Objective
The objective in Blackjack is to draw cards until you have a hand which totals 21, or beats the dealer's hand by coming as close to 21 as possible without going over, or busting.
Blackjack Basics
- When your first two cards are an Ace and a ten (or picture card), you have Blackjack, which is also called a natural 21. Blackjack always beats a hand that totals 21 by adding the values of more than the first two cards.
- A picture card is counted as 10, a number card from 2-10 is counted at its face value, and an Ace can be counted as either 1 or 11. A hard hand is a hand that does not contain an Ace or contains an Ace that can only be counted as 1 so as not to bust.
- Payouts are as follows:
- Beat the dealer without busting: 1-1 payout
- Beat the dealer with Blackjack: 3-2 payout
- Tie the dealer with the same value: push (get your bet back)
- Blackjack is played with six decks, which are shuffled after each hand.
- The dealer must accept cards until he reaches a total value of at least 17.
- The dealer must hit on soft 17 (ace + 6)
- Each player receives two cards face up and the dealer receives one card face up and one card face down (the hole card). You may request as many cards as you like until you bust.
- If you are dealt a Blackjack, which is a 10 or face card along with an ace, you immediately are paid 1.5 times (3-2) the placed bet unless the dealer also has Blackjack in which case the hand is considered a push.
- If you are dealt a Blackjack, and the dealer's up card is an ace, you can take even money by buying insurance. Even money means that you will be paid at a ratio of 1-1 on your bet, instead of 3-2.
- After all the players' bets are completed, the dealer turns over his hole card and plays according to the rules of the game. If the dealer has sixteen or less, he must draw a card (hit), until he reaches seventeen or more. If the dealer's cards total exceeds 21 (bust), he must pay all players who are still in the game.
Blackjack Specifics
Hit:
You receive another card. For example, if your two cards equal 10, you have nothing to lose by requesting another card, as your total cannot exceed 21.
Stand:
You have decided that your hand is good enough and you don't want to be dealt another card.
Double Down:
After you have received your first two cards you have the option to double the initial wager. Once you have chosen to do this, click on the
Double button and you will be dealt a third card. Your hand will only consist of these three cards (i.e. you cannot hit again).
Split:
If you are dealt two cards of identical value, you can then split them (i.e. 8, 8 or 10, J). You will now be playing two separate hands of one card each. You will be dealt a second card to one of the hands. After this hand is played out, you'll be dealt a second card to the second hand. The hand will continue until it's played out. When you split Aces, you will only receive one additional card for each hand. You may split your hand twice and a new wager equal to the initial wager will be placed for each split hand (the playing hand is marked by an arrow). A split hand resulting in Blackjack pays out at a ratio of 1-1 rather than the normal 3-2. To split your hand, simply click on the
Split button on the game screen (if a split is permissible this button will be highlighted).
Insurance:
If the dealer's first card is an Ace, it's possible that he has Blackjack. If you believe the dealer has Blackjack, you can buy insurance to protect yourself. You will pay ½ your original wager and if the dealer gets Blackjack, your insurance will pay 2-1, which corresponds to your original stake. If the dealer does not have Blackjack, you will lose your insurance but retain your original wager.
Even Money:
If you have Blackjack and the dealer's up card is an Ace, you can buy insurance and receive even money. This means that you will be paid 1-1 instead of 3-2 regardless of what cards the dealer receives. You should take even money if you believe that the dealer's hole card is a 10 or a face card. If you choose not to take even money and the dealer has Blackjack, both hands push. If the dealer does not have Blackjack, you will be paid 3-2.
Push:
A push refers to when the sum of the dealer's hand is equal to the sum of the player's hand. In this event the play is a draw, and no one wins nor loses.
Blackjack Examples:
- Your beginning hand is: ace, 6. This hand can be counted as either 7 or 17. If you stop there, you'll have 17. Let's say that you hit and receive a 3. You now have: ace, 6, 3. Your total hand is now 20, counting the Ace as 11. Let's backtrack and assume that you had instead drawn a third card which was an 8. Your hand would be: ace, 6, 8, which totals 15. Notice that now the Ace must be counted as only 1 to avoid going over 21.
- If you split a pair of Aces, and then draw a ten-valued card on one of the Aces, this is not a Blackjack, but rather a total of 21. The distinction is important, because a winning Blackjack pays the player odds of 3 to 2.
A bet of $10 wins $15 if you get Blackjack. A player's Blackjack beats any dealer total other than a dealer's Blackjack, including a dealer's regular 21. If both you and the dealer make Blackjack, the hand is a tie or push.
- A good example of doubling down is when you hold a total of 11 (a 5, 6 or a 9, 2) against a dealer's up card of 6. In this case, you have a good chance of winning the hand by drawing one additional card, so you might as well increase your bet in this advantageous situation. You have to place an additional bet next to the original bet. The dealer will deal one additional card to your hand and you will not be able to take any more cards until the current round has ended.
