"...money and chips are flung upon the table, and the game seems to consist in the croupier's reaching for these things with a flexible oar, and raking them home. It appeared to be a rational enough game for him, and if I could have borrowed his oar I would have stayed, but I didn't see where the entertainment of the others came in."
Here's how Ken Uston's book, "Million Dollar Blackjack" says to play blackjack in Vegas with multiple decks.

Hitting Hard Hands:

Hit untilDealer's upcard
Hard 13 2, 3
Hard 12 4, 5, 6
Hard 17 7 through A

Hitting Soft Hands (You have at least one Ace):

Hit untilDealer's upcard
Soft 18 2 through 8
Soft 19 9, 10, A

Doubling Down

YouDealer's upcard
11 2 through 10
10 2 through 9
9 3 through 6
A,7 A,6 3 through 6
A,5 A,4 4 through 6
A,3 A,2 5 through 6

Splitting Pairs (overrides above)

SplitDealer's upcard
A,A Any Card
8,8 Any Card
9,9 2 through 9, but not 7
7,7 2 through 7
6,6 3 through 6
3,3 4 through 7
2,2 4 through 7