From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A game of Blackjack with a blackjack hand of 21.

Blackjack, also known as Twenty-one, Vingt-et-un (French for Twenty-one), or Pontoon, is the most widely played casino banking game in the world.^[1] The standard game is played with one or more Anglo-American decks containing 52 cards. The basic rules of the game involve adding the value of an initial two card hand in hopes of being dealt a value of twenty-one. The player may choose to be dealt single cards until the total value of the hand reaches twenty-one (the best hand) or exceeds 21 (a 'bust', immediately losing), or until they are satisfied and do not wish to draw any more cards. Kings, queens and jacks and tens all contribute a value of ten towards hand totals, and any of these cards may be referred to as a 'ten' or a 'picture' in a blackjack context. Aces count as 1 or 11 at the player's discretion. The game is played against a dealer, who follows the player in drawing cards. The winner holds a hand with a value of, or nearest to, twenty-one without exceeding it. The game is played in many variations at casinos with different table rules. Much of blackjack's popularity is due to the mix of chance, skill, and the publicity that surrounds card counting (varying one's wager and playing strategy to take advantage of knowledge of the cards yet to be dealt). The casino game should not be confused with the British card game Black Jack.

History

Blackjack's precursor was "twenty-one," a game of unknown origin. The first written reference is found in a book of Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote, and a gambler himself. The main characters of his tale "Rinconete y Cortadillo", from "Novelas Ejemplares", are a couple of cheaters working in Seville. They are proficient at cheating at "veintiuna" (Spanish for twenty-one), and stated that the object of the game is to reach 21 points without busting, and that the Ace values 1 or 11. The game is played with the Spanish Baraja, that is without eights, nines and tens. This short story was written between 1601 and 1602, so the game was played in Castilia since the beginning of the 17th Century or even earlier. Later references of this game are found in France and Spain.^[2]

When 21 was introduced in the United States it was not very popular, so gambling houses tried offering various bonus payouts to get the players to the tables. One such bonus was a 10-to-1 payout if the player's hand consisted of the ace of spades and a black Jack (either the Jack of clubs or the Jack of spades). This hand was called a "blackjack" and the name stuck to the game, even though the bonus payout was soon abolished. In the modern game, a "natural" or "blackjack" is simply an ace plus a ten-value card.

Rules of play against a casino

In Blackjack at a casino, the dealer faces one to seven players from behind an arc-shaped table. Each player plays his hand independently against the dealer. At the beginning of each round, the player places a bet in the "betting box" and receives an initial hand of two cards. The object of the game is to get a higher card total than the dealer, but without going over 21 which is called "busting", "breaking", or many other terms. Cards with a number 2 to 10 printed on them count as that value; the jack, queen, and king (also known as "face cards") count as 10; and the ace card can be either 1 or 11 at the player's choice. The player goes first and plays his hand by taking additional cards if he desires. If he goes over 21 points, he "busts" and automatically loses the hand and his bet. Then the dealer plays his or her hand. If the dealer busts, he loses to all remaining players who have cards whose values are equal to or below 21. If neither busts, the higher hand total wins. If a player ties with the dealer the hand is a "push" and the player's bet is returned. It is possible for the dealer to lose to some players but still beat other players in the same round.

Example of a Blackjack game. The top half of the picture shows the beginning of the round, with bets placed and an initial two cards for each player. The bottom half shows the end of the round, with the associated losses or payoffs.

Cards are dealt in three ways, either from one or two hand-held decks, from a box (known as a "shoe") containing four to eight decks, or from a shuffling machine. When dealt by hand, the player's two initial cards are usually face-down, while the dealer has one face-up card called the "upcard" and one face-down card called the "hole card." (In European blackjack, the dealer's hole card is not actually dealt until the players all play their hands.) When dealt from a shoe, all player cards are normally dealt face-up, with minor exceptions. It shouldn't matter to the non-expert player whether his cards are dealt face-down or face-up since the dealer must play according to predetermined rules. If the dealer has less than 17, he must hit. If the dealer has 17 or more, he must stand (take no more cards), unless it is a "soft 17" (a hand that includes an ace valued as "11," for example a hand consisting of Ace+6, or Ace+2+4). With a soft 17, the dealer follows the casino rules printed on the blackjack table, either to "hit soft 17" or to "stand on all 17's."

