Blackjack Rules - Live Dealer Casino (8 - Deck shoe)
The Object of the Game:
The object is to achieve a higher card count than the croupier without exceeding
a count of 21.
How to Play the Game
Bets are placed on the blackjack table in the circle immediately in front of
you. Each bet must be made in accordance with the minimum and maximum table
limits, which vary from table to table. Players must place and confirm their
bets before the end of the betting period, which ends when the croupier
announces "No more bets."
The Play - Beginning on the croupier's left, a card is dealt face up to each
player in turn with the croupier being last in rotation. A second card is then
dealt in the same manner, face up to each player; the croupier does not get a
second card yet.
Once all initial cards are dealt, each player gets a turn to improve their
counts. The order of the turns is the same as the order the cards were dealt.
During your turn, you have the option of standing or hitting (drawing) one or
more cards to improve your count. Once you stand, your turn is over. If you
exceed a count of 21, this is called a bust, and you lose your bet immediately;
otherwise, your bet remains unresolved. If your initial count (with two cards)
is 21, this is called a blackjack. You are not allowed to draw to (hit on) a
blackjack. If there is no possibility that the croupier also has a blackjack
(that is, the croupier's card is neither a face card, a Ten, nor an Ace), then
you win your bet immediately upon the start of your turn, and your bet is paid
off at 3 to 2. If there is a possibility that the croupier also has a blackjack,
the resolution of your bet is delayed until the croupier's final count is
established.
After all players have had a turn, the croupier takes a second card, then stands
or draws as appropriate, according to the house strategy. If the croupier
exceeds a count of 21, she busts, and all unresolved bets are winners. If she
stands without busting, each player's count is then compared to the croupier's.
If your count is closer to 21 than the croupier's, you win. If the croupier's is
closer, you lose. If you and the croupier tie, the bet is a push (or standoff),
which means you neither win your bet nor lose it. Once all bets have been
resolved, the croupier announces the beginning of the next betting period.
The Cards - Face cards (Jacks, Queens, and Kings) are worth 10, while Aces are
worth 1 or 11. After a player has stood, a hand containing one or more Aces is
considered to be at its highest possible value without exceeding 21.
Player Options
After the first two cards are dealt, each player gets an opportunity to improve
their counts. They may also alter their wagers in the following ways:
Splitting Pairs
Pairs, two cards of equal rank, may be split into two separate hands, each with
a bet equal to the original bet amount. If you split your hand, the first
subhand is dealt a second card, and you are permitted to stand or hit one or
more cards to improve the count. Once you stand on your first subhand, your
second subhand is dealt a second card, and you are then permitted to stand or
hit on that hand.
Split Aces are an exceptional case. When you split a pair of Aces, each subhand
receives exactly one additional card with no option to you to hit. Further, a
count of 21 with the two cards in a subhand of split Aces is not considered a
Blackjack, and will lose to a croupier's Blackjack. Subhands may not be resplit.
Cards of the same value can be split one time. Example: Player is dealt two 7's
and splits them, the next card out is another 7, the player will have to play
that hand as a 14, and may choose to hit or stand. If the the player is
splitting Aces, only one card will be dealt to each Ace.
If a player splits pairs against an eventual dealer blackjack, the player will
only lose his initial wager, as the split wager and any subsequent wagers
(double down) will be refunded.
Doubling Down
After the first two cards are dealt, you have the option to double down, which
means you wager an additional amount equal to your original bet and receive
exactly one more card on that hand. You may also double down after splitting a
pair, except in the case of splitting Aces (because split Aces are only
permitted a second card).
If a player doubles down against an eventual dealer blackjack, the additional
bet will be refunded back to the player's account, resulting in just the
original wager being lost.
Insurance
If the croupier's up card is an Ace, you may obtain insurance, which is a wager
of a sum equal to one half of your original bet. If the croupier draws a
Blackjack, the insurance pays two to one. If the croupier fails to draw a
Blackjack, you lose your insurance. You may obtain insurance even if you have
blackjack. **If you accept the Insurance the system will not allow you to ask
for more cards. If you are dealt a Blackjack and the dealer has an Ace showing
you may opt for even money.
