BLACKJACK
Blackjack (also known as twenty-one), is a descendant of Baccarat and is often considered one of the world’s most popular casino table games.
How to Play
Change your bet by selecting an amount using the Bet Console in the lower left and right corner of the screen. Select the amount to bet by choosing one of the chips on the bet panel.
If you raise the amount higher than your current balance permits, your bet will not be placed. In this case, either increase your balance by depositing funds, or reduce your bet. The bet limit is based on the table selected.
PLACING BETS
Each time you left-click on the chips at the lower left corner the amount of your wager is increased by that amount, and each time you left-click on the chips at the lower right corner the amount of your wager is decreased by that amount.
STARTING THE DEAL
A minimum bet of $1 is required to start the deal. If the total bet placed on the table is at least the required minimum, the DEAL button will light up, indicating that you may click it to start the deal. Once the DEAL button is clicked, bets can no longer be changed or removed, and the game begins with the initial deal.
If you haven’t placed any bets on the table before clicking DEAL, the current bet amount displayed in the Bet Console will automatically be placed on the table and the game will begin. This allows to you start a new game quickly by just clicking the DEAL button again. If you have sufficient funds, the game will begin using the same bet made in the previous game.
PLAYING THE GAME
The player uses the buttons in the bottom of the screen to make his or her decisions when playing the game. Buttons will “light up” when you have to option to click them. Your mouse pointer will also change to a pointing hand as you move your pointer over any button that you are allowed to click.
- STAND If you are satisfied with your hand total, click STAND. You will not receive any more cards and the dealer will complete his hand. The winner will then be determined by the which hand total is closer to 21. Note that if a hand total reaches 21, it will automatically stand. If you are playing split hands, clicking STAND on the first hand completes that hand and allows you to play the second hand. Clicking STAND on the second hand completes your play and the dealer will finish playing his hand.
- HIT If you wish to receive another card to try to bring your card total closer to 21, click the HIT button. You are permitted to hit your hand as many times as you like, until you decide to Stand or your hand busts (its total exceeds 21). Note that if your hand total reaches 21, your hand will automatically stand.
- SPLIT If you have two cards of the same value (two sevens, two tens, a king and a jack, etc), you may click SPLIT to split the cards into two separate hands. This requires an additional bet to be made that is equal to your original bet. You will not be given the option to split if you do not have sufficient funds. Note that when splitting a pair of Aces, each hand only receives one additional card. The dealer then completes his hand and the game ends.
- INSURANCE When the dealer’s face-up card is an ace, the player has the option to purchase insurance by clicking the INSURANCE button. Buying insurance is a side bet and requires an amount equal to half your original wager. The option to buy insurance will not be available if you do not have sufficient funds. Once insurance has been purchased, the player’s hand continues as normal. The insurance will pay 2:1 if the dealer produces a blackjack at the end of the hand and is lost otherwise.
- DOUBLE DOWN Before you decide to hit or stand, you have the option to click DOUBLE DOWN if you believe that your hand can win with one additional card. Doubling down requires an additional bet up to your original bet. If you do not have sufficient funds to place an additional bet equal to your original bet, your remaining funds will be used. Once you have doubled down, your hand will receive one more card and play then moves on to the dealer who will complete his hand to determine the winner.
Rules
OBJECT OF THE GAME
The object of the game is achieve a higher card count than the dealer without exceeding 21.
HOW TO PLAY
There are two versions of blackjack. A 4 deck game and 6 deck game. The deck is shuffled after each rotation.
The Bets. Select an initial bet amount and click Deal to begin the game. There is a minimum bet of $1 and a maximum bet of $100.
The Cards. Aces may be considered 1 or 11. Face cards have a value of 10 and all other cards are counted as their face value.
The Deal. A card is dealt face up to the player followed by one to the dealer. A second card is then dealt face up to the player, and a second card face down to the dealer. At this point, the player may choose to stand or draw one or more cards to improve their hand total. The dealer takes additional cards only after the player has completed his or her hand(s), following specific rules (see Dealer Strategy below). The player’s hand is completed when the player:
- draws Blackjack (a natural 21 consisting of an Ace and a 10 or face card)
- chooses to stand
- busts (the hand count exceeds 21)
The winner is determined by which hand’s total is closest to 21. A Blackjack beats all other hands totaling 21 (this applies to the dealer as well). If both the dealer and player draw a Blackjack, it is a considered a push (tie) and neither hand wins nor loses.
PLAYER OPTIONS
The player is initially dealt two cards. After these cards are dealt, the player has the option of making the following additional wagers:
Splitting Pairs:
This option is available to the player when the two original cards are of the same value (6’s, 8’s, etc). The player splits the cards into two hands and plays each hand individually. Additional pairs can not be split again. A pair of Aces may be split but each Ace receives only one additional card. Except when splitting Aces, the player has the option to double down (see below) after splitting. In all cases, the player must wager an additional amount equal to the original bet when splitting.
Double Down:
If the first two cards do not total 21, the player has the option to double down. Should the player feel that he or she can win with only one additional card, the player may double the original bet and receive one more card. The player may also double down after splitting a pair unless the pair consists of Aces. In this case the player is only entitled to receive one card after splitting.
Insurance:
If the dealer’s first visible card is an Ace, the player has the option of buying insurance. Insurance is a wager equal to one-half the player’s original bet which pays two to one if the dealer draws a Blackjack. If the dealer does not draw Blackjack, the player loses his or her insurance.
DEALER STRATEGY
The dealer must:
- Hit on a count of 16 or less
- Stand on Soft 17
- Stand on a Hard 17 or more
Soft Hand: A hand where an Ace may be counted as either 1 or 11 without the total exceeding 21.
Hard Hand: A hand with no Aces or one where the Ace must count as one so as to not exceed 21.
Payouts
A Blackjack pays 3:2 as long as the dealer does not draw a Blackjack as well. A Blackjack also beats any three-or-more-card 21. A two-card 21 is not considered a Blackjack for split hands.
All other winning bets are paid even money (1:1).
When both the dealer and player’s hand totals are equal, it is called a standoff or push; neither wins nor loses.If the player’s hand total exceeds 21, he or she busts and loses his or her bet.
