Blackjack

Blackjack is more than just a race to get to 21 - the real objective of the game is to beat the Dealer. A good tip is to always look at three cards before making your decision to stand or hit. Look at both of the cards that are dealt to you and then look at the Dealer's card.

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The Table

• Inscriptions to the effect that:
  1. BLACKJACK PAYS 3 TO 2;
  2. Dealer must stand on 17 and must draw on 16;
  3. INSURANCE PAYS 2 TO 1.

The Cards

• The game will be played with a deck containing 6 packs of 52 cards.
• The cards will be shuffled after each hand.
• The values of the cards shall be as follows:
  1. The first ace dealt to any player in a game shall have a value of 11 unless that would give the player a score of more than 21 at the end of the game, and subject to that, an ace shall have a value of 1; The first ace dealt to the dealer in a game shall have a value of 11. If this gives him a total between 17 and 21 inclusive, he must stand. Alternatively, if this would give him a score of more than 21 at the end of the game, and subject to that, an ace shall have a value of 1.
  2. Any card from 2 to 10 shall have its face value;
  3. Any jack, queen, or king shall have a value of 10;
  4. Any ace together with a ten, jack, queen or king shall constitute a Blackjack (i.e. a total card count of 21 with two cards) but a Blackjack cannot be obtained in any hand which is derived from splitting a pair.

Wagers

• Any wager by a player (except "insurance") shall be that he will get a score not exceeding 21 and that:
1. the Banker's score will exceed 21; or
2. the player will obtain a higher score than the banker; or
3. in the event of both the Banker and the player having a score of 21, then the player will have a Blackjack and the Banker will not.

No wager may be made, withdrawn or increased (other than insurance, doubling and splitting see below) after the first card of the respective round has been dealt.

• The maximum and minimum wagers permitted shall be shown.

Insurance

• When the Dealer's first card is an ace, any player who has a score of 21 with the first two cards may wager an amount equivalent to exactly half the amount staked of his initial wager that the Dealer's second card will have a value of 10. Any wager which wins under this rule shall be payable at odds of 2 to 1. For multiplayer games; all insurance wagers shall be made before a third card is dealt to any box (the Subsequent Deal).

Interim Settlement

• On completion of the Initial Deal and before the Subsequent Deal;
  1. where a player has a Blackjack and the Dealer's card is neither a 10 nor an ace the Dealer shall pay the wager or wagers on that hand. Any such wagers shall be paid at odds of 3 to 2;
  2. During the Subsequent Deal where the Dealer's second card is not a 10, any insurance wagers under Rule 7 which remain unsettled shall be lost, and should be collected by the Dealer immediately after the drawing of that card.

Subsequent Deal

• The players of the hands starting with the player to the left of the Dealer and continuing clockwise around the table shall each be entitled, subject to Rule 15, to be dealt additional cards to their indicated requirements. If a player continues on request to be dealt cards until his hand, with the cards so dealt added to the two cards of the Initial Deal, has a total count exceeding 21, then all the wagers on that hand shall be lost and should be collected immediately by the Dealer. Any other player who has wagered on the hand shall be bound by the decisions of the player controlling the hand. No player shall draw a card to any count of 21.

Splitting Pairs

• Two cards of the same count value (i.e. a pair), other than 4s, 5s and 10s, dealt to a player in the Initial Deal, may be split by the player concerned into two separate hands when his turn comes for the Subsequent Deal. The player automatically make a wager on the second hand so formed, this wager being an amount equal to that wagered on his first hand.
• The Dealer shall then deal a second card to each of the split cards which will be treated as separate hands. He shall then complete the first hand before continuing with and completing the second hand. If the cards dealt to a split hand results in a further pair of cards of equal value, the resulting pair may not be split again.
• When a second card dealt to either hand of a split pair (other than aces) gives the hand a count value of 9, 10 or 11, the player may double the wager on that hand in accordance with the rules for doubling below.
• When a pair has been split in conformity with these Rules, the two hands so formed shall be completed in accordance with 'the subsequent deal'.
• A court card or a 10 dealt to an ace after a split (count value of 21) shall not constitute a Blackjack.

Doubling

• A player of a hand with a hard total count value of 9, 10 or 11 in two cards may elect to Double, i.e. to double his wager on the condition that only one additional card shall be dealt to him.

Subsequent Deal to the Dealer's Hand

• When the Subsequent Deal to all players' hands has been completed, the Dealer shall deal additional cards as necessary to his own hand until all wagers have been decided. If the Dealer's hand has a count value of 16 or less, additional cards must be dealt until it has a count value of 17 or more. When the count value of the Dealer's hand is 17 or more he must stand.

Settlement of Wagers

Settlement of wagers after the completion of the Subsequent Deal to the Dealer's hand shall be as follows:

• Winning Wagers:
  1. a wager on a Blackjack shall be paid at odds of 3 to 2 if the Dealer does not also have Blackjack;
  2. a wager on a hand other than Blackjack shall be paid at odds of 1 to 1 if the Dealer's hand has a count value of more than 21 or less than the count value of the hand on which the wager was made.
• Losing Wagers:
  1. a wager on a hand with a count value less than that of the Dealer (if 21 or less) shall be lost;
  2. a wager on a hand other than a Blackjack with a count value of 21 shall be lost if the Dealer has a Blackjack;
• Void Wagers:
  1. a wager on a Blackjack shall be void if the Dealer also has a Blackjack;
  2. a wager on a hand with the same count value (if 21 or less) as that of the Dealer's hand shall be void if neither hand is a Blackjack.