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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.
In general, the object of most Blackjack games is to beat the Dealer's hand by getting as close to 21 without going over ("bust"). We offer a number of Blackjack variations which share a common set of basic rules with a few subtle differences. The next few sections describe general Blackjack rules and features.
Card values
- Aces count as 1 point or 11 points, whichever yields the highest total score without going bust.
- Kings, Queens, Jacks, and 10s each count as 10 points.
- All other cards count at their face value (i.e. 2 through 9 points).
Hand Scoring
A player has "Blackjack" when the first two cards dealt to a hand are an Ace and a 10-point card (in other words a score of 21 points from just two cards). Blackjack hands pay 3-to-2 immediately, unless the Dealer also has Blackjack, in which case it's a push (bet neither paid nor taken).
In general, a tie hand is a push. However, a Blackjack hand will beat a point total of "21" from a hand with 3 or more cards. For example, an Ace-Jack will beat a King-5-6 hand. Even though both hands total 21 points, the Blackjack hand wins.
All other winning hands are paid even money (1-to-1).
A score of 22 or higher is a bust (i.e. a losing hand). When a player's hand busts, the wager is immediately paid to the house. If all player hands bust, the Dealer wins outright and does not draw any cards, regardless of the Dealer's hand score.
7-Card Charlie – a player hand that gets seven cards without going over 21 is an automatic winner, regardless of the Dealer hand score. Many of our games allow 7-Card Charlie winners, but some do not.
Betting – Players may place wagers in the betting circle for each hand they wish to play. Many of our Blackjack games offer multi-hand play, where players can choose to play from 1 to 3 hands simultaneously against the Dealer, others are single-hand play. When at least one qualifying bet is placed (i.e. meets the minimum bet requirement), the Deal button will become active.
Dealing – When the Deal button is clicked, the Dealer will deal two face-up cards to each Player hand that has a qualified bet, then one card (in European Blackjack and Single-Deck Blackjack) or two cards (all other rule variations) to the Dealer's hand. For the Dealer's hand, the first card is face up and the second, when allowed, is face down.
Checking for Blackjack – If the Dealer's hand has two cards with an Ace showing, the Dealer will offer insurance. The Player may decline or accept insurance for each hand in play by clicking either Pass (decline) or Insure (accept, which places an additional wager equal to half the original wager for that hand). Then the Dealer will peek at the down card to check for Blackjack. If the Dealer has Blackjack, insurance wagers pay 2-to-1 and all original hand wagers lose (unless the player also has Blackjack, in which case that hand's wager is a push). If the Dealer does not have Blackjack, insurance wagers lose and play starts with the first player hand on the right.
In games where the Dealer starts with only one card, there is no checking for Blackjack and play starts with the first player hand on the right.
Surrender Option – Some games offer a "surrender" option after the Dealer peeks and does not have Blackjack. If surrender is allowed, player may concede a hand before playing it, forfeiting just half the wager for that hand.
Player's Hand – A Player with a hand not having Blackjack and not surrendered may draw additional cards attempting to total as close to 21 as possible without exceeding 21. Player is free to stand at any point total or to ask for another card (a "hit") at any point total under 21. Player may double, split, double-after-splitting or re-split according to the rules variation in play. When all player hands have played out and if at least one player hand stands at a point total of 21 or less, then play proceeds to the Dealer's hand.
Dealer's Hand – The dealer reveals the face-down card or draws a second card and examines the point score to determine Dealer's play. Dealer must hit on all point totals of 16 or less. In general, the Dealer must stand on all totals of 17 or more, although some rules variations require the Dealer to hit on a "Soft 17" (i.e. a 17 involving an Ace taken as 11 points).
If Dealer busts, then any player hands still standing win and pay 1-to-1 on the wager. If Dealer stands on a point total, then Dealer point total is compared to each standing player hand, starting on the right, and all outstanding bets are resolved as either win, lose or push
| Game Style |
Stakes |
Hands |
Layout |
| Micro 1-Seat |
Micro: $0.10 to $5 |
Single-Hand |
Table |
| Micro 3-Seat |
Micro: $0.10 to $5 |
Multi-Hand (1 to 3) |
Table |
| Std 1-Seat |
Standard: $1 to $150 |
Single-Hand |
Table |
| Std 3-Seat |
Standard: $1 to $150 |
Multi-Hand (1 to 3) |
Table |
| Video |
Standard: $1 to $150 |
Multi-Hand (1 to 3) |
Video |
| Classic |
Classic: $2 to $150 |
Multi-Hand (1 to 3) |
Table |
European Blackjack Group
- European Blackjack - Micro 1-Seat
- European Blackjack - Micro 3-Seat
- European Blackjack - Std 1-Seat
- European Blackjack - Std 3-Seat
- European Blackjack - Video
Vegas Blackjack Group
- Vegas Blackjack - Micro 1-Seat
- Vegas Blackjack - Micro 3-Seat
- Vegas Blackjack - Std 1-Seat
- Vegas Blackjack - Std 3-Seat
- Vegas Blackjack - Video
Double-Deck Blackjack Group
- Double-Deck Blackjack - Micro 1-Seat
- Double-Deck Blackjack - Micro 3-Seat
- Double-Deck Blackjack - Std 1-Seat
- Double-Deck Blackjack - Std 3-Seat
- Double-Deck Blackjack - Video
| Classic Blackjack Group
- Classic Blackjack
- 6-Deck Blackjack
Surrender Blackjack Group
- Surrender Blackjack - Std 1-Seat
- Surrender Blackjack - Std 3-Seat
- Surrender Blackjack - Video
Live-Aces Blackjack Group
- Live-Aces Blackjack - Std 1-Seat
- Live-Aces Blackjack - Std 3-Seat
- Live-Aces Blackjack - Video
Anything-Goes Blackjack Group
- Anything-Goes Blackjack - Std 1-Seat
- Anything-Goes Blackjack - Std 3-Seat
- Anything-Goes Blackjack - Video
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