Game Rules for Multi-Player Atlantic City Blackjack

Blackjack enjoys worldwide popularity. In this version of blackjack, the dealer receives a second card (or hole card) before the players complete their hands (as is commonly found in most Atlantic City and Las Vegas casinos).

Rules for the game and descriptions of game features are provided below to make the game easier and more enjoyable to play.

Game Rules

• Play 1 hand
• 8 decks of standard playing cards are used
• The dealer stands on soft 17 or higher
• A winning player blackjack (an ace and 10-value card on the initial deal) pays 3:2
  • All other winning hands pay 1:1
• Winning insurance bets pay 2:1
  • Insurance is limited to ½ of the wager per hand
• The player may double down on any first two cards
• The player may double down following a split
• The player may split three times for a total of four hands
  • Like-value cards that are not identical may be split
    • Example: K and Q can be split
    • Example: K and K can be split
• Surrender is not available
• Split aces receive only one card on each ace
  • The player may not re-split aces
  • An ace and a 10-value card following a split does not constitute blackjack
• The player may not hit on a soft total of 21
• The cards are shuffled after approximately 1/3 of the decks have been used

All face cards are valued at ten and the cards from 2-10 are valued as indicated. Aces can be valued at either one or eleven; if counting the Ace as eleven would put the hand over twenty-one, the Ace is automatically counted as one instead. You do not need to specify which value the Ace has as it's always assumed to have the value that makes the best hand. The value of a hand is the sum of the values of the individual cards. For example, a hand containing a Jack, 3, and 4 has a value of 17. The object of the game is to beat the score of the dealer without exceeding a total of 21.

How to Play

Betting

• Chips values are displayed on the interface in the bottom left corner
• Click on the value of the chip you wish to use
• The chip will 'attach' itself to your mouse cursor
• If you selected a chip that is less than the table minimum, the first click on the betting circle will place the minimum bet in the circle
• Each time you click on a bet circle, a chip of that value will be placed in the circle

Deal

• If there are no bets on the table, the deal button will not be available
• After you have placed at least one chip, the re-bet & deal button will be replaced by the deal button
• Clicking on 'deal' will accept your bet and begin dealing the cards

Rebet

• On your second and subsequent hands, the re-bet button will be activated
• Selecting re-bet will place the same wager on the table that you made on the previous round
• You may select re-bet more than once
• Each additional click presses your bet(s)
• When you are ready to play, click on 'deal' to continue

Rebet & Deal

• On your second and subsequent hands, there is a Re-bet & Deal button
• If you wish to place the exact same wager on the following hand, use this button to begin the game round with one click
• After placing chips on the layout by any other means, this button will be replaced by the Deal button and you will be able to start the game round by clicking it when ready

Clear Bets

If you wish to remove all of your chips from the betting circle, click on the 'clear bets' button.

• Your chips will be removed from the table and you may start the betting process again

Pre-Turn Selection

In multi-player Blackjack games, you may select your next hand action from the interface even if it is not yet your turn. Simply make your choice (hit, stand, etc.) as you would normally and the game will act on your decision when it is your turn.

Chat

In multi-player games, you may type messages into the chat box that will be displayed for all players to see.

Sit Out/I'm Back

If you wish to skip the next game round(s), select this button from the interface and the game will allow you to sit out. If you click this button at any time during a hand in progress, the game will still ask you for decisions needed to complete your hand before making you inactive. You will keep your place at the table, but the dealer won't ask you to bet and play again until you click the button again to indicate "I'm Back".

Settings

Game settings for insurance bets and for the player protection hand warning system can be adjusted. Access them using this button.

Balance, Paid & Bet

Your balance will be updated each time a chip is placed on the layout and each time a payout is made.

The paid amount is the sum of your winnings and any/all original bets that are returned to you.

The bet amount is the amount of wagered money placed on the layout.

Game Actions

• Once the cards have been dealt, the dealer will want to know whether you wish to hit, stand, double down, or split
• All of the action buttons will be shown on the interface, but only the ones you are permitted to use will be clickable
• If you do not have enough funds to place a split, double down, or insurance bet, you will receive a message
• A small box will indicate the hand score and will update each time you draw a card

Hit:

Requests another card. You can request a hit as many times as you like, but if your total goes over twenty-one, you will 'break' and lose the hand. You may not draw a card on any total of 21.

Stand:

Requests that you receive no more cards. The hand as it currently stands will be judged against the dealer's hand.

Split:

If you have two cards that are the same, the Split button will be active. You can split your cards into two hands and play each hand separately. An additional bet equal to your original bet will be made for the new hand. Each hand will be played out as usual except when splitting Aces, where only one additional card per hand is dealt. Any winning 21 obtained after splitting a pair is paid 1-to-1. If you don't have enough funds to make the extra bet, a message will be displayed. A maximum of one split (creating two hands) is allowed.

