Blackjack Tutorial

INTRODUCTION

The objective of BlackJack is for a player to come as close to 21 without going over, while still having a higher number than the dealer. If the total value of the player's cards is closer to 21 than the dealer, the player wins as much as he wagered.

If the total of the player's cards exceeds 21, he "busts" and loses his wager. If his cards total the same number as the dealer (from 17 to 21), no one wins and the player receives his wager back. This is considered a "push." Keep in mind that "BlackJack" beats a score of 21 consisting of 3 or more cards. BlackJack is achieved when your first two cards total 21.

BASIC BLACKJACK RULES

Bets
The Player may make any wager desired within the posted table limits.

Deal
The Player gets two cards face up.
The Dealer gets two cards – one face down, one face up.

Player
Hit - any time before doubling or standing
Stand - any time
Double - any two cards except BlackJack and split Aces
Split - any two cards of equal value, 3 hands max
Insurance - offered on the Dealer's Ace
- pays 2 to 1 on Dealer BlackJack

Dealer
Hit - any hard total 16 or less
- any soft total 17 or less
Stand - any hard total 17 or more
- any soft total 18 or more

Payout

Who Hand Description Payout

Dealer BlackJack 2-card 21
Player BlackJack 2-card 21 3 to 2 (first hand only)

All other hands
Ties are pushes.

PONTOON RULES

Bets
The Player may make any wager desired within the posted table limits.

Deal
The Player gets two cards face up.
The Dealer gets two cards face down.

Player
Hit - any time before standing, 5 cards max
Stand - must have 5 cards or total of 15 or more
Double - any time but only once, 5 cards max
Split - any two cards of equal rank, 3 hands max

Dealer
Hit - any hard total 16 or less
- any soft total 17 or less
Stand - any hard total 17 or more
- any soft total 18 or more
- any 5 cards

Payout

Who Hand Description Payout

Dealer Pontoon 2-card 21
Player Pontoon 2-card 21 2 to 1
Dealer 5-Card 5-card 21 or less
Player 5-Card 5-card 21 or less 2 to 1

All other hands
The Dealer wins all ties.

FACE UP 21 RULES

Bets
The Player may make any wager desired within the posted table limits.

Deal
The Player gets two cards face up.
The Dealer gets two cards face up.

Player
Hit - any time before doubling or standing
Stand - any time
Double - any two-card hard total of 9, 10 or 11
Split - any two cards of equal value, 3 hands max

Dealer
Hit - any hard total 16 or less
- any soft total 17 or less
Stand - any hard total 17 or more
- any soft total 18 or more

Payout

Who Hand Description Payout

Dealer BlackJack 2-card 21
Player BlackJack 2-card 21 1 to 1 (first hand only)

All other hands
Player wins blackjack tie, dealer wins all other ties.

CARIBBEAN 21 RULES

Bets
The Player may make any wager desired within the posted table limits.

Deal
The Player gets two cards face up.
The Dealer gets one card face up.

Player Hit - any time before standing or surrendering.
Stand - any time
Double - any time up to 7 times.
Split - any two cards, 2 hands max
Surrender - any time before standing
Insurance - offered on the Dealer's Ace
- pays 9 to 1 on Dealer Caribbean
- late insurance allowed

Dealer
Hit - any 16 or less
Stand - any 17 or more

Payout

Who Hand Description Payout

Dealer Caribbean 3-card 21 (with Ace)
Player Caribbean 3-card 21 (with Ace) 3 to 2 (on first hand only)
Player Caribbean 3-card 21 (with Ace) 1 to 1 (after split)

All other hands
The Dealer wins all ties
Aces are worth only 1 point

SUPER 21 RULES

Bets
The Player may make any wager desired within the posted table limits.

Deal
The Player gets two cards face up.
The Dealer gets two cards – one face down, one face up.

Player Hit - any time before doubling or standing or surrendering.
Stand - any time
Double - any time before standing or surrendering.
Split - any two cards of equal value, 3 hands max
Surrender - anytime before standing
Insurance - offered on the Dealer's Ace
- pays 2 to 1 on Dealer BlackJack

Dealer
Hit - any hard total 16 or less
- any soft total 17 or less
Stand - any hard total 17 or more
- any soft total 18 or more

Payout

Who Hand Description Payout

Player BlackJack 2-card 21 (Diamonds) 2 to 1 (first hand only)
Player BlackJack 2-card 21 1 to 1 (first hand only)
Dealer BlackJack 2-card 21
Player 5+Cards 21 on 5 or more cards 2 to 1 (non-doubled hands only)
Player 6-Card 6-Cards 20 or less 1 to 1 (non-doubled hands only)

All other hands
Ties are pushes.