Surrender
Surrender offers the player the choice to fold their hand at half of the
original bet. The option for surrender will appear for all hands, except when
the dealer's up card is an ace. The decision must be made prior to taking any
other action on the hand.
The House Strategy
Unlike the players, the house has no choice in whether it hits or stands on its
hand. The house must:
Hit on a count of 16 or less.
Stand on 17 or more.
Payouts
A Blackjack, a two-card 21 not arising on a split, is paid at three to
two as long as the dealer does not also have a Blackjack. If both you and the
dealer have a Blackjack, the bet is a push. A Blackjack beats any
three-or-more-card 21.
All other winning bets are paid at one to one.
A dealer/player tie is a push, and neither wins nor loses.
You bust and lose your bet with a card count exceeding 21.
Blackjack House Rules
Attention Players: We are pleased to announce that we now have logic in place
that will apply Blackjack Basic Strategy to your hand in the event you lose
connection with our system. Basic strategy will be applied in the event you lose
connection from our servers anytime after the bet timer expires. When you review
the chart below you will notice that we needed to modify the basic strategy in
certain cases. The cases we needed to change are related to hands that are
recommended to be splits as well as those that are recommended to be doubled
down. When Basic Strategy recommends a split or double down, our system will NOT
be able to process this action, due to the fact we have no way of debiting the
money from your account. We hope that you find this new service of value.
Please note that if you are connected and do not make a decision as to hit,
stand, double, split, surrender or stand in the allotted time, our system will
treat that as a stand and no further cards will be dealt to your hand.
Please make sure of the selection you make before clicking on it. WE WILL NOT BE
ABLE TO GO BACK AND GIVE YOU A CARD UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.
During the fanning/shuffling process, if a player places a wager and then leaves
the table prior to the start of the hand, the player's bet will be cancelled.
After a game has begun, if a player leaves his seat after placing a wager, the
hand will continue utilizing Basic Strategy (please see chart below).
After a shuffle is completed, all decks will be cut at 25% and the yellow cut
card will be placed at a depth of approximately 50% of the shoe.
If the yellow card is the first card in the shoe to start a new hand, one last
hand will be dealt. If the yellow card comes out during the hand, that hand will
be the final hand played and the shoe will be deemed complete and a new shuffle
will be done.
Dealers change tables on a rotating basis every 30 minutes. A card is burned on
each dealer change according to the following guidelines: After a shuffle there
will be one card burned. After each dealer change one card will be burned. A
temporary dealer change (restroom break) will not have any cards burned. If a
dealer change occurs immediately after a shuffle, there will be only one burned
card and not two.
If it is necessary to temporarily close a table, any un-played hands will be
cancelled.
If a player clicks an action button (hit, stand, split, double, surrender, etc.)
and then changes his mind, there is no recourse to the player and the hand will
continue, based on his action selected.
If cards are dealt out of order (player is skipped), if possible, the supervisor
will rearrange the cards to the proper sequence. This will only apply if the
secondary cards have not been dealt. Otherwise, the hand will be cancelled. If
too many cards have been dealt versus the number of players available, the hand
will be cancelled.
If the dealer starts dealing prior to the system starting, the cards will be
repositioned and rescanned to the same sequence.
If the dealer picks up the player's cards prior to the hand being completed, the
cards will be replaced in the correct sequence and the game will continue on to
its completion. The animation will be used for proper verification regarding the
replacement of cards by position.
If an extra card comes out of the shoe after the game is completed and that card
is visible to the players, that card will still be used as the next card to be
dealt at the beginning of the next hand.
If a card falls off the table the supervisor will replace it in its proper
position.
If a bad scan occurs, (two cards coming out of the shoe at the same time) the
hand will be cancelled.
If the dealer deals cards to an empty seat, the cards will be repositioned to
the proper sequence.
If the system disconnects a player from an ongoing game, a manual return will be
applied to the player's balance.
Players may only play one hand at a time. Multiple hands cannot be played by the
same player concurrently.