Blackjack: Playing the Game

Select Chips and Place Bets

To begin, choose a chip type from the Chip Selector, and click on one of the Betting Zones. You can click to add additional chips (whether of the same or different denominations) until you have made the bet you want. If you want to bet on more than one hand at once, repeat this process on any or all of the other four zones. You can clear chips from all the betting areas by clicking on the Clear button.

Note: There may be a maximum amount that you can bet at once. This restriction is on the total amount bet, not the amount per hand.

Note: In Single Deck Blackjack, only one hand can be played which means there is only one Betting Zone, the one in the middle of the table.

Deal the Cards

Click on the Deal button. All the positions at the table that have got bets placed will receive two cards, face up. The dealer will either receive one or two cards; it depends on which version of the game you are playing. Once cards are dealt, the Deal and Clear buttons will disappear. Your own cards will also have a label on them, indicating their total score. If one of the cards is an Ace, both of the possible point combinations will be shown. For example: an Ace and a 5 would be displayed as 6/16.

Play Your Hands

Unless the Dealer’s Up-Card is an Ace (in which case you will be offered Insurance), you will then make the decisions for how you play each hand that you bet on in turn, starting with the one nearest to the right of the screen. The hand in play at any given time will be indicated. In Single Deck Blackjack you can only bet on one hand. Buttons for the options available to you will be displayed on the screen. Your options will depend on the cards in your hand, but include the following:

• Hit. Clicking Hit requests an additional card from the dealer. You can keep clicking Hit until the total points for your hand reached 21 or more. If the total is more than 21, your hand is bust, and therefore worthless.

• Stand. Clicking Stand indicates that you do not want any more cards. This ends the available actions for the hand that is currently in play. Once all hands have stood or bust, the Dealer completes their hand.

• Blackjack. If your hand is a natural Blackjack, i.e. an Ace and a 10-card (whether a numerical 10 or a picture card), you will not be offered any other options for that hand. It wins automatically, unless the dealer also has a Blackjack, in which case it will tie, and you will receive your stake back.
  If you win with a natural Blackjack, you win a bonus of an extra half again of what you bet on that hand. E.g. if you bet 2 chips, you will win 3 from the dealer instead of the usual 2.

• Double. Also known as "Double-down". This button will only be shown when it is available as an option. In Atlantic City and Vegas Strip Blackjack it is always available when the first 2 cards have just been dealt. In European and Single Deck Blackjack it is only available for hands whose initial cards are worth a total of 9, 10 or 11. If you click the Double button, you make an additional bet equal to your initial stake on that position, that you will win the hand on the draw of a single additional card. The additional bet will be placed on the table automatically, along with the extra card, and the turn for that hand will then end. If you do not win with a doubled hand, you lose your original bet and the additional bet.

See Example... 

Note: When increasing the bet amount on a hand, if your balance is not sufficient you will be notified. If you still want to increase the bet you should go to the Cashier, deposit more funds and then return to the game.

• Split. Also known as "Split Pair". This option is only available if the two cards that you are dealt initially are both of the same type and have the same value (e.g. 2 sevens, 2 queens or 1 queen and 1 jack).
  Splitting a pair allows you to separate the two cards, have an additional card dealt on each of them, and then treat each of them as a separate hand, choosing to Hit or Stand as required. As always, the pointer will indicate which hand is in play at a particular time.

Note: By splitting a pair, you are making an additional bet, equal to the initial stake on that hand. Once split, they are treated as completely separate hands. The game rules table shows the rules in each game. Depending on the variant, you may or may not be able to Double split pairs.
See Example...

Note: When splitting Aces in either Atlantic City Blackjack, Vegas Strip Blackjack or Single Deck Blackjack (including the Elite Editions), after the additional card is dealt on each of them the hand ends. In these games, you cannot Hit after splitting Aces, only Stand. In European Blackjack, you can hit after splitting Aces.

Note: When increasing the bet amount on a hand, if your balance is not sufficient you will be notified. If you still want to increase the bet you should go to the Cashier, deposit more funds and then return to the game.

• Surrender. In some versions of Blackjack, a ‘Surrender’ button will appear after the cards are dealt. This button forfeits the selected hand, and then half of the bet amount for that hand is returned to the player.

Insurance

The Insurance buttons appear when the dealer’s visible card is an Ace, and you are being given the option to insure against the possibility of the dealer having a Blackjack. If you choose to insure, the stake is half of your initial stake for the hand. If the dealer does have a Blackjack, you will receive a payout of 2 to 1 on the amount "insured", regardless of your own cards.

Note: When playing a version of Blackjack that supports multiple hands, you can choose to insure none, all or some of your hands.
See Example...

In Atlantic City and Vegas Strip Blackjack, if the Dealer’s up-card is an Ace then Insurance is offered. After the Insurance option, the dealer will "peek" at the down-card to see if it completes a Blackjack. If the down-card creates a Blackjack, any insurance bets are paid. If the down-card does not create a Blackjack, any insurance bets are lost. After the peek, play continues on the players hands.

In European and Single Deck Blackjack, if the Dealers first card in an Ace then insurance is offered. After the Insurance option, play continues until the player’s hands are resolved. Then the dealer receives a second card. If the second dealer card creates a Blackjack, any insurance bets are paid. If the second dealer card does not create a Blackjack, any insurance bets are lost.

Note: In Single Deck Blackjack you can only play one hand.

Note: When increasing the bet amount on a hand, if your balance is not sufficient you will be notified. If you still want to increase the bet you should go to the Cashier, deposit more funds and then return to the game.

Dealer Actions

Once all your actions are complete, if your hands have not bust then the dealer’s hand must then be played. Depending on the game version, either the second dealer card is revealed or dealt. Then the game is resolved accordingly.

• Dealer Restrictions. As in all Blackjack games, the dealer’s actions are restricted. If the total value of the dealer’s cards is less than 17, the dealer must Hit. If the value of the cards is 17 or more, the dealer must Stand. In hands that contain an ace, and that are valid hands whether the ace is counted as high or low, the higher value is always used. E.g. If The dealer has an Ace and a 6, this could be read as either 7 or 17, and is called a "Soft 17". A “Hard 17” is a hand without an Ace that totals 17.

• In European, Vegas Strip and Atlantic City Blackjack, the Dealer will always Stand on either a Soft or Hard 17.

• In Single Deck Blackjack, the Dealer will always Hit on a Soft 17 but Stand on a Hard 17.

• Dealer Blackjack. If the dealer’s hand is a natural Blackjack, it automatically beats all player hands that are not also Blackjacks. Note that if you have split a pair of aces and been dealt a 10-card with it (or vice versa), this hand is only treated as a 21, and not a natural Blackjack. A dealer’s Blackjack will therefore beat it.

Payouts

For each win, the initial bet for the hand is also returned to the Player