Normally, the highest possible hand is a "blackjack" or "natural," meaning an initial two-card total of 21 (an ace and a ten-value card). A player who is dealt a blackjack is an automatic winner unless the dealer also has blackjack, in which case the hand is a "push" (a tie). When the dealer upcard is an ace, the player is allowed to make a side bet called "insurance," supposedly to guard against the risk that the dealer has a blackjack (i.e., a ten-value card as his hole card). The insurance bet pays 2-to-1 if the dealer has a blackjack. Whenever the dealer has a blackjack, he wins against all player hands except those that also have a blackjack (which are a "push").

The minimum and maximum bets are posted on the table. The payoff on most bets is 1:1, meaning that the player wins the same amount as he bets. The payoff for a player blackjack is 3:2, meaning that the casino pays $3 for each $2 originally bet.

Player decisions

After receiving his initial two cards, the player has four standard options: he can "hit," "stand," "double down," or "split a pair." Each option requires the use of a hand signal. At some casinos or tables, the player may have a fifth option called "surrender."

• Hit: Take another card from the dealer.

signal: (handheld) Scrape cards against table. (face up) Touch finger to table or wave hand toward himself.

• Stand: Take no more cards; also known as "stick" or "stay".

signal: (handheld) Slide cards under bet. (face up) Wave hand horizontally.

• Double down: After receiving his first two cards and before any more are dealt to him, a player has the option to "double down." This means the player is allowed to double his initial bet in exchange for receiving only one more card from the dealer. The hand played consists of his original two cards plus one more from the dealer. To do this he moves a second bet equal to the first into the betting box next to his original bet. (If desired and allowed by casino rules, the player is usually allowed to "double down for less," placing an amount less than the original bet next to it in the betting box, although this is generally not a good idea as the player should only double in favorable situations but should then increase the bet as much as possible. Conversely, a player cannot "double down for more" than the value of the original bet.)

signal: Place additional chips next to (not on top of) the original bet.

• Split a pair: If his first two cards are a "pair," meaning two cards of the same value, the player can "split the pair." To do this, he moves a second bet equal to the first into an area outside the betting box of the original bet. The dealer separates the cards to create two hands, placing one bet with each hand. The player then plays two separate hands.

signal: Place additional chips next to the original bet outside of the betting box.

• Surrender: Some casinos offer a fifth option called "surrender." After the dealer has checked for blackjack, the player may "surrender" by giving up half his bet and not playing out the hand.

signal: There is no commonly accepted hand signal; it is just done verbally.

Hand signals are used to assist the "eye in the sky," a person or video camera located above the table but concealed behind one-way glass. This tool is used to protect the casino against dealers or players who cheat. It may also be used to protect the casino against card counters, even though card counting is not illegal in the United States.

The player can take as many hits as he wants as long as the total in his hand is not above hard-20. However, if he busts, he loses that hand. After all players have finished making their decisions, the dealer then reveals his hole card and plays out his or her hand according to predetermined rules.

Rule variations and the "house advantage"

The blackjack player will encounter many rule variations which affect the house advantage and therefore affect his chances of winning. Some rules are determined by law or regulation, others by the casino itself. Not all rules are posted, so the player may have to ask either beforehand or when the situation occurs. Over 100 variations exist.^[3]

As with all casino games, blackjack incorporates a "house advantage" or "house edge". The primary house advantage in blackjack comes from the fact that if the player busts he loses, regardless of whether the dealer subsequently busts. Nonetheless, a blackjack player using basic strategy will lose less than 1% of his total wagered amount with strictly average luck; this is very favorable to the player compared to other casino games. The loss rate of players who deviate from basic strategy through ignorance is in general expected to be greater.

Dealer hits soft 17

Each casino has a rule about whether or not the dealer hits soft 17, a rule which is printed on the table itself. In the "S17" game, the dealer stands on all 17s. In the "H17" game, the dealer hits on soft 17s. Of course, the dealer always stands on hard 17s. In either case, the dealer has no choice; he either must or must not hit. The "Hit soft 17" game is less favorable to the player with about a 0.2% higher house advantage.

Number of decks

The number of decks used has a major effect on the player's chance of winning, because it affects the house advantage. All things being equal, fewer decks are always more favorable for the basic strategy player. One cause of this is that player blackjack is slightly more likely in single deck blackjack (because blackjack requires two different cards, by removing a card of one type (e.g., a Ten), getting one of a different type (e.g., an Ace) is more likely - and the effect is much greater in a single deck game than in a multi-deck game), and if the player does have blackjack, the dealer is significantly less likely to have blackjack as well (which is a push), meaning that statistically the player should get paid at 3:2 more often in the single deck game.

When single deck blackjack is offered, it is generally offered with more restrictive rules that favor the house. For illustrative purposes, the statistics below all use the same rules: double after split, resplit to four hands, one card to split Aces, no surrender, double on any two cards, original bets only lost on dealer blackjack, dealer hits soft 17, and cut-card used. The single deck game is much better than double deck, which is significantly better than four decks, while from six decks and up there is very little difference.