Table Limits
| Table Limits: |
| Table Type |
Minimum Bet |
Maximum Bet |
| I |
$2 |
$100 |
| II |
$5 |
$200 |
| III |
$25 |
$350 |
General Text Boxes
Message: This indicates whether you are the Player or Dealer.
Opponent: This tells you the name (or nickname) of your current opponent.
Last Round: This tells you how much you have won or lost in the previous round.
Dealer Points: This is your current Dealer Points balance. As Player, you accumulate 1 Dealer Point on every dollar you place as a bet. As Dealer, 1 Dealer Point is deducted for every 1 dollar bet against you.
Fun Balance/Balance: This is your current Fun/Real-Money Balance (in US dollars).
Commission: When playing as Dealer, you pay a commission of 1.75% on the total bets placed against you (when playing as Player you do not pay commissions).
Blackjack Text Boxes
Card Labels: These labels appear to the left of the playing cards and inform you what the current sum of the cards is.
Bet Labels: These labels appear to the left of your bet and inform you how much money you have placed on the table.
Won/Lost Labels: These labels appear above the cards and indicate whether you have won or lost (bust).
Game Options
Game Chips, $1, $5, $25 and $100: With the game chips, you make your bet on the table by creating a chip tower. To remove chips, place your cursor on the tower and left-click your mouse.
Continue: Once you have placed your bets on the table, click
Continue to receive your cards.
Rebet: This button allows you to place a bet equal to the previous one.
Skip Turn: This button allows you to skip your turn without leaving the table.
Disconnections
Communication problems over the Internet may cause sudden disconnections. Our software has been designed to cope with these disconnections and protect you from unjustified losses.
If you are playing Blackjack as the Dealer and a disconnection occurs after you have clicked the Approve button, the play will continue until the Player has finished his turn. This will have no effect on you.
If you are playing as Player, the software reacts as follows:
- If the disconnection occurs before you finalize your bet, the money will be returned to your balance.
- If the disconnection occurs after you have placed your bet and your cards equal 12 or more, the round will continue as if you had decided to stand.
- If the disconnection occurs after you have placed your bet and your cards equal 11 or less, the round will continue as if you had decided to hit. You will be dealt cards until you reach 12 or more, at which point the round will continue as if you had decided to stand.
- If the disconnection occurs after you have decided to split, all split hands will be treated according to the rules above.
After connection is re-established, you can enter the History page and see the results of the last round (History is available for Real Money mode only).
Playing as Dealer
Our casino offers you the unique option of playing the role of the Dealer. This option increases your chances of winning, as you gain some of the favorable odds reserved for the Casino. At the end of every round, the Casino takes a commission of 1.75% of the total bets placed against the Dealer.
Example
A Dealer chooses to play in Private Table III (High Rollers). This means that the Dealer meets the minimum requirements for playing in this table type: a minimum of 1100 Dealer Points and a minimum balance of $1100. The system then matches a Player to the Dealer and after the Dealer approves the next round, the Player places his bets on the table. Notice that the view of the table has changed to that of the Dealer's. Let's say the Player places a $137 bet and receives a K and a 3 and the Dealer's up card is a 7. The Player decides to hit and receives a J and therefore busts. The Dealer's hole card is then revealed to show a 5. The Player loses his bet and as the bet against the Dealer was $137, the Casino takes a commission of $2.40 ($137*1.75%), which means the Dealer wins $134.6 ($137-$2.40) on this round.
The Casino's edge in Blackjack with these rules is approximately 2% (bear in mind that this percentage depends on the player's knowledge of the game and that this 2% is how the Casino makes a profit on Blackjack), so as the Dealer you actually gain an edge of about 0.5%.
Minimum Dealer Points and Balance
You can play as the Dealer once you have accumulated enough Dealer Points and you have enough money in your balance, according to the game's limits.
The minimum balance required at a Private Table is a bit higher than the total winnings of the Player in a given round. This is calculated as: 3 (maximum number of hands) * (Maximum Bet + Casino commission for maximum bet). The Casino commission is 1.75% of the bets on the table.
The minimum balance required at a Public Table is a bit higher than the total winnings of three players in a given round. This is calculated as: 3(maximum number of players) * 3 (maximum number of hands)* (Maximum Bet + Casino commission for maximum bet). The Casino commission is 1.75% of the bets on the table.
Game Options
Approve Button/Auto-Approve Feature
When playing as Dealer, before each round commences you must approve the next round. After you approve the round, the player can place his bets and play the round. The Auto-Approve feature allows you to automatically approve the next rounds, without having to approve every round individually.