Double Down:

If you select this option, three things will happen: you will get exactly one more card, your turn will end, and your bet will be doubled. If you don't have enough funds to make the extra bet, a message will be displayed.

Insurance:

Whenever the dealer's up-card is an Ace, you have the option to take insurance. There are buttons for you to choose 'yes' or 'no'. If you believe that the dealer will draw a 10-value card for Blackjack, place a side bet of half the original wager as insurance by selecting 'yes'. If the dealer draws a 10-value card, the payout is 2-to-1 on the insurance bet. If you don't have enough funds to make the extra bet, a message will be displayed. You may, in the game options section, instruct the system to always decline insurance.

Insurance on a Player Blackjack:

If you have Blackjack and the dealer is showing an ace, you may select the 'even money' bet option from the interface. This will immediately pay you 1:1 odds on your blackjack, regardless of the final outcome of the dealer's hand. Since the net result of insuring a blackjack is the same regardless of the outcome, the money is paid right away and the cards are removed from play.

Game Features

Many exciting and helpful features have been added to blackjack to enhance your gameplay. The information below should be helpful in allowing you to get the most out of your experience.

Strategy Warnings

• To protect your interests, the dealer will ask for confirmation if the hand action you select may have been a mouse-click error
• These are the situations where the dealer will 'double-check' with the players:
  • Hit on hard 17 or higher
  • Stand on 11 or lower
  • Double down on hard 12 or higher
• Strategy warnings can be turned off through the settings button in the game

Autostrategy and Auto-Betting

Blackjack contains an autostrategy feature. Selecting autostrategy from the interface allows you to instruct the game to play a selected number of rounds automatically based on the optimum strategy. Additionally, you may customize and save any of the hit/stand/double/split decisions on the table to match your own playing style. Changes you make to the strategy table only apply to the bet limit you are currently playing.

Auto-Betting allows you to tell the game your bet for each game round and it will automatically be placed for you. There are three types of Auto-betting:

The same bet will be placed for each game round

A recurring pattern of bet amounts can be set up

The game can increase or decrease your next bet based on the results of the previous hand

Used separately, autoplay allows you to control your own bets prior to each hand, then watch while the game automatically plays for you.

When you use the new auto-betting feature, the game will automatically place your bets as you have instructed. The game will still ask you to decide on hitting, doubling down, etc.

You may combine the two features for a completely hands-free experience if you wish.

Bet Limits

There is a bet limit sign on the table that shows the minimum and maximum bet allowed. Mousing over the table limit sign will provide an enlargement containing a summary of rules and information about the game.

Game Messages

The area on the left side of the table will display chat messages and all of the relevant game information including bet adjustments and winning hand announcements. Shortcuts/Hotkeys

Some players like to use their keyboard instead of their mouse wherever possible. As an aide to the players, a lengthy list of shortcut keys is implemented in Blackjack. The table below lists what can be accomplished in the game without the use of your mouse.

Action	Shortcut Key	Description
1000	6	same as clicking the chip on the GUI
500	5	same as clicking the chip on the GUI
100	4	same as clicking the chip on the GUI
25	3	same as clicking the chip on the GUI
5	2	same as clicking the chip on the GUI
1	1	same as clicking the chip on the GUI
0.50	9	same as clicking the chip on the GUI
0.10	8	same as clicking the chip on the GUI
Rebet	R	Places previous round's bet on table can be used more than once to press your bets
Deal	Spacebar	Initiates 'Deal'
Rebet & Deal	X	In one step, place previous round bets on the table and deal right away
Clear Bets	C	Removes bets from layout
Sit Out	O	Invokes sit out function
I'm Back	O	Return to active state from sit out
Progressive Bet Placement	B	Places a progressive bet (if the game has one)
Hit	H or T
Stand	S
Double	D
Split	P or V
Insurance-Bet	I	Place an insurance bet
Insurance-Pass	N	Decline insurance
Reduce chip on stack	Mouse wheel down	When mouse is over an active betting area
Add chip on stack	Mouse wheel up	When mouse is over an active betting area
Reduce chip on all stacks	Ctrl-Mouse wheel down	When mouse is over an active betting area
Add chip to all stacks	Ctrl-Mouse wheel up	When mouse is over an active betting area
Bet/reduce bet on all stacks	Ctrl-left/right mouse button	Left or right click on a betting area while holding the ctrl button bets or reduces the bet on all spots at the same time

Enhanced Audio

All-new audio has been included in Blackjack for your enjoyment. Feel the excitement as your dealer wishes you luck, announces your score, and describes the results.

Payouts

Event	Payout Odds
Winning Hand	1:1
Player Blackjack	3:2
Insurance	2:1

Enhanced Audio

All-new audio has been included in Blackjack for your enjoyment. Feel the excitement as your dealer wishes you luck, announces your score, and describes the results. On the fastest game speed setting, some of the audio will automatically shut off.

Event	Payout Odds
Winning Hand	1:1
Player Blackjack	3:2
Insurance	2:1