In-Person Blackjack

Description

Blackjack is one of the most popular casino card games due to the mix of chance and skill. It is a game of luck, bravery and shrewdness in a one-on-one battle against the Dealer! Each player is dealt two cards and then offered the opportunity to take more cards. The aim is to get a higher total than the dealer without going over 21 (Bust)! Fun Casino Nights is proud to offer this prestigious Casino Game for your Event!

Rules of play

If you have ever played the game of 21s or Pontoon you will be familiar with the rules.

 

The dealer starts with several packs of 52 Playing Cards, making sure to shuffle them and (with the help of guests) cut the pack before placing them in the card dispenser, known as a “shoe”.

 

The dealer then invites the players to “Place their Bets” and players place their selected amount of Chips (£10 minimum bet) in the rectangle box on the playing surface. Once all bets have been placed the Croupier will announce “Table Closed” and proceed to start the game.

 

Firstly the Dealer, running clockwise, distributes one card Face Up to all players, before placing their first card Face Up so all players can see the Dealer’s first card. The dealer then completes the same process again, but this time crucially the Dealers second card is taken Face Down, as not to reveal the current total of the two cards. All other players receive their second card face up, and can add up the total of their two card hand. All players know what each other have, but this is of no concern because the game is played purely between the player and the dealer, not between each of the players. Face cards (Kings, Queens, and Jacks) are counted as ten points. The player and dealer can count their own Ace as 1-point or 11 points. All other cards are counted as the numeric value shown on the card.

Decision time

After each guest receives their initial two cards, the Dealer will ask the players their next move, always reminding the players of their options.

 

Hit: Players have the option of taking a “Hit” (aka Twist or Scratch, as a hand signal of scraping the cards against the surface or tapping the surface can be used to indicate the decision to Hit) which means taking additional cards, to bring their total value of cards to 21 points, or as close as possible without exceeding 21 (called “Busting”). In the event of busting the player’s bet is immediately taken by the Dealer and their cards taken away, thus they are no longer involved in the Game. The players decision to Hit or not will be based on their current total of cards, and the value of the dealers first card. If a Dealer holds a 10, picture card or ace, players might be more tempted to Hit to try and get as close to 21 as possible. Players can continue to Hit for as many cards as they like. If a player holds an ace valued as 11, the hand is called “soft”, meaning that the player cannot go bust by taking an additional card; otherwise, the hand is “hard”. For example an ace and a 6 card would be called soft 17, as if the player decides to Hit, receives a 10, then they would still not be bust as the ace would now count as 1 and the player would have a total of 17.

 

Stand: At any stage the players can choose to “Stand” i.e take no more cards; also known as “stick”, or “stay”. Players can make the dealer verbally aware of their intentions or they can use the corresponding hand signal: (handheld) Slide cards under chips, or (face up) wave hand horizontally. Again the decision to Stand is up to the player and how much risk they are willing to take. 17 or over is typically a good place to stand.

 

Double Down: If the player after their two card hand has been dealt feels that their total warrants it, the player is allowed to increase the initial bet by matching it to Double Down. This is in exchange for committing to stand after receiving exactly one more card. The additional bet is placed in the betting box next to the original bet. Again a hand signal can be used, placing additional chips beside the original bet, and point with one finger. For example if a player had bet £10 and the total of their first two cards was 11, then the player may choose to double down, place another £10 in the betting box and receive another card. Since there are more cards worth ten in the pack than any other number then there is more probability the next card will be worth 10, thus giving a total of 21! Double down can only be completed on the player’s first decision.

Split: (again only available as first decision of a hand): If the first two cards have the same value or rank in the event of picture cards, Jack, Queen, King, the player can split them into two hands, by moving a second bet equal to the first into an area outside the betting box of the original bet. The dealer separates the two cards and draws a further card on each, placing one bet with each hand. The player then plays out the two separate hands in turn. Typically this is good to do this on pairs of higher value. Again a hand signal can be used in the event of a noisy environment. Place additional chips next to the original bet outside the betting box. Point with two fingers spread into a V formation. Players can split unlimited number of times if they continue to receive a pair of the same rank once they have already split. ​

The big reveal

Once all players have made their decision the Dealer will now reveal their hidden card.  The dealer has to take hits until their cards total 17 or more points (as written and displayed on the blackjack tables), whereby they stand and the Dealer announces what value of cards wins (For example “19 or above wins”) . Obviously if their two card hand is 17 or more they stand straight away. The Dealer will always Stand on soft 17 or above if an ace is in their hand. Players who do not bust and have a total higher than the dealer, win. The dealer will lose if he or she busts, or has a lesser hand than the player who has not busted. If the player and dealer have the same point total, this is called a “push” and the player does not win or lose money on that hand, but simply take their initial bet back. 

Pay out

Again going clockwise around the table, the dealer will assess who has won and lost. If a player has a total lower than the dealer, their bet is taken by the dealer and cards taken away. If a player has won then the dealer pays out 1 to 1. If a player or the dealer in their initial two card hand has an Ace alongside a 10, Jack, Queen, or King, this is known as Blackjack and supersedes any other combination of cards that total 21. Thus if the dealer has a Blackjack hand, then nobody can win, and can only hope to push with another Blackjack hand. If they have 4 cards totalling 21, even though this is the same value as Blackjack, they would lose. If a player has won with a Blackjack hand they are paid out 2 to 1, typically more than the odds of normal Blackjack, but with Fun Casino odds are bettered to encourage participation! 

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