Gambling Guides
BlackJack
Description and Objective
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. 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. If the total value of the player’s cards is closer to 21 than the
dealer, the player wins as much as he wagered. The player wins if the dealer
goes over 21.
Rules
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Blackjack is dealt with 5 decks of cards.
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Cards are re-shuffled after each hand.
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Dealer Hits Soft 17.
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Double on any 2 cards
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Split up to 3 hands.
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Surrender any first 2 cards.
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Split Aces receive only one card.
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No re-splitting of Aces.
Card Values
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Suits of the cards have no meaning in the game.
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Cards 2 through 10 are the face value.
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Jacks, Queens and Kings are all valued at 10.
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Aces can count as either 1 or 11 (except in the game of “Caribbean 21”where the Ace has a value of 1 only).
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.
Terminology
Bet - the Player may make any wager desired within the posted table limits.
Deal - the Player gets two cards face up and the Dealer gets two cards.
Blackjack – is achieved when first two cards total 21. Blackjack beats a score of 21 consisting of 3 or more cards.
Bust – is achieved when total value of cards for either the Dealer or the Player exceeds 21 resulting in a loss of the wager.
Push – is achieved when the value of the Dealer’s cards (from 17 to 21) and the Player’s cards are equal resulting in neither winning except in Face Up 21(please see specific Face Up 21 rules). It also results in the return of the Player’s wager.
Hit – Player desires another card to be dealt.
Stand – Player desires to keep hand dealt
Split – Player desires hand to be split two cards into separate hands.
Double – Player desires to double bet and receive another card.
