 The Rules of Blackjack
The object of the game is to beat
the dealer, by making a higher valued hand than the
dealer's hand, while not exceeding 21.
The value of a
hand
is found by adding
up the value of all the cards in the hand. Face cards
(jacks, queens and kings) are valued as 10. All other
cards are counted at face value, except for the aces,
which can be counted as either one or 11, whatever better
suits the hand being played.
The Game: When the value of a hand exceeds 21 it is
a "bust". If either the player or dealer busts,
the other wins automatically. When dealer and player have
hands of the same value it is a "push" or standoff and neither wins.
If the first
two cards dealt to the player or dealer are an ace and a
10-valued card (a 10, jack, queen or king), he or she has
a "blackjack". A blackjack is an immediate winner and
pays the player one and a half times the bet (3 to 2
odds). All other winning hands of the player are paid at
one-to-one or even money. If both the dealer and player
are dealt a blackjack, it is a "push" with no
winner.
At the 4 Jacks
Casino, the game is played with a six-deck
shoe with a reshuffle after two thirds of the cards have been
drawn. The dealer distributes two cards to the player and
two to herself, dealt one at a time, with the first card
going to the player. One of the dealer's cards is dealt
face down and the other face up. The player plays his
hand first, by taking additional cards ("HIT") or finishing the hand ("STAND") or making other decisions as described
below. Then plays the dealer according to fixed rules and
hands are compared. The player may request as many additional cards
as he or she likes by
clicking on the "HIT" button, and so increase
the value of his or her, but keeping in mind the risk of exceeding
21 or "bust" and lose the hand. To stop
taking cards the player clicks on the
"STAND" button to indicate he or she is done. Then
the dealer plays her hand by showing the face-down card and taking cards until her
total hand value is greater than sixteen.
Options: During
the game, the player is offered several options that can be taken or not
by clicking the appropriate buttons, as follows::
The "Double
Down" option: By clicking the
"DOUBLE" button the player can duplicate the bet after knowing what
the first two cards are. Doubled down hands are dealt one and only one more card, so
doubled hands end up with three cards. The
"DOUBLE" button is active only when the first two cards have
been dealt and deactivates after a third card is dealt.
The "Insurance"
option: The "INSURANCE"
and "SKIP" buttons go active only when the
dealer's face up card is an ace. The player may select the
"INSURANCE" option to make a second
"insurance" bet to protect against the
possibility that the dealer has a blackjack (if her down
card has a value of ten). The insurance bet is fixed as
half the original bet and pays 2 to 1 if the dealer has a
blackjack (so the player may lose the main bet, but winning the
insurance bet he or she breaks even). If the dealer has no
blackjack, the insurance bet is lost and the game
continues. To take insurance the player only needs to click on
the "INSURANCE" button, and the bet is made
automatically. Insurance can be refused by clicking on
the "SKIP" button.
The "Split"
option: This option is offered through the "SPLIT" button,
which activates only if the player has been dealt two cards of equal value
(i. e. two fives or two jacks, etc.). The player can click this
button or play the hand ignoring it. The
"SPLIT" option separates the two cards into two
separate hands and places a corresponding second bet
automatically, of the same amount as the first bet. Each
hand is then played independently, the second after the
first is completed. A red number (the total count of the
hand) on a black square over the cards identify which
hand is being played. The original hand may be split up
to two times, making a maximum of three separate hands. The player may take as many additional cards as
he or she wishes for
each hand, except for split aces, which are dealt one and
only one additional card on each of the new hands.
Combinations of different cards such as a jack/king,
ten/queen, jack/queen pair, etc. cannot be split. The
"Double Down" option is not available to split
hands.
The "Surrender"
option: This option is offered in every hand only after the two first
cards have been dealt. Choosing this option the player folds or
surrenders, but only half the bet is lost, the other half being
returned. This option is intended to minimize loses when the player's
hand looks unfavorable and a probable loser.
The "Hit"
option is chosen for requesting additional cards.
The "Stand"
option is chosen for stopping taking additional cards and indicating
that the player is done.
Rules for the Dealer: After the player has completed his or her
hand without busting, the dealer plays hers following two
simple fixed rules, regardless of the value of the
player's hand:
a) If the dealer has sixteen
or less, she must draw additional cards until she
reaches seventeen or more.
b) The dealer must stand on
hands totaling seventeen or higher, even if this
value is lower than that of the player's hand.
Winnings: When the player wins, the computer pays
showing the winnings as a pile of chips and adds the bet to
the player's balance.
Payoff: The above rules and payoff regulations
apply to the blackjack game played in the 4
Jacks Casino and conform to the rules and
regulations found at most blackjack tables around the
world, including those found in Las Vegas casinos.
Odds: The odds depend mostly on the player's
ability.
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