Blackjack is a very popular game that probably originated in 16th Century France as vingt-et-un (20 and 1), hence its other name "21". It gained the English name Blackjack since a player who held the Ace of Spades (i.e. a Black spade) and the Jack of Spades as the first two cards would be paid out extra, and the gambler's penchant for easy rhymes took over (think "chuck-a-luck", "acey-duecy").

Game Play:
Players will place their wagers in the center of the betting circle in front of their seat at the table. The dealer will then deal two cards, face up, to each Player and two to himself, one face up and one face down.

Our Blackjack is a multi-hand game, meaning you can play up to 3 hands at the same time. Simply place wagers in the betting circles to either side of the center seat if you want to play additional hands. It makes the game much more interesting and increases your chances of winning.

Card values:

• Kings, Queens, Jacks, and 10's each count as 10.
• Aces count as 1 or 11, as a player wishes.
• All other cards count at their face value (i.e. 2 through 9).

Scoring:

If a Player’s first two cards are an Ace and a 10 value card, the Player has Blackjack and will be paid one and one-half times the wager (3-to-2), unless the Dealer also has Blackjack – in which case it’s a push (bet neither paid nor taken). All other winning hands are paid even money (1-to-1).

A Blackjack will beat a point total of "21". For example, an Ace and a 10-value card will beat a 10, 5, 6 hand. Even though both hands total 21 points, the Blackjack wins.

The Player not having Blackjack may continue to draw cards attempting to total as close to 21 as possible without exceeding 21. He is free to stand at any point total or to ask for another card (a “hit”) at any point total under 21. If the Player goes over 21, he busts and loses his wager.

Dealer must hit on all totals of 16 or less. Dealer must stand on all totals of 17 or more.

Blackjack Terminology and Game Controls

BET
Place a number of chips in the betting circle as a wager.

RE-BET
Place the same number of chips in the betting circle as you did for the previous hand.

DEAL
Play a hand of Blackjack for the wager placed in the betting circle. Clicking "DEAL" starts the game and commits the wager to the outcome.

HIT
Request an additional card from the deck.

STAND
Take no additional cards.

SPLIT
The Player will match the original wager and split the first two cards into two separate hands. The two cards must be of the same point value (for example: a pair of 8's, a King and a Queen, etc.) For split hands, an Ace and ten-point card equal to "21" and not Blackjack – in other words, they don’t pay 3-to-2, but they will beat a Dealer hand that has 20 points or less. Also, after splitting a pair of Aces, the Player will draw only one card per Ace.

DOUBLE
The “DOUBLE” button will become active after the first two cards have been dealt to each hand. Players who feel confident that they are going to win this hand can “Double Down” to earn twice as much if they do win by clicking DOUBLE. Their original bet amount will be doubled automatically and they will receive exactly one additional card. Double Down wagering is not permitted on a Blackjack hand because you would automatically bust when you received the additional card.

INSURE
When the dealer's up card is an Ace, all Players have an opportunity to buy "insurance", an additional amount equal to half of that Player's original wager, before any further play begins. A Player may purchase insurance when he/she believes that the dealer's down card is a ten value card. If the Dealer has Blackjack, the insurance wager pays 2-to-1. If the dealer does not have Blackjack, the insurance wager loses and the game continues as usual.

PASS
Do not accept the insurance offered on this hand. If Pass is clicked and the Dealer has Blackjack, the player loses his original wager and play ends for this hand (unless Player also has Blackjack, in which case it's a push). If Dealer does not have Blackjack, play for this hand continues as normal.

Game Play:

Our Stud Poker is a multi-hand game, meaning you can play up to 3 hands at the same time. Simply place wagers in the betting circles to either side of the center seat if you want to play additional hands. It makes the game much more interesting and increases your chances of winning.

A player begins by placing a starting bet (“ante”) in the Ante circle and then clicking the Deal button.

Players are dealt five cards face up while the dealer is dealt four cards face down and one card face up. Players then evaluate their hands and decide on one of two options:

1. Fold – Play stops and the player loses the ante bet

    

2. Play – The player places an additional wager in the Bet area. Known as the "Back Bet", this must be double the amount of the Ante wager.

The dealer's hand is revealed and compared to the player's hand (if player's hand is still in play).

The dealer must qualify, however, with a hand consisting of an Ace and a King (Ace/King) or better. If the dealer fails to qualify, the player receives even money on the amount wagered on the Ante, while the Back Bet is a push (in other words, no money is paid on the additional wager made after the cards were dealt).

If the dealer qualifies with an Ace/King or better, and if the dealer's hand is higher than the player's hand, then the player loses both wagers (the Ante and the Back Bet). If the player's hand is higher than the dealer's hand, the player receives even money on the Ante wager and a bonus amount wagered for the Back Bet based on the following chart:

In the case of a Tie, where the player’s hand is of equal rank with the dealer’s hand, both bets are a push (neither paid nor taken).

PROGRESSIVE JACKPOT:
Players can participate in the optional Progressive Jackpot. The amount of the current Jackpot is reflected in the upper right-hand corner of the table.

The progressive Jackpot wager is $1.00 per hand. To participate, insert a $1 chip into the slot above the Ante circle at your seat.

Regardless of the outcome of the poker hand, any player holding a Jackpot hand who has wagered the Progressive Jackpot will receive a bonus for that hand according to the following chart:

RANKING OF POKER HANDS:

Royal Flush
The highest ranking hand possible. An Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10 of the same suit. Starting with an Ace, all five cards are in sequence and in a common suit.

Example: A, K, Q, J, 10

Straight Flush
Five cards both in sequence and common suit, but not starting with an Ace.

Example: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6

Four of a Kind
Four cards of the same rank.

Example: 5, 5, 5, 5, 2

Full House
Three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank.

Example: K, K, K, 4, 4

Flush
Five cards of same suit.

Example: K, J, 9, 6, 3

Straight
Five cards in sequence (Aces may be used high or low).

Example: 5, 4, 3, 2, A

Three of a Kind
Three cards of same rank.

Example: 9, 9, 9, A, 8

Two Pair
Two groups of two cards of same rank.

Example: 4, 4, J, J, A

One Pair
Two cards of the same rank.

Example: 8, 4, J, J, A

High Card
The rank of hands containing less than one pair is determined by the highest ranking card.

Example: A , K , 9 , 6 , 3

Game Controls

Deal — Starts the game by dealing a hand to each player who placed an Ante bet and to the dealer. Deal is inactive until at least one Ante circle has at least a minimum bet.

Re-Bet — Places the same wager amounts on the same Ante circles as you had for the previous hand. If you wish, you may modify these amounts prior to clicking the Deal button.

Clear — Clears all wagers from the table and returns the amounts to your balance.

Once the Deal button is clicked, these first three controls disappear and cards are dealt to each player position with an Ante bet. Then the following two controls appear at each position in turn, starting from right to left.

Play — Keeps this hand in the game and automatically places the Back Bet (2 times the Ante bet) in the Bet circle (deducting that amount from your balance). Play passes to the next position or, if this is the last position, the dealer’s hand is revealed to determine win/lose/tie for any hands that did not fold.

Fold — Ends the hand for this position and the player loses the Ante bet. Play passes to the next position or, if this is the last position, the dealer’s hand is revealed to determine win/lose/tie for any hands that did not fold.