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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.
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.
