How to Play Blackjack
Blackjack has been played in many forms for over 200 years. Blackjack, or “21” as we know it today, has become the most popular of the Casino table games. The object of the card game is to have your cards total as close to 21 as possible without going over. We offer six-deck shoe games, four-deck continuous shufflers, and double deck pitch. Everyone plays against the Dealer.
The Dealer starts the game by dealing each Player two cards face up. The Dealer gets two cards, one card face up and one face down (called the Hole card). Cards are counted at their face value. Kings, Queens, and Jacks count as 10. Aces count as either 1 or 11.
Once two cards have been dealt to both the Players and the Dealer, each Player’s point total is announced at which time the decision to Stand (not receive an additional card) or Draw (receive an additional card or cards) is determined. A Player indicates a decision to Stand by waving a hand, palm down, over the betting area. A Draw, or Hit, is indicated by Players drawing or scratching their index fingers toward themselves. Players lose or Bust when they take a Hit and the point total exceeds 21.
A Dealer must Draw on any point total of 16 or less and must Stand on any point total of 17 or more. If a Dealer’s point total exceeds 21, all Players win who have a point total of 21 or less. Otherwise, the Dealer pays all hands that exceed the Dealer’s point total, takes all bets that are less, and leaves all bets that equal the Dealer’s point total (called a Push). All winning bets are paid even money (1 to 1), except Blackjacks, which are paid 3 to 2.
If the first two cards dealt to a Player are an Ace and a 10-value card, the Dealer announces the hand as “Blackjack” and pays the bet at 3 to 2 odds, unless the Dealer also has Blackjack, in which case the hand is a Standoff (Push). Blackjack is the point total of 21 reached in the first two cards of a hand. Blackjack beats a total of 21 reached in three or more cards.
Options
Doubling Down
Except with a point total of 21, a Player may elect to Double Down on any two cards. Players electing to Double Down make an additional wager not in excess of the original amount wagered and receive one card. A Player may also Double Down on the first two cards of any hand after splitting pairs, except when splitting Aces.
Insurance
When the Dealer’s face up card is an Ace, each Player has the right to make an Insurance bet. Immediately after the Dealer gives a second card to all Players and receives a Hole card, he/she announces “Insurance.” Players may make an Insurance wager by placing an amount not more than one-half of the amount of the original wager on the Insurance Line. (The Insurance Line is directly in front of each Player.) An Insurance wager wins if the Dealer’s second (Hole) card is a King, Queen, Jack or 10 and loses if the Dealer’s second card is an Ace, 2,3,4,5,6,7,8 or 9. Insurance pays 2 to 1. Tables offering surrender will have a sign posted. (Rules differ for Pitch)
21+3 SIDE BET
Double your chances of winning with 2 games in one! This is regular Blackjack with an optional 3-Card Poker side game. Players place a Three Card Poker bet along with a 21 bet (may equal the 21 bet) and are dealt two cards, which combine with the dealer's face-up card to make a Three Card Poker hand.
TOP 3 SIDE BET
The Top 3 wager is based on a three card hand using the dealer's one (1) up card and the player's two (2) initial up cards to form a three card poker hand. Winning hands of Three of a Kind Suited, Straight Flush and Three of a Kind are paid according to the posted pay table.
ROYAL MATCH 21 SIDE BET
Royal Match 21® is an optional bonus bet for blackjack that considers your first two cards. If the cards are the same suit or a Royal Match (king and queen suited), you win.