Surrender

Some casinos offer a favorable option called "surrender," which allows the player to give up half his bet and not play out the hand. This option is sometimes referred to as "late" surrender because it occurs after the dealer has checked his or her hole card for a blackjack. When casinos first opened in Atlantic City, the surrender option was available before the dealer checked for blackjack - a rule highly advantageous to the player - but this "early surrender" option soon disappeared. Early surrender variations still exist in several countries.

The player should only surrender on the very worst hands, because having even a 25% chance of winning will result in a better average return than giving up half of his bet. With early surrender, a player is more likely to surrender against a dealer Ace.

Resplitting

If the player splits a pair other than aces and a third card of that value appears, the player can usually split again (or "resplit") by putting up another bet equal to the original bet. Then there will be three bets on the table and three separate hands. Some casinos allow unlimited resplitting of cards other than aces, while others may limit it to a certain number of hands, such as four hands (for example, "resplit to 4").

Hit/resplit split aces

After splitting aces, one common rule is that only one card will be dealt to each ace; the player cannot split, double, or take another hit on either hand. Rule variants include allowing resplitting aces or allowing the player to hit split aces. Allowing the player to hit hands resulting from split aces reduces the casino edge by about 0.13%; allowing resplitting aces reduces the edge by about 0.03%. While resplitting aces is not uncommon, houses that allow the player to hit split aces are extremely rare.

Double after split

After splitting a pair, most casinos allow the player to "double down" on either or both of the new two-card hands. This is called "double after split" and provides an advantage to the player of about 0.12%.

Double on 9/10/11 or 10/11 only

Often called "Reno" rules, this rule restricts the player to doubling down only on an initial player total of 10 or 11 (sometimes 9, 10, or 11 - more common in Europe). It prevents doubling on soft hands such as soft 17 (ace-6), and is unfavorable for the player. It increases the house advantage by between 0.09% (8 decks) and 0.15% (1 deck) for the 9-11 rule, and between 0.17% (8 decks) and 0.26% (single deck) for the 10-11 rule. These numbers can vary due to interaction with other rules.

No hole-card

In most non-U.S. casinos, a 'no hole card' game is played, meaning that the dealer does not draw nor consult his second card until after all players have finished making decisions. With no hole card, it is almost never correct basic strategy to double or split against a dealer ten or ace, since a dealer blackjack will result in the loss of the split and double bets; the only exception is with a pair of A's against a dealer 10, where it is still correct to split. In all other cases, a stand, hit or surrender is called for. For instance, holding 11 against a dealer 10, the correct strategy is to double in a hole card game (where the player knows the dealer's second card is not an ace), but to hit in a no hole card game. The no hole card rule adds approximately 0.11% to the house edge.

In some places, if the dealer is later found to have blackjack, the player loses only his original bet but not any additional bets (doubles or splits). This has the same basic strategy as the hole card game, and the same advantage.

Altered payout for blackjack

In many casinos, usually at tables with the lowest table minimums and single-deck games, a blackjack pays only 6:5 or even 1:1 instead of the usual 3:2. Among common rule variations in the U.S., these altered payouts for blackjack are the most damaging to the player, causing the greatest increase in house edge. Since blackjack occurs in approximately 4.8% of hands, the 1:1 game increases the house edge by 2.3%, while the 6:5 game adds 1.4% to the house edge. The 1:1 payout for video blackjack is a key reason why it has never approached the table version in terms of popularity, as well as the fact that cards are shuffled after every deal, which renders counting schemes much less effective. The 6:5 rule is most commonly employed on table blackjack at single deck games - which are otherwise the most attractive game for a basic strategy player.

Dealer wins ties

Allowing the dealer to win all push hands is catastrophic to the player. Though rarely used in standard blackjack, it is sometimes seen in "blackjack-like" games such as in some charity casinos.

Insurance

If the dealer's upcard is an ace, the player is offered the option of taking insurance before the dealer checks his or her 'hole card'.

Insurance is a side bet of up to half the original bet placed on a special portion of the table usually marked "Insurance Pays 2 to 1". This side bet is offered only when the dealer's exposed card is an ace. The idea is that the dealer's second card has a fairly high probability (nearly one-third) to be ten-valued, giving the dealer a blackjack and almost certainly results in a loss for the player. It is attractive (although not necessarily wise) for the player to insure against this possibility by making an "insurance" bet, which pays 2-to-1 if the dealer has a blackjack, in which case the "insurance proceeds" will make up for the concomitant loss on the original bet. The insurance bet is lost if the dealer does not have blackjack, although the player can still win or lose on the original bet.

