Blackjack Rules


Blackjack Table	Hit or Stand?

House Settings

1. A virtual card shoe of 8 standard decks of 52 cards

2. Cards are shuffled after each hand has been dealt

3. Progressive Jackpot wager is £1.00. Progressive is won on a Blackjack hand of Ace and Jack of Spades

4. Pairs can be split to a maximum of two hands. When splitting Aces, only one further card will be dealt to each hand, and split hands can be doubled down.

Value of Cards

The cards have the following value:

1. Aces count either 1 or 11 - this value will default to 11 unless the hand would otherwise bust, in which case the Aces will be given a value of one.

2. Kings, Queens, and Jacks each have a count of 10.

3. All other cards are counted at their face value.

The Object of the Game

A player tries to obtain a higher total card count than the dealer by reaching 21 or as close to 21 as possible without exceeding that count. If the player's total count exceeds 21, he has busted and must turn his cards face up at once. He has lost the bet, and the dealer immediately scoops it up. The player, at his proper turn of play and at his own discretion, may stand or draw up one or more cards in an attempt to better his count.

The Betting Limits

Minimum and maximum bets are posted on the game launch pages - please select a table with the level you wish to play at.

The Shuffle and Cut

Cards are reshuffled after dealing a precentage of the virtual shoe. There is no cut, as there are no physical cards.

Betting

Before the deal begins, each player must place his bet in chips in the betting space - which is indicated as a circle - painted on the playing surface directly before him.

The game will check the amount of the player's bet to see that it is not greater than the maximum limit. If a player desires a higher limit, he/she should move to a table with the limits that suit him/her.

The Play

If the dealer's face-up card is a 10 count or an ace, the hole (face-down) card is checked. If the dealer has a natural 21 (a count of 21 with two cards), this will be announced and all wagers are settled. If the player also has a natural 21 (Blackjack) the software will declare this to be a standoff or push. There is no action on this hand and no payoff is made.

The dealer wins and collects bets from players not having Blackjack. When the dealer does not hold a natural 21, the player's turn begins. If the player holds a natural 21, the game will award the "Blackjack" payout of 3:2. This means that if the player has bet £2 he collects £5 - his own £2 plus an additional £3. The dealer then burns the two played-out cards.

If the player's two cards total less than 21 he may elect:

1. To stand - this means to keep the current cards, and not receive any further cards from the dealer. This is done when a player is satisfied with his count or he fears that a third card may make his count go above 21.

2. To draw a card or cards. When the player is not satisfied with his count, he may select to "hit" the hand by taking another card. The next card of the virtual deck is then dealt face up before the player and next to his original two cards. Although the cards are dealt one at a time, the player may continue to draw as many as he likes. When he believes his count is as good as it will get, he "stands". If he draws a card that puts his count above 21, he "busts" and loses his wager. The dealer scoops up the player's bet and cards, and burns the cards in the discard pile.

The Dealer's Turn at Play

If the player busts, the dealer's hand is counted, the cards are discarded, and all wagers are collected - the hand is over. However, if a player hand is still active, the dealer will play out his hand.

1. If his count is 17, 18, 19 or 20, the dealer must stay.

2. If his count is 16 or less, he must draw a card and continue to draw until his count reaches 17 or more - at which point he must stay. If the dealer holds a soft 17, i.e., a count that includes an ace, he must also stay. This also applies to a soft 18, 19 or 20.

It is important to note that the Blackjack dealer has no choice of whether to stay or draw. Decisions are pre-determined and known to the players. Since all the dealer's cards are exposed at his turn of play, he has no opportunity for any departure from these rules. The rule requiring the dealer to hit on 16 or less and stay on 17, 18, 19, 20 or 21 is standard today in all major casinos around the world.

Final Settlement

At the end of his play the dealer will pay hands that have a higher count than his with an amount equal to the bet they placed, and collecting the placed bets from hands showing a lesser count. If player and dealer have the same count, it is a push and the original bet is returned to the player. If the dealer busts, he pays off surviving active hands an amount equal to the player's bet.

Splitting Pairs

Any two cards that hold the same value may be treated as a pair. Thus, any two cards each having a value of 10 may be treated as pairs, such as a ten and Jack, Jack and Queen, or Queen and King. Because Blackjack is played with more than one deck of cards, identical cards may also be dealt (i.e. two 4 of Hearts) as a hand, and these may also be split.

A player who receives two cards forming a pair or considered to be a pair on the initial round may, if he chooses, separate the two cards and treat each card as the first card dealt in two separate hands. This is called splitting pairs. When pairs are split, the player's original bet is placed beneath each hand, and an equal wager must be made on the other.

The player is then dealt one face-up card on the face-up card on his right, and he must play this hand out.

The first hand must be played to completion before the adjacent split hand is dealt a second card. Each split hand must be played out in its proper order.

When a player splits a pair of Aces, he is only permitted to draw one card to each split Ace, giving him two cards in all.

If a point (picture card) or ten or Ace is part of a split hand and the player makes a two-card count of 21, it is not a Blackjack and the player is paid off at even money.

The Double Down

A player, after being dealt his first two cards (which may be any two cards), may elect to double his bet and draw one additional card only. This is known as a double down or down for double. A player, before calling "Double Down" or "Down for double," must double his original bet. He is then dealt a third and final card, with no further option to hit, and must stand on his three cards. This is also available on split hands after the first extra card.

Insurance Betting

When the dealer's face-up card is an Ace, players may make an insurance bet against losing to the dealer's possible natural. The dealer, before looking at his down card, inquires if the player wants insurance. A player who desires insurance places an amount equal to half his present wager on his own hand.

When this bet is made, the dealer looks at his down card. If it is a 10 count, he turns it face up and announces a Blackjack. The insurance bettor is paid off at the rate of 2 to 1 for every unit wagered. If the down card in not a 10-count card, the player loses his insurance bet and the player's turn begins.

Progressive Jackpot

If the player chooses to make a wager on the progressive jackpot, a charge of £1.00 will be taken from their bank for the bet. If the player is dealt a natural blackjack consisting of the Jack and Ace of spades, the player wins the progressive jackpot value.