Blackjack Rules & Strategys
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Blackjack Rules
In Blackjack the player competes against the dealer. The goal is for the player's hand to add up to 21 or come closer to 21 than the dealer's hand. The game is played on a semi-circular table with 5 or 7 playing positions. Wagers are placed in the circles provided. Cards are dealt from a deck of cards called a shoe. Traditionally a shoe may contain anything from one standard 52-card deck -no jokers - to 6 or sometimes 8 decks. The online Blackjack playing rules provided here are based on European Blackjack rules, using four 52-card decks that are shuffled after each hand. There are 5 playing positions you can choose from, and you can play up to 5 hands of Blackjack at the same time. Each hand played is a separate wager against the dealer

Each of the player's hands is dealt two cards. The Dealer is also dealt two cards but only one card is face up. The card that remains face down is called the 'hole card'.

The dealer must hit on all hands totaling 16 or less and stand on all hands totaling 17 or more. Face cards (the Jack, Queen and King) and 10s all have a value of ten.

An Ace has a value of either 1 or 11. Any combination of cards that contains an Ace card and whose value does not exceed 21 is referred to as a *soft hand*. An Ace adopts the value most beneficial for your hand. For example, an Ace and eight will add up to 19, but if the player chooses to take another card that would cause the hand's value to exceed 21, the Ace will revert to a value of 1.

If you are dealt an Ace and a 10 or face card this is called a BLACKJACK, and your hand will STAND automatically. If you beat the dealer with a BLACKJACK you are paid out at 3 to 2.

If you are dealt a pair you may SPLIT your hand. This means that your pair is divided into two separate hands with two separate wagers. A second wager - equal to your original wager - is automatically placed on your second hand. You play both hands as separate hands.

If you have SPLIT a pair of aces and then draw a card with a value of ten, this is not a BLACKJACK. Such a hand would have a value of 21. It beats the dealer's hand value less than 21 and ties - called a PUSH - against the dealer's hand value of 21. This rule also applies to splitting pairs of cards with a value of ten. Should you split a pair of tens (or face cards) and then receive an ace, this hand is not a BLACKJACK

If you split Aces you will receive only 1 more card to complete your hand. If the second card is a face card or 10 it is not a Blackjack. You cannot split your hand(s) again.

If the value of your initial two cards is 9, 10 or 11 then you are allowed to DOUBLE. This is a wager that your hand total with your next card will be higher than the dealers completed hand. The wager costs as much as your original bet, but should you win you will be paid double of your total wager (or four times your original wager.)

If the dealer's face up card is an Ace you may purchase INSURANCE. INSURANCE is purchased prior to playing your hand(s). If you purchase INSURANCE and then SPLIT or DOUBLE your hand(s), the value of your INSURANCE bet is automatically doubled.

If your hand beats the dealer's hand then you have won

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Blackjack Bust
Hand All hands that exceed 21 lose, even if the dealer also goes BUST. If the dealer goes BUST but the player's hand is under 21 the player wins

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Blackjack
In the event that the Dealer has Black jack, the Player can only lose his original wager; split and double down bets are returned to the Player. In the event that the Player has Black jack and the Dealer does not have an Ace or Ten value card as the first face up card, the Dealer shall pay the Player's Black jack wager at odds of 3 to 2 and remove the Player's cards prior to any Players receiving a third card. If the Dealers face up card is an Ace or Ten value card, all Players hands shall be acted upon

As a Players point total is announced, he/she may elect to discontinue play of his/her hand for that round and surrender only one-half of his/her wager. This decision must be made prior to the player indicating whether he/she wishes to double down, split pairs, stand and/or draw. If the first card dealt to the Dealer is an Ace, King, Queen, Jack or 10, the Dealer will place the wager of the Player wishing to surrender on top of the Players cards. If the Dealers second card results in a Dealer Black jack, the Players entire wager will be collected by the Dealer. However, if the Dealers second card does not result in a Dealer Black jack, then one-half of the Player's wager will be returned to the Player

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SPLITTING PAIRS
If your first two cards have the same point value, (10, Jack, Queen, King they do not have to be matched pairs), you may split them and form two separate hands by wagering an amount equal to the original bet. Each hand will be played and completed in turn. You may draw as many cards as you wish on each split hand, with the exception of splitting Aces. If you split Aces, only one card will be dealt to each Ace. You may double down on split hands. You may split pairs twice (for a total of three hands) on a seven player table and split pairs three times (for a total number of four hands) on a six player table. If you split Aces, only one card will be dealt to each Ace. If a Ten value card is dealt to either Ace, the hand is counted as 21, not Black jack.

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Insurance Bets
If the Dealers up card is an Ace, he will announce insurance. You may make an insurance bet before any other Player receives a third card. This involves placing a separate bet, of up to one-half of your original bet, in front of your original bet. The insurance bet is entirely separate from the original bet. If the Dealer has Blackjack, you will be apid two to one on the insurance bet. If the Dealer does not have Black jack, you will lose the insurance bet

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Push
Hands If the dealer's hand total and the player's hand total are the same than the hand is a tie or PUSH and the player's bet is returned. Other If the dealer's hand and the player's hand are both under 21, the hands are compared. If the player's hand is closer to 21 the player wins, if the dealer's hand is closer to 21 the player loses

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H = Hit
S = Stand
D = Double
T = Split