Insurance is a poor bet for the player unless he is counting cards because, in an infinite deck, 4/13 of the cards have a value of ten (10, J, Q, or K) and 9/13 therefore are not, so the theoretical return for an infinite deck game is 4/13 * 2 * bet - 9/13 * bet = -1 /13 * bet, or -7.69%. In practice, the average house edge will be lower than this, because by eliminating even one non-ten card from the shoe (the dealer's ace), the proportion of the remaining cards that are valued at ten is higher. Even so, the bet is generally to be avoided, as the house's average edge is still more than 7%.

A player who is counting cards can keep count of the remaining tens in the shoe and use it to make insurance bets only when he has an edge (e.g., when more than one third of the remaining cards are tens). In addition, in a multi-hand single deck game, it is possible for insurance to be a good bet simply by observing the other cards on the table - for an initial hand, if the dealer has an ace, then there are 51 cards left in the deck, of which 16 are tens. However, if there are as few as 2 players playing, and none of their two initial cards are tens, then that means that 16 out of 47 remaining cards are ten - better than 1 in 3, and so the insurance bet is a good one.^[4]

When the player has blackjack and the dealer has an ace, the insurance bet may be offered as "even money", meaning that the player's blackjack is paid immediately at 1:1 before checking the dealer's hand. 'Even money' is only a slightly different bet; the difference being that the player must have sufficient funds to insure the blackjack if even money is not offered. Taking even money is generally even worse than average, because one of the player's two cards is a ten, so the proportion of tens remaining in the deck is lower.

In casinos where a hole card is dealt, a dealer who is showing a card with a value of ace or 10 may slide the corner of his hole card over a small mirror or electronic sensor on the tabletop in order to check whether he has a blackjack. This practice minimizes the risk of inadvertently revealing the hole card, which may give the sharp-eyed player a considerable advantage.

Side bets

Some casinos offer a side bet with their blackjack games. Examples include side bets based on getting three 7s, a three card poker-style bet, a pair, and many others.^[5] For the side bet, the player will typically put up an additional wager alongside his main bet and can win or lose the side bet, regardless of the main game result. The house edge for side bets is usually much higher than the main game.

Blackjack strategy

Basic strategy

The complete set of optimal player decisions on the first hand after a shuffle in a single-box game is known as basic strategy. Basic strategy is also the optimal play for a player oblivious to what cards have been exposed since the last shuffle. The basic strategy table below applies to the following ruleset:

• 4 to 8 decks
• Dealer stands on soft 17
• Double on any 2 cards
• Double after split allowed
• Only original bets lost on dealer Blackjack
• Late surrender

Key:

S = Stand

H = Hit

Dh = Double (if not allowed, then hit)

Ds = Double (if not allowed, then stand)

SP = Split

SU = Surrender (if not allowed, then hit except stand on 16v10 if not first two cards.)

Most Las Vegas Strip casinos hit on soft 17. This rule change requires a slightly modified basic strategy table: double on 11 verses a dealer's upcard being an ace, double on A/7 verses a dealer 2, and double on A/8 versus a 6 and surrender the following: 15 versus A, 17 versus A and 8/8 versus A. Most casinos outside of Las Vegas still stand on soft 17.

Card counting

During the course of a blackjack shoe, the dealer progressively exposes cards which are dealt to his own and the players' hands. Careful observation of the exposed cards allows a player to make inferences about the cards which remain to be dealt, and use these inferences in two ways:

• The player can make larger bets when he has the advantage. For example, the player can increase the starting bet if there are many aces and tens left in the deck, in the hope of hitting a blackjack.
• The player can deviate from basic strategy according to the composition of the undealt cards. For example, with many tens left in the deck, the player may double down in more situations since there is a better chance of making a strong hand.

A typical card-counting system applies a point score for each rank of card (e.g 1 point for 2-6 , 0 points for 7-9 and -1 point for T-A). Whenever a card is exposed, a counter adds the score of that card to his running total score, which is used to make betting and playing decisions according to a table which he has learned. The count starts at 0 for a freshly shuffled deck for "balanced" counting systems. Unbalanced counts are often started at a number which reflects the total number of decks.