MATCH PLAY 21 RULES

Bets
The Player may make any wager desired within the posted table limits.

Deal
The Player gets two cards face up.
The Dealer gets two cards – one face down, one face up.

Player Hit - any time before doubling or standing or surrendering.
Stand - any time
Double - any two cards.
Split - any two cards of equal value, 3 hands max
Surrender - any time before standing
Insurance - offered on the Dealer's Ace
- pays 2 to 1 on Dealer BlackJack

Dealer
Hit - any hard total 16 or less
- any soft total 17 or less
Stand - any hard total 17 or more
- any soft total 18 or more

Payout

Hand Description Payout

Player BlackJack 2-card 21
Player BlackJack 2-card 21 1 to 1 (first hand only)
Player Match Play 21 777suited and
dealer up card 7 40 to 1 *
Player 777spades 777spades 3 to 1 *
Player 678spades 678spades 3 to 1 *
Player 7+Cards 21 on 7 or more cards 3 to 1 *
Player 777suited 777suited 2 to 1 *
Player 678suited 678suited 2 to 1 *
Player 6-card 21 6-card 21 2 to 1 *
Player 777 777 3 to 2 *
Player 678 678 3 to 2 *
Player 5-card 21 5-card 21 3 to 2 *

All other hands *non-doubled hands and non-split hands only
Ties are pushes.
Match Play decks are used (the four 10's are removed)

MISCELANEOUS

Card Values:
Suits of the cards have no meaning in the game.

Cards 2 through 10 are the face value.

Jacks, Queens and Kings are all valued at 10.

Aces can count as either 1 or 11.

Note: In Caribbean 21, the ace has a value of 1 (one) only.

If the player has a hand that consists of a 6 and an Ace, he may either consider it at 17 or drop its value to 7. The Ace may count as 1 or 11. You may change the value of the Ace as the hand progresses.

Dealer must hit on a soft 17
All hands which contain an ace valued at 11 are considered "soft" hands (i.e. A6 is a soft 17). Hands containing an ace valued at 1 are considered "hard" hands (A, 6, K is a hard 17). In Caribbean 21, the ace has a value of 1 (one) only.

Prior to receiving any cards, the player must place a wager. Once the wager is made, the player is dealt two cards face up. The dealer is also dealt two cards, one facing up and one facing down (This is depending on which BlackJack version is being played. Please see specific game rules). The dealer's card will remain face down until the player has completed his hand (This is depending on which BlackJack version is being played. Please see specific game rules).

The dealer then turns over his card. The dealer continues to draw cards until his total is greater than 16. The dealer must also draw another card if his hand is a soft 17. The player wins if the dealer goes over 21.
Back to the top

THE INTERFACE

BLACKJACK INTERFACE
Deal
Clicking on the deal button after placing a bet starts a new game.

Hit/Stand
Clicking on the hit button will deal the player an additional card. Clicking on the stand button will keep the player's hand at its current value.

Split
If the player's first two cards are of the same value (i.e. 7, 7, or Q, K) he may split them into 2 separate hands, placing a second wager of equal value. The player then proceeds to draw cards as usual, with these exceptions:
If a player splits two aces, he receives only one additional card for each hand. A hand totaling 21 after splitting aces is considered 21, not BlackJack.

Double
When a player has been dealt two cards and believes that a third card will give him a position to beat the dealer's hand, he can "double." His wager is doubled, and he is allowed to hit and receive just one additional card.

Insurance
Insurance gives the player a chance to protect himself when he believes the dealer might have BlackJack. If the dealer's first card is an ace, he is considered to have a fair chance of getting BlackJack. If the player believes the dealer's hole card (face down) value is 10, the player may purchase insurance against dealer BlackJack at the price of half their initial bet. If the dealer does have BlackJack, the insurance pays 2 to 1, which corresponds to the amount of the initial bet. If the player has bought insurance and the dealer does not have BlackJack, the player loses his insurance. The player's initial bet is then settled by comparing his cards with the dealer's. If the dealer and the player both have BlackJack, the game results in a push.

Late Insurance
Late Insurance allows the player to delay the placement of an insurance bet until the end of the player's turn.

Surrender
Surrender gives the player a chance to protect himself when he believes that he will lose the current hand. Once a player hits surrender, the player will receive 50% of his current bet and 50% will go to the house.

DISCLAIMER
Please be advised that:
• These rules for each game as stated are believed to be an accurate representation of appropriate game play.
• They may or may not contain errors and/or omissions.
• We reserve the right to correct and/or change these rules at anytime with or without notice to the player.