’s all about: You know the basic rules – players compete with the dealer to get cards that add up to (or as close as possible to) 21 without going over. A hand made up of an ace of any suit plus a 10 of any kind (including face cards) is an automatic 21, or blackjack, and unless the dealer can match that hand, the player wins more than he bet.

The game gets its name from a long-defunct special bet that paid 10-to-1 for a hand made up of the ace of spades and either of the “black jacks” in the deck (spades or clubs). The black jack bet is almost never honored today, but the name took hold and stuck.

Why we like it: It’s not hip to like blackjack, I know – poker is the raging-hot game of chance at the moment, what with all the celebrities anteing up and ESPN airing hours of championship tournament footage. But when I found myself on a casino floor on a recent trip to Vegas, it was the blackjack tables luring me in, just like always.

Maybe I’m just a loner. There’s something about the one-on-one, me-against-the-dealer aspect of blackjack that I find appealing. Then, too, I’m not optimistic enough to be a very good bluffer, so I usually fold too easily on a poker hand. With blackjack, your cards are truly on the table, so there’s no need for subterfuge.

The more I play blackjack, the more I understand why the various “systems” for playing are so popular – it usually is a good idea not to hit on 16, to split eights and to double down when the dealer’s showing a bust card. But following rules isn’t what gambling’s about, and no matter what your better judgment tells you, blackjack will always provide those exciting moments of truth. To hit or not to hit … to follow the rules or go with your gut … to play it safe or take a chance; the decisions can be excruciating – and exhilarating.

And then there’s the fact that blackjack moves quickly. If you lose a hand, the pain can’t linger, because the next round’s coming right up, full of promise. And that, I suppose, is really what gambling’s all about.