blackjack

Blackjack is a game played with anywhere from one to eight decks of 52 cards. There is one dealer and from one to seven players. The object of the game is for the players to draw cards that total 21 or come closer to 21, than those held by the dealer. The King, Queen and Jack count as ten; the other cards count as face value except the Ace, which counts as 1 or 11 as desired. The suits are of no significance.

The players make their bets and the dealer starts the game. Two cards are dealt to each player face up. The dealer's first card faces down (and later turned up). The second card is placed face down under the first. The dealer's second card is known as the "Hole Card."

If any player has a hand consisting of an Ace and any 10-value card it is a "blackjack" and wins automatically. The immediate payment is not made if the dealer's face up card is an Ace or ten value card, in which case, payment of the players blackjack must wait until the dealer exposes his/her Hole card in case the dealer also has blackjack in which case it is a "push" and the player's hand neither wins or loses. When the dealer's face up card is an Ace, the players will be given the opportunity to take "Insurance." An insurance bet is a wager that the dealer does in fact have a Blackjack. This wager is optional and may be in any amount up to one half the original bet. If the dealer does have blackjack, the winning insurance bets will be paid 2 to 1. The players lose the original bet on their hands unless they also have a Blackjack and push with the dealer on the original bet. Regardless of the dealer's face up card, the players are given the opportunity to improve their hand by taking additional cards. This is called "Hitting" and the players signify their wish by making a scratching motion with their hand on the layout. A player may take as many hits as desired as long as the total count of the hand does not equal or exceed 21. When a player goes over 21, the hand is "broken" and loses automatically. When players are satisified with their hands they will "stand" (take no more cards). This is indicated by a slight horizontal motion with their hand, palm down over the layout.