Depending on the particular blackjack rules in a given casino, basic strategy reduces the house advantage to less than 1%.^[6] Card-counting, if done correctly, can give the player an advantage, typically ranging from 0 to 2% over the house.^[7]

Card-counting mentally is legal and is not considered cheating.^[8] However, most casinos have the right to ban players, with or without cause, and card-counting is frequently used as a justification to ban a player. Usually, the casino will inform the player that he is no longer welcome to play blackjack at that casino and may be banned from the property. Players must be careful not to signal the fact that they are counting, and the use of electronic or other counting devices is usually illegal.

See also: MIT Blackjack Team

Composition-dependent strategy

Basic strategy is based on a player's point total and the dealer's visible card. A player's ideal decision may depend on the composition of his hand, not just the information considered in the basic strategy. For example, a player should ordinarily stand when holding 12 against a dealer 4. However, in a single deck game, the player should hit if his 12 consists of a 10 and a 2; this is because the player wants to receive any card other than a 10 if hitting, and the 10 in the player's hand is one less card available to cause a bust for the player or the dealer.^[9]

However, in situations where basic and composition-dependent strategy lead to different actions, the difference in expected value between the two decisions will be small. Additionally, as the number of decks used in a blackjack game rises, both the number of situations where composition determines the correct strategy and the house edge improvement from using a composition-dependent strategy will fall. Using a composition-dependent strategy only reduces house edge by 0.0031% in a six-deck game, less than one tenth the improvement in a single-deck game (0.0387%).^[10]

Shuffle tracking and other advantage-play techniques

Techniques other than card-counting can swing the advantage of casino blackjack towards the player. All such techniques are based on the value of the cards to the player and the casino, as originally conceived by Edward O. Thorp.^[11] One technique, mainly applicable in multi-deck games, involves tracking groups of cards (aka slugs, clumps, packs) during the play of the shoe, following them through the shuffle and then playing and betting accordingly when those cards come into play from the new shoe. This technique, which is admittedly much more difficult than straight card-counting and requires excellent eyesight and powers of visual estimation, has the additional benefit of fooling casino employees who are monitoring the player's actions and the count, since the shuffle tracker could be, at times, betting and/or playing opposite to how a straightforward card-counter would.^[12]

Arnold Snyder's articles in Blackjack Forum magazine brought shuffle tracking to the general public. His book, The Shuffle Tracker's Cookbook, mathematically analyzed the player edge available from shuffle tracking based on the actual size of the tracked slug. Jerry L. Patterson also developed and published a shuffle-tracking method for tracking favorable clumps of cards and cutting them into play and tracking unfavorable clumps of cards and cutting them out of play. ^[13][14][15] Other legal methods of gaining a player advantage at blackjack include a wide variety of techniques for hole carding or gaining information about the next card to be dealt. In addition, match-play coupons give the skillful basic-strategy blackjack player an edge. And finally, a special promotion - such as 2:1 for a blackjack - can temporarily swing the advantage to the player.

Variants

Pontoon is an English variation of blackjack with significant rule and strategy differences. However, in Australia and Malaysia, Pontoon is an unlicensed version of the American game Spanish 21 played without a hole card; despite the name, it bears no relation to English Pontoon.

Spanish 21 provides players with many liberal blackjack rules, such as doubling down any number of cards (with the option to 'rescue', or surrender only one wager to the house), payout bonuses for five or more card 21s, 6-7-8 21s, 7-7-7 21s, late surrender, and player blackjacks always winning and player 21s always winning, at the cost of having no 10 cards in the deck (though there are jacks, queens, and kings).

21st-Century Blackjack (also known as "Vegas Style" Blackjack) is commonly found in many California card rooms. In this form of the game, a player bust does not always result in an automatic loss; there are a handful of situations where the player can still push if the dealer busts as well, provided that the dealer busts with a higher total.

Certain rule changes are employed to create new variant games. These changes, while attracting the novice player, actually increase the house edge in these games. Double Exposure Blackjack is a variant in which the dealer's cards are both face-up. This game increases house edge by paying even money on blackjacks and players losing ties. Double Attack Blackjack has very liberal blackjack rules and the option of increasing one's wager after seeing the dealer's up card. This game is dealt from a Spanish shoe, and blackjacks only pay even money.

The French and German variant "Vingt-et-un" (Twenty-one) and "Siebzehn und Vier" (Seventeen and Four) don't include splitting. An ace can only count as eleven, but two aces count as a blackjack. This variant is seldom found in casinos but is more common in private circles and barracks.

Chinese Blackjack is played by many in Asia, having no splitting of cards, but with other card combination regulations. Kampung Blackjack is a Malaysian variant of the Chinese Blackjack

Another variant is Blackjack Switch, a version in which a player is dealt two hands and is allowed to switch cards. For example, if the player is dealt 10-6 and 5-10, then the player can switch two cards to make hands of 10-10 and 6-5. Natural blackjacks are paid 1:1 instead of the standard 3:2, and a dealer 22 is a push.

