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Object of the Game
Blackjack (also known as twenty-one), is
a descendant of Baccarat and Chemin-de-Fer
and is often considered one of the world's
most popular casino table games.
The object of the game is achieve a higher
card count than the dealer without exceeding
21.
The Bets. This version of
Blackjack uses eight decks of cards. The
deck is shuffled after each hand.
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 (referred to as a hit)
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:
The winner is determined by the hand whose
total is closest to 21 without exceeding
21. A Blackjack beats all other hands totalling
21 (this applies to the dealer as well).
If the both the dealer and player draw a
Blackjack, it is a considered a push (tie)
and neither hand wins nor loses.
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
Payouts
A player's Blackjack
(a natural 2 card 21) pays 3:2 unless the
dealer draws 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).
If the dealer draws a Blackjack, the player
only loses his or her original bet when the
player has doubled down or split.
When both the dealer and player's hand totals
are equal, it is called a standoff or push
and neither hand wins nor loses.
If the player's hand total exceeds 21, he
or she busts and loses his or her bet.
Placing Bets
 Each
time you left-click inside the designated
betting areas located around the edge of the
blackjack table, you will place a chip of
the selected denomination on the table --
adding to any chips that might already be
there. To remove the selected denomation from
the table, right-click inside the circle.
You can change the denomination of the chips
you will be adding or subtracting from your
bet by selecting one of the chips on the left
side of the screen above the status panel.
The chip with that is highlighted represents
the amount by which you will change your bet.
For example: If you wish
to place a $25 bet, make sure the $25 chip
is selected by clicking on it. The $25 chip
should now be highlighted. You can then left-click
in any of the betting areas to place a $25
bet. If you left-click a second time in the
same betting area, you will add another $25
chip to your bet for a total of $50. You could
then select the $5 chip and click in the betting
area to increase your bet to $55. Right-clicking
in the betting area peforms the opposite function
by removing the amount from your bet.
Once the minimum
bet has been placed, the Deal button will
illuminate to indicate that it may now be
clicked to start the deal. Once the Deal button
has been clicked, the game will begin and
you can no longer add to or remove from your
bet.
You may also notice that the Deal button may
be illuminated, but you do not have a bet
placed on the table. In this case, clicking
on the Deal button will quickly and automatically
start the deal by using the same bet used
for the previous hand. If, for example, you
wagered $10 on the previous hand, you may
find that the Deal button is enabled even
though you have not placed a new bet on the
table. Clicking the Deal button will then
start the next deal with the same $10 starting
bet. If you do not have sufficient funds to
repeat your previous bet, or this is your
first hand of Blackjack during this session,
then clicking the Deal button with no bet
will start the next deal using the currently
selected chip amount as your bet.
The player uses
the buttons at the base of the Blackjack table
to make his or her decisions when playing the
game. Buttons will illuminate 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.
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Hit.
If you wish to recieve 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. |
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DRAW. If
you wish to receive another card to
try to bring your card total closer
to 21, click the DRAW 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. |
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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. |
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INSURE.
When the dealer's face-up card is an
ace, the player has the option to purchase
insurance by clicking the INSURE
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 dealer will check the
hand for Blackjack. The insurance
bet will pay 2:1 if the dealer has Blackjack. If
the Dealer does not have Blackjack,
the insurance bet is lost, and the hand
continues normally. |
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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 just 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. |
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