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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.
OBJECT OF THE GAME
The object of the game is achieve a higher card count
than the dealer without exceeding 21.
HOW TO PLAY
This version of Blackjack uses eight decks of cards. The
deck is shuffled after each hand.
The Bets. Select an initial bet amount
and click Deal to begin the game. There is a minimum bet
of $5 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 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.
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:
Be 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 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 circular symbol near
the edge of the blackjack table, you will place your current
bet amount on the table -- adding to any chips that might
already be there. To remove your current bet amount from
the table, right-click inside the circle.
You can change the amount you will be
adding or subtracting from your bet by selecting one of
the chips in the lower left corner of the table. The chip
with that is highlighted in blue 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 in the lower left corner of the screen is
selected by clicking on it. It should be then be highlighted
in blue. You can now left-click in the betting circle
to place a $25 bet. If you left-click a second time in
the betting circle, 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 circle to increase your bet to
$55. Right-clicking in the betting circle peforms the
opposite function by removing the amount from your bet.
STARTING THE DEAL
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 on
the table will start the next deal using the currently
selected chip amount as your bet.
PLAYING
THE GAME
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
