Blackjack

Blackjack is a very popular game that probably originated in 16th Century France as vingt-et-un (20 and 1), hence its other name "21". It gained the English name Blackjack since a player who held the Ace of Spades (i.e. a Black spade) and the Jack of Spades as the first two cards would be paid out extra, and the gambler's penchant for easy rhymes took over (think "chuck-a-luck", "acey-duecy").

The object of the game is to get as close to 21 without going over ("bust").

Game Play:
Players will place their wagers in the center of the betting circle in front of their seat at the table. The dealer will then deal two cards, face up, to each Player and two to himself, one face up and one face down.

Our Blackjack is a multi-hand game, meaning you can play up to 3 hands at the same time. Simply place wagers in the betting circles to either side of the center seat if you want to play additional hands. It makes the game much more interesting and increases your chances of winning.

Card values:

Kings, Queens, Jacks, and 10's each count as 10.
Aces count as 1 or 11, as a player wishes.
All other cards count at their face value (i.e. 2 through 9).
Scoring:
If a Player’s first two cards are an Ace and a 10 value card, the Player has Blackjack and will be paid one and one-half times the wager (3-to-2), unless the Dealer also has Blackjack – in which case it’s a push (bet neither paid nor taken). All other winning hands are paid even money (1-to-1).

A Blackjack will beat a point total of "21". For example, an Ace and a 10-value card will beat a 10, 5, 6 hand. Even though both hands total 21 points, the Blackjack wins.

The Player not having Blackjack may continue to draw cards attempting to total as close to 21 as possible without exceeding 21. He is free to stand at any point total or to ask for another card (a “hit”) at any point total under 21. If the Player goes over 21, he busts and loses his wager.

Dealer must hit on all totals of 16 or less. Dealer must stand on all totals of 17 or more.

Blackjack Terminology and Game Controls

BET
Place a number of chips in the betting circle as a wager.

RE-BET
Place the same number of chips in the betting circle as you did for the previous hand.

DEAL
Play a hand of Blackjack for the wager placed in the betting circle. Clicking "DEAL" starts the game and commits the wager to the outcome.

HIT
Request an additional card from the deck.

STAND
Take no additional cards.

SPLIT
The Player will match the original wager and split the first two cards into two separate hands. The two cards must be of the same point value (for example: a pair of 8's, a King and a Queen, etc.) For split hands, an Ace and ten-point card equal to "21" and not Blackjack – in other words, they don’t pay 3-to-2, but they will beat a Dealer hand that has 20 points or less. Also, after splitting a pair of Aces, the Player will draw only one card per Ace.

DOUBLE
The “DOUBLE” button will become active after the first two cards have been dealt to each hand. Players who feel confident that they are going to win this hand can “Double Down” to earn twice as much if they do win by clicking DOUBLE. Their original bet amount will be doubled automatically and they will receive exactly one additional card. Double Down wagering is not permitted on a Blackjack hand because you would automatically bust when you received the additional card.

INSURE
When the dealer's up card is an Ace, all Players have an opportunity to buy "insurance", an additional amount equal to half of that Player's original wager, before any further play begins. A Player may purchase insurance when he/she believes that the dealer's down card is a ten value card. If the Dealer has Blackjack, the insurance wager pays 2-to-1. If the dealer does not have Blackjack, the insurance wager loses and the game continues as usual.

PASS
Do not accept the insurance offered on this hand. If Pass is clicked and the Dealer has Blackjack, the player loses his original wager and play ends for this hand (unless Player also has Blackjack, in which case it's a push). If Dealer does not have Blackjack, play for this hand continues as normal.