In Multiple Action Blackjack the player places between 2 or 3 bets on a single hand. The dealer then gets a hand for each bet the player places on a hand. This essentially doubles the number of hands a single dealer can play per hour. Splitting and Doubling are still allowed.

Recently, thanks to the popularity of poker, Elimination Blackjack has gained a following. Elimination Blackjack is a tournament format of blackjack.

Many casinos offer optional side bets at standard blackjack tables. For example, one common side-bet is "Royal Match", in which the player is paid if his first two cards are in the same suit, and receives a higher payout if they are a suited queen and king (and a jackpot payout if both the player and the dealer have a suited queen-king hand). Another increasingly common variant is "21+3," in which the player's two cards and the dealer's up card form a three-card poker hand; players are paid 9 to 1 on a straight, flush or three of a kind. These side bets invariably offer worse odds than well-played blackjack.

In April 2007, a new version of blackjack, called "three card blackjack" was approved for play in the State of Washington and is played with one deck of 52 cards. In this version of the game, the players place an ante bet. The players and dealer are then dealt 3 cards each. The players make the best blackjack (21) hand they can using 2 or all 3 cards. If the player likes his hand he makes a play bet that is equivalent to the ante bet. The dealer must qualify with an 18 or better. If the dealer qualifies and the player beats the dealer, the player is paid 1-1 on both the Ante and Play bets. If the dealer does not qualify, the player is paid 1-1 on his Ante bet and Play bet pushes. There is no hitting and no busting. At the same time that the player makes the Ante bet, he has the option of making an "ace plus" bet. If the player has one ace in his hand of 3 cards, he gets paid 1-1. An ace and a 10 or face card pays 3-1. An ace and two 10's or face cards is paid 5-1. Two aces pays 15-1. Three aces pays 100-1.

Blackjack Hall of Fame

In 2002, professional gamblers around the world were invited to nominate great blackjack players for admission into the Blackjack Hall of Fame. Seven members were inducted in 2002, with new people inducted every year after. The Hall of Fame is at the Barona Casino in San Diego. Members include Edward O. Thorp, author of the 1960s book Beat the Dealer which proved that the game could be beaten with a combination of basic strategy and card counting; Ken Uston, who popularized the concept of team play; Arnold Snyder, author and editor of the Blackjack Forum trade journal; Stanford Wong, author and popularizer of the "Wonging" technique of only playing at a positive count, and several others.

See also

• Glossary of blackjack terms

Notes

Sources

• Beat the Dealer : A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One, Edward O. Thorp, 1966, ISBN 978-0-394-70310-7
• Blackbelt in Blackjack, Arnold Snyder, 1998 (1980), ISBN 978-0-910575-05-8
• Blackjack: A Winner's Handbook, Jerry L. Patterson, 2001, (1978), ISBN 978-0-399-52683-1
• Ken Uston on Blackjack, Ken Uston, 1986, ISBN 978-0-8184-0411-5
• Knock-Out Blackjack, Olaf Vancura and Ken Fuchs, 1998, ISBN 978-0-929712-31-4
• Luck, Logic, and White Lies: The Mathematics of Games, Jörg Bewersdorff, 2004, ISBN 978-1-56881-210-6, 121-134
• Million Dollar Blackjack, Ken Uston, 1994 (1981), ISBN 978-0-89746-068-2
• Playing Blackjack as a Business, Lawrence Revere, 1998 (1971), ISBN 978-0-8184-0064-3
• Professional Blackjack, Stanford Wong, 1994 (1975), ISBN 978-0-935926-21-7
• The Theory of Blackjack, Peter Griffin, 1996 (1979), ISBN 978-0-929712-12-3
• The Theory of Gambling and Statistical Logic, Richard A. Epstein, 1977, ISBN 978-0-12-240761-1, 215-251
• The World's Greatest Blackjack Book, Lance Humble and Carl Cooper, 1980, ISBN 978-0385153829

Regulation in the United Kingdom

• Statutory Instrument 1994 No. 2899 The Gaming Clubs (Bankers' Games) Regulations 1994
• Statutory Instrument 2000 No. 597 The Gaming Clubs (Bankers' Games) (Amendment) Regulations 2000
• Statutory Instrument 2002 No. 1130 The Gaming Clubs (Bankers' Games) (Amendment) Regulations 2002

External links

• BlackjackinColor

Blackjack calculators

• Server based calculator
• Browser based calculator (using JavaScript)
• Card-counting.com - Multiple calculators and charts

From StrategyWiki, the free strategy guide and walkthrough wiki

Blackjack
Developer(s)	Atari
Publisher(s)	Atari
Release date(s)	1977
Genre(s)	Board game
System(s)	Atari 2600
Players	1–3

Blackjack was one of the nine Atari 2600 titles that launched with the system in 1977. Blackjack is obviously a video version of the real-world card game with the same name. One to three players compete against a computer dealer in an attempt to get the closest to 21 without busting. Each player starts with 200 dollars and strives to break the bank by reaching 1,000.

