AIM OF THE GAME
The object of Blackjack is to start with
two cards, and by drawing extra cards, build a total of 21, or as close
to 21 as possible without going "Bust", which means going over 21.
Whoever has the best hand of 21 or less, wins the game.
All the cards are counted at their face
value except the Picture Cards (Jacks, Queens, Kings), which are worth
10, and Aces, which are worth either 1 or 11.
PLAYING A GAME
1. Click on "New Game" to start a game of
Blackjack.
2. Click on the chips to choose the value
of the bet you want to make.
3. Click in any of the five boxes to place
your bets. You may bet on any one or more of the boxes. Click again to
increase the bet by the amount selected. If you change your mind, click
on "Clear Bets" and start again, or drag chips off the table.
4. Click on "Deal". Only the boxes which
have bets will be dealt a hand. Each of your hands will receive one card
face up and the dealer will receive one card facedown. The player's
hands and the dealer will then receive one more card, both face up. The
Dealer does not check for Blackjack until after the player has completed
their play or plays.
5. Now you need to make a decision.
Different options will be available to you, for each of your hands,
depending on the cards on the table. The hand that is being played will
be brought to the front of the table & be larger than the others.
The buttons on the screen will show you which options are available. The
possible options are: Hit, Stand, Double and Split.
6. If the Dealer's visible card is an Ace,
you can choose to make an insurance bet against the risk of the dealer
getting Blackjack. This bet can only be 50% of the original bet. Click
on the "Insurance" box, then, if the Dealer does get Blackjack, you lose
your total bet but you win the insurance bet. The insurance bet covers
only your initial bet.
7. Once you either
stand or bust, the active hand will change to the next box to the left,
signified by the current hand shrinking back, and the next hand being
brought forward.
8. When you have finished with your hand
or hands, the dealer's facedown card is revealed.
- The dealer must take another card at 16 or less.
- The dealer must stand on 17 or more.
Who wins?
- If you have Blackjack (an Ace and a 10 or Picture Card),
you win at 3-2.
- If your hand is 21, or closer to 21 than the Dealer's, you
win 1-1.
- If both hands are equal it is a Stand off: neither of you
win, and your bet is returned.
- If the dealer's hand is better than yours, then the dealer
wins.
- If the dealer has Blackjack and you have an Insurance bet,
then the dealer wins your total bet, but pays your Insurance bet at 2-1.
9. To play another game, click on "New
Game".
THE DEAL
In Blackjack, the Player places an initial
bet and selects deal, the game starts with the player and the dealer
each receiving two cards. The dealer's first card is dealt facedown so
that the player cannot see it, and the other is dealt face up.
THE PLAYER'S OPTIONS
The player has to decide whether to "Hit",
meaning draw an extra card to bring the total of that hand closer to 21,
or to "Stand", meaning to indicate to the dealer that the player needs
no more cards. There is no limit on the number of times a player can
"Hit" as long as the total value of the cards is less than 21.
DOUBLING
If the player feels confident that just
one extra card will be enough to produce a winning total, then the
player can double the original bet, and receive only one more card.
SPLITTING
If two identical value cards are dealt,
then the player can "Split" them into two hands, placing another bet on
the second hand equal to the bet on the first hand, and playing each in
turn.
BLACKJACK
If an Ace and a 10 or picture card is
dealt, this is known as Blackjack. When the player has Blackjack the
dealer pays the win at 3-2 instead of the normal 1-1 (unless the Dealer
also has Blackjack: then no-one wins, and the player's bet is returned).
INSURANCE
No matter how good the player's hand is,
if the dealer has Blackjack the player cannot win. So, if the dealer's
visible card is an Ace, the player can place a special bet as
"insurance" against the risk of the dealer getting Blackjack. This bet
is always half the player's original stake and it is placed in the
Insurance Box. Then, if the dealer draws Blackjack the insurance bet
pays 2 to 1.
GAME TERMINOLOGY
BLACKJACK
The name of the game is also the name for
the only combination of two cards that adds up to 21 - an Ace with a 10
or any picture card. Unless the dealer also draws a Blackjack, this is
always a winning hand for the player and it is the only time that a
player wins more than the original stake. Blackjack pays 3-2.
