History:

Blackjack first originated in France but then they called it 21, not Blackjack.  They ended up calling it blackjack because if you were dealt an ace and jack of spades,  you would receive extra money.  It was first introduced in the U.S. in the early 1900's in an Indiana bar.  When it was first introduced, it was said to be a lot like baccarat, so dealers raised the stakes so people would come and play more often.

Rules:

The goal of blackjack is to beat the dealer, you don't have to worry about the other players.  You play for you and they'll play for themselves.  Each player, and the dealer, get 2 cards face up, but one of the dealers cards is face down.  The other card is face up.  The players start from the left of the dealer and around.  The players can "hit", asking for another card.  To "stand" is to keep what you have.  If you go over 21, you "bust" regardless of what the dealer has.  If you get a blackjack, an ace and any ten amount, you are usually given 1.5 times the amount of you're bet.  In most casino's, the dealer must hit if they have 16 or below , but if 17 or higher, the dealer must stay.  "Doubling down" is a possibility,  you double your bet and get one more card.  You can "split", which is separating both card of the same number and playing them both.  You can do these things only on the first round. Aces cannot be played as a split.

Strategy:

Usually in the game of blackjack, the dealer has better odds than the dealer, but there are many ways to get around that.  As you begin to play, you should use a basic strategy with no complication, but as you get better, begin to devise a more complicated strategy.  Play the cards based on statistics and probability because if the dealer is assumed to have a 10 face down, so if the dealer has a 2 through 5 face up, he's likely to bust.  He's almost guaranteed to bust if he has a 6 up because he probably has 16.   

CC:

CC is a law abiding citizen from Melbourne.  He's a man who enjoys playing chess along with blackjack.  One day he was playing and he lost $25,000 and had no clue why.  So him and his brother started card counting to try to beat the odds.  But all the casinos kept kicking him out.  He wrote to all sorts of letters to organizations.  It was illegal and the casinos couldn't do that.  But gambling is a privilege and casinos can do what they want. 

 

Greats:

Gene Balensas:

Gene Balensas in his early years, he played single games and team play for little money.  Then he got into card counting and started teams in vegas beating them and making lots.  He learned to card count and his abilities became the best in the game

 
Personal Experience:

Playing this game is all about focus and concentration.  You must decide what is the smart move even when there is a distraction.  When you're playing with other people, sometimes they will say "take one for the team" to try to hurt the dealer, remember that there is no "team."  In the end, nobody will help you but yourself.  You must always be in it to win it no matter what the situation.  Never attempt to help someone because they won't help you in the long run.