While playing Blackjack at home wasn't a novel idea, playing against a computer was. Even though Atari was marketing to the younger generation who enjoyed playing action-intense games at the arcade, it was also trying to appeal to adults who had never been formally introduced to a computer before by providing familiar, and easy to understand games.

Blackjack used the paddle controller to allow up to three players to play simultaneously. Players could also use the right difficulty switch to choose between two different set of rules, known as Casino rules and Private rules. A more unusual feature of the game was the ability to let a player temporarily remove themselves from the game, allowing the game to continue without them, and then being able to come back in at any time and pick up where they left off.

Controls

• : Switch between color display and black & white display. (This feature made the game look better on black & white TVs that were still prominent at the time of the game's release.)
• : When the left difficulty switch is set to , the computer dealer will shuffle the deck at the end of every hand. Set the switch to , and the dealer will wait until two thirds of the deck (34 cards) have been dealt before shuffling the deck.
• : Use the right difficulty switch to choose between two different sets of rules.
  • Set the right difficulty switch to for Casino Black Jack Rules, which includes:
    • The computer dealer must hit on a soft (ace showing) 17 or less.
    • The computer dealer must stay on a hard 17.
    • Your score is unaffected by a tie game between you and the dealer.
    • You may only double your bet if you are showing 10 or 11 before the first hit.
    • A player is allowed no more than four hits.
  • Set the right difficulty switch to for Private Black Jack Rules, which includes:
    • The computer dealer must stay on 17 or higher, regardless of combination.
    • Tie games are won by the dealer.
    • You may double your bet on any combination of cards before the first hit.
    • A player automatically wins if he or she hits four times without busting.
• : Use the select button to cycle through every permutation of player setups. By pressing or holding the select button, each player is taken in or out of the game. When a player is removed from the game, their current dollar amount is remembered in case they return. If a player runs out of money, or breaks the bank, the select button must be pressed to cycle them back into the game with a new bank roll of $200. Pressing the select button in the middle of the game will not disturb the current totals of any player remaining in the game.
• : Starts a new game entirely. The deck is shuffled and all existing players are given $200.
• : The paddle controller is used at two particular moments; when placing a bet, and when choosing an action. Twist the knob or when placing a bet to choose from between a 1 and 25 dollar bet. Twist the knob when its your turn to choose between Stay, Hit, and if it's available at the time, Double your bet.
• : Press the controller button when you are satisfied with you selection and would like to lock it in.

Rules

Issuing commands

Blackjack is a fairly straightforward game, enjoyed by many casino patrons. All players play against the dealer, never each other, using one single deck of cards. The goal is to get as close to 21 points without going over 21. Each card is worth a different number of points.

Number cards

All number cards are worth the number of points printed on the card.

Face cards

All face cards are worth exactly 10 points.

Ace

The Ace card is special. It can be worth either 1 point or 11 points.

Therefore, a Jack and an Ace would be considered 21 points. But since the goal is to remain under 21, a Jack, a 5, and an Ace would be considered 16 points, not 26 points. Any time a player is dealt 21 points with the first two cards (a Blackjack), the player automatically wins 1.5 times the bet that he or she placed.

21 points

16 points

How to play

Play begins by placing your bets. You must choose to bet between 1 and 25 dollars. You are doing so blindly, because you must bet before you see any of the cards in your hand or the dealer's. So bet as much as you are willing to lose. Once every player locks in their bets, the dealer begins to deal the cards, two cards for every player (face up) and two cards for himself, one face up and the other face down. At this point, each player must choose one of three commands:

1. STAY: If a player is satisfied with their hand, are afraid that drawing one more card will give them a score above 21, or it likely the dealer will bust given his showing card, they will choose Stay, and their turn will end.
2. HIT: If a player feels that his or her score is particularly low, and would like to draw more card to bring their score closer to 21, they may Hit. If a player Hits and their score becomes higher than 21, they bust and lose the round. In either set of rules, a player may only Hit four times. However, in Private Blackjack rules, if a player Hits four times without busting, they automatically win the round.
3. 