TWENTY-ONE
Cards which total 21, but are not
Blackjack. When a player's hand totals 21, the game will automatically
move play to the next hand.
DOUBLE
After the initial two cards have been
dealt, the player may choose to "double down". This means the player
doubles their original bet and draws only one more card. The player may
double on a split hand.
SPLIT
If the initial two cards dealt are of the
same point value, the player may then choose to 'Split' them, creating
two separate hands. An additional bet equal to the initial bet must then
be placed on the second hand. Each hand is then completed in turn, in
the normal way.
A player may split any pair to a maximum of three hands, with the
exception of aces. Aces may be split only once, and only one card will
be dealt to each hand. Then, if a 10 or a picture card is dealt to
either of the Aces then the hand is counted as 21, not Blackjack.
Similarly if the split cards are both 10, and an Ace is dealt as the
first card to the split, it too is counted as 21, not Blackjack.
INSURANCE
An additional bet that the dealer's hand is
a Blackjack. It is called insurance because it exactly covers the
initial bet which is lost if the dealer does have Blackjack. If the
dealer does not draw a Blackjack then the dealer wins the Insurance bet.
The player is not able to place an insurance bet when they are dealt a
Blackjack.
STAND OFF or PUSH
At the end of a round of play (deal), if
the value of the player's hand is equal to that of the dealer's hand,
then this is a "stand off". Neither hand has won, and the player's bet
is returned.
BUST
When the value of any hand is greater than
21, then the hand has "Too Many" and is considered to have "Bust". The
winning hand for the game is the one that has not "Bust" (where the
total has not exceeded 21).
SOFT HAND
An Ace can be counted as having a value of
1 or a value of 11, depending on which gives the most advantage. A hand
is termed a 'Soft Hand' when an Ace takes the value of 11. For instance,
an Ace plus a 7 card totals 8, or a "Soft" 18.
HARD HAND
When a 10 is added to a Soft Hand it
becomes a "Hard Hand" - the count can no longer be altered, and an Ace
in that hand can only be counted as 1.
PERFECT PAIRS
Perfect Pairs is a side bet
for Blackjack, which is popular in many Casinos.
The concept of the game is very simple. A Perfect Pairs bet wins if the first two cards dealt to a blackjack
hand are a pair and it loses if they are not a pair. There are 3
different types of pairs:- a “Mixed Pair”, a “Coloured Pair” and a
“Perfect Pair” and the wins vary accordingly.
HOW TO PLAY PERFECT PAIRS
Simply place a bet on the "Perfect
Pairs" box that is adjacent to the bet box for each place on the
table. You must place a "normal" Blackjack bet in the bet box
before you can place a Perfect Pairs bet. The bets do not have to be of
equal value, and you may place a small bet on the Blackjack hand, and a
larger bet on the Perfect Pairs box or visa versa.
The total amount of your
Perfect Pairs bet is shown in the "PP BET" meter at the top of the screen
You may chose not to make a
Perfect Pairs bet on any or all of the hands you wish to play.
The Perfect Pairs bet may be
removed or changed prior to the first hand in the game being dealt. Once
the hands are dealt, the Perfect Pairs side bet is finalised &
winnings are added to the "WIN" meter at the top of the screen.
PAIR TYPES
A pair is defined as being “2
cards with the same face value”. The actual face value of the 2 cards
making up the pair has no relevance. In other words it makes no
difference to the worth and payout odds of a pair whether it is a pair
of aces, two’s, three’s etc.
MIXED PAIR - A pair that is
comprised of 1 red suited card and 1 black suited card. (for
example a 3 of Clubs and a 3 of Diamonds)
COLOURED PAIR - A pair that is
comprised of 2 cards that are different suits, with both cards being
either red suited cards or both cards being black suited cards. (for
example an 8 of Clubs and an 8 of Spades)
PERFECT PAIR -
An identical pair. ( for example a Queen of Hearts and another Queen of
Hearts)
PAYOUTS
The payouts for Perfect
Pairs bets are as follows:
MIXED
PAIR - 5 TO 1
COLOURED PAIR - 10 TO 1
PERFECT PAIR - 30 TO 1
Learn more about CHANCE.
Last revised 29th NOVEMBER 2005
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