Blackjack was originated in France and is one the most popular casino games in America. The main objective is to get as close to 21 without going over while still beating the dealer's hand. This is done by counting up the value of the cards in your hand. All cards numbered 2 through 10 are at face value. All face cards are valued at 10 while an ace is valued at either 1 or 11 at the player's discretion. Hands containing an ace valued at 11 are considered to be "soft" hands (i.e. A, 6 is a soft 17) while hands containing an ace valued at 1 are considered "hard" hands (i.e. A, 6,Q is a hard 17) A blackjack is an ace and card valued at 10 (10, J, Q, K). A two-card blackjack always beats three or more cards, which equal 21.

Before receiving any cards the player must place a wager. Once the wager is made the player is dealt 2 cards face up. The dealer is also dealt two cards, one face up and the other face down. The dealer's "hole" card remains face down until the player's have completed their hands. At this point the dealer turns over his hole card. If his hand totals a hard 17 through 21 he must stand. If his hand is 16 or under the dealer must continue to take cards until either his hand is over 16 or bust (which means over 21). The dealer must hit on a soft 16. The player has many different betting and playing options...

Blackjack Player Options

Bet
Click on the denomination of chips you wish to bet, if you need to remove some chips right click on the chip in your chip tray that represents the amount that you wish to remove.

Hit
This deals the player another card. If your 2 cards were to equal 10 you have nothing lose by requesting another card since your total could not exceed 21.

Stand
This means that the player is satisfied with his hand and does not want to risk another hit.

Double Down
If your first two cards equal 10 or 11 you are given the option to double your initial wager. Once you have chosen to do this you will be dealt a third card and no more. Your hand will only consist of the 3 cards.

Splitting
If you are dealt two cards with identical value you can then split them (i.e. 8,8 or 10,Q). You would now be playing 2 separate hands, each starting with one of the two split cards. You will now be dealt a second card to one of the hands. After this hand is played out the second hand will be dealt a second card and continued until that hand is played out. All regular rules apply to each hand with the ability to double down. You may only split your hand once and a new wager equal to the initial wager will be placed for each split hand. A split hand blackjack pays out at 1-1 rather the normal 2-1. When splitting aces, the player will only receive one card on each hand.

Insurance
When the dealer's exposed card is an ace, the player will be given the option to place an insurance wager. This wager will equal one half of the original bet and will be placed on the insurance line. If the dealer has blackjack the player will get paid 2 to 1 on the insurance bet with the original bet being lost. This evens out and acts similar to a push. If the dealer does not have blackjack the insurance bet is lost immediately.

Payoffs
Players win their wager if their total hand is higher than the dealer's without going over 21. If the player busts, then the dealer wins the hand before turning over a card. All hands that total less than the dealer's hand lose. Hands that are equal in value will be considered a tie, or a push. If the player gets a blackjack the payout will be at 3:2 rather than 1:1.