   

   The final results
   DBLE: The last command is Double, and may only be used before the first Hit. If a player choose Double, they will draw one and only one card, and their turn is over. If they win the hand, they win double the amount of their initial bet. If they lose the hand, they will likewise lose double the amount of their initial bet.

The ability to use Double depends on which rules are being used. In Private Blackjack rules, a player is allowed to Double his or her bet after the first two cards are dealt, regardless of which two cards are showing. In Casino Blackjack rules, a player may only double his or her bet if the two cards dealt give the player 10 or 11 points.

Once all players are done issuing commands, the dealer flips over his face down card. What the dealer does next depends on the rules in play. If the deal has not reached the score he needs in order to stop Hitting, he will continue to draw cards until he reaches that score, or he busts. If the dealer busts, every player wins. If the dealer does not bust and Stays, then the dealer's score is compared to the player's score (provided at least one player has not busted). If the player is closer to 21 than the dealer, the player wins. If the dealer is closer to 21, the player loses. If the player and the dealer tie, the rules state what happens. In Private Blackjack rules, a tie means the dealer wins. In Casino Blackjack rules, a tie is a draw; the player neither wins, nor loses money.

Play continues for each player until they either lose all of their money, or break the bank (reach $1,000). If either event occurs, a player may start over at any time with a new bank roll of $200.

From Wikia Gaming, your source for walkthroughs, games, guides, and more!

Also known as 21 or Pontoon. Not to be confused with Black Jack. Blackjack is one of the most popular, and quickest to learn casino games in existence. The game is played with a standard 52 card deck, jokers removed. Depending on location, anywhere from one to six decks may comprise a 'shoe'.

Object of the game

The object of the game is simple. To beat the dealer by having a higher point total then the dealer, to be still in the hand when the Dealer 'busts' (see below), or to be dealt a Blackjack, which is a starting hand of an Ace and any Ten-card (Tens, Jacks, Queens, Kings).

How to Play

The game begins with the player putting up their bet. Tables can sustain a maximum of 7 players. A hand begins with the Dealer delivering one card face up to each player, starting on his left, and then one face down card to himself. The Dealer then delivers a second card to all players, and then a second face down card to himself. The first card of the Dealer is then turned face up, and placed on top of the other face-down, or 'hole', card. The Dealer will then check all hands for Blackjack. If a player has Blackjack, they are paid 3:2 on their bet. If Dealer has Blackjack, all players (save those with a Blackjack) lose, and their bet is collected by the Dealer.

If Dealer does not have Blackjack, players may attempt to improve their hands by taking a 'hit' of another card, starting from the player on the Dealer's left. A card counts for the number on it, with Jacks, Queens, and Kings counting for 10. Aces are variable, worth either 1 or 11. The goal is to get as close to 21 as possible without going over. If a player takes a hit, and their hand total is 22 or more, they have 'busted', and they lose their bet. When a player wishes to take no more cards, they 'Stand', and play passes to the next player to the right.

Players may also make increases in their bets under certain conditions. The first type of bet increase can be made on any hand. It is known as 'Doubling Down'. The player may make an additional bet of up to the amount of their original wager. In exchange, they receive one new card, and their turn is over. Doubling Down can be done on any two cards. The second is known as 'Splitting.' If a player is dealt a pair (two cards with the same value, ie two 8s), they may 'Split' that pair into two new hands. This is done by making a second wager equal in value to the original bet. The pair is then separated by the dealer, and one card delivered to the first new hand. The player will play out that hand until he stands or busts, and then a second card is delivered to the second hand, and the process is repeated. If another pair is formed on either hand, they can be split again. The normal maximum for splitting is four hands from the one original hand.

After all players either stand or bust, the Dealer reveals his hole card. If the Dealer's hand totals 16 or less, he must hit. If his hand totals 17 or higher, he must stand, and his hand is compared to the remaining player hands. If the Dealer has the higher total, the Dealer wins, and that player loses his bet. If the player has a higher total, the player wins, and they are paid 1:1 on their wager. If both hands are equal, it is a 'Push', and no money is taken or paid. If the Dealer is forced to draw, and he busts, then all hands that have not busted are paid 1:1.

Insurance

There is one final bet that may be placed on a Blackjack game. When the Dealer flips his first card after dealing out the hand, if an Ace is revealed the players may make an Insurance bet. This is a bet of up to one-half the original bet. The Dealer then checks the hole card, and if it is a Ten-card (10, Jack, Queen, King), the Dealer reveals the Blackjack, and collects all losing bets. Any insurance bets are then paid at 2:1.

Related topics

Black Jack

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