Game Rules Blackjack (multiplayer)

Rule Authority:

InterCasino Blackjack is played and programmed according to Atlantic City Blackjack rules.

Authority: New Jersey Casino Control Commission.

Rule Exceptions: The cards are reshuffled after each hand, and pairs may not be re-split. Any player may not draw any additional cards on split aces.

Premise:

In Blackjack, the player and the dealer are dealt two cards to begin. The objective of blackjack is to accumulate cards that add up closer to 21 than the dealer's cards, without going over 21. Cards are worth their face value except face cards that are worth ten and aces that are worth either 1 or 11. If the value of the players hand is closer to 21 than the dealers the player wins. If the dealer's value is higher than the players, the player will lose. If the hands are of equal value then the deal is a push and the money is returned to the player. If the player has 22 or higher (known as a busted hand), the player loses regardless of whether the dealer also busts.

Summary of rules:

1. 8 52-card decks are used
2. The deck is re-shuffled after approximately one-third of the shoe (the 8 decks of cards) has been dealt.
3. Dealer stands on all 17s
4. Doubling after splitting allowed
5. No re-splitting of cards allowed
6. No surrender
7. Only one additional card allowed on each Ace when splitting a pair of Aces

How to play:

Card Values:

InterCasino Blackjack is played with eight fifty-two card decks. After each hand has been played the cards are then shuffled back into the deck. All face cards are worth 10 and the cards from 2 - 10 are worth their own value. Aces however, can be either valued at 1 or 11; if counting the ace as 11 would take the hand over 21 then it is automatically counted as a 1. The value of the players ace does not have to be specified as it is always assumed that the value that makes the best hand will be used. The value of a hand is the sum of the values of the individual cards.

Betting:

Your chips are first stacked by denomination ($1, $5, $25, $100, $500) at the bottom of the gaming window. The player then selects the amount they want to wager on a given hand by clicking on the chip of the denomination they would like to use.

The player then places their bet on the Baccarat table by clicking on one of the bet fields. The player can also specify a bet that is not equal to an existing chip denomination by clicking on a different chip denomination after placing the last chip on the table. For example, placing a $25 chip and then a $5 chip would make the total of the bet $30.

The player is also able to withdraw their entire wager simply by clicking on the right mouse button. The total of the bet being played will appear in the "Bet" section just below "User". The player may repeat their last bet by clicking on the shortcuts that are summarized below. If the player places a wager that is below the table bet limit, the bet will automatically be put to the minimum bet limit.

Multi-player rules:

Within the multi-player version of Blackjack, the table is able to accommodate five players plus the dealer. You space on the table will be shown by a white light. You may change your position on the table by clicking on the desired spot between the hands around the table. Each player starts by placing a bet on the table. Once all the bets have been placed on the table the player may chose to skip the given deal, before your first card is dealt, by clicking the Pass button. Or the player may proceed with the bet by pressing the Deal button. If the player does not bet or pass within 15 seconds of being dealt their cards then they will automatically be excluded from the hand. If a player joins the table in the middle of a hand they must wait until the round is over and they will be able to bet on the next hand. Each player will receive two cards facing upwards, and the dealer receives one face up and one faced down.

When it is the players turn, and based on the cards held and the dealers visible card, they may do the following by clicking on the appropriate button.

Hit:

Hit requests another card. The player may do this as many times as they like, but if the total then exceeds 21 they will "bust" and lose their hand.

Stand:

A Stand requests that the player receive no more cards. The hand as it then stands will be judged against the dealer's own hand.

Split:

If the player received two cards of the same denomination, then a Split button will appear. This option will only be active immediately after the player receives their first two cards. The player is then able to split their hand into two and play each hand separately. The original bet will then be duplicated for the new hand. Each hand will then be played as usual, except when splitting aces, where only one additional card per hand is dealt. A white box will appear displaying the player's card total of each hand, and will also indicate which hand is active.

The split option may only be used once per hand- you cannot split a part of a split hand. Any winning 21 total is then paid one to one.

Double Down:

After selecting the Double Down button three things may happen - the player will receive one more card, the players turn will end, and the bet will be doubled. This option is only available immediately after the player received their first two cards.

Insurance:

When the dealer's up-card is an Ace, the player has the option to take insurance for half the amount of the bet.

If the player wants to take insurance, they must click the Insurance button. If the player does not want to take the insurance they may press the Pass button to continue with the When the player buys insurance they are betting on the idea that the dealer's down card is a ten or a face card (i.e a natural blackjack card).

If the dealer does possess a 10 ranking card then the player is immediately paid 2 to 1 on the insurance bet, but the original wager is lost unless the player has a blackjack too and pushed with the dealer. If the dealer does not have a natural blackjack then rest of the hand is played as usual, and the player loses their insurance money.

If the player then wins the hand, they will receive their original bet plus the same amount in profit. If they win with a natural Blackjack then they will be paid 3 to 2 odds, which means they will get back their original wager plus 150% profit.

When in multi-player mode, the player may select their next move while they are waiting for the others to complete their play. A dialogue box will appear in the lower half of the screen. The player will then be invited to make their next move (hit, stand, double down or split). They may also select their choice by clicking on the checkbox to the left of their choice. However, the player may wait until the white light appears by their name on the table, and it is their turn.

Payoffs:

Betting Limits:

$2 minimum initial ante

$2,500 maximum bet.

Individual tables may have different higher and lower bet limits. There are two ways to determine the table bet limit for a specific table - by placing the mouse over the specific table which will give a box stating the table number and minimum and maximum bet. Or, the player may click on a specific table and a new window will open displaying this information.

Setting your table bet limit:

You are also able to set your table limit to below the maximum specified limit by selecting Bet Options on the Game Menu. The Modify Table Bet Limit will then appear, and to reduce the maximum type in the new limit in the appropriate box. Then click OK to complete this update. Please be aware that you can only modify your table bet limit once a week (Friday 12:00 AM EST), and using the Modify Table Bet Limit affects the limit for ALL games and not just your current one.

Chatting:

To begin chatting, click on the Chat button at the bottom left-hand corner of the game console. A chat window will pop-up in the top-left hand corner of the game console. You may chat with others at the table by typing in a message in the chat window and pressing Send. Your message and the messages of others will appear in the top part of the game window. The actual location depends on your seating position. If you prefer not to chat, you may close the chat window by clicking on the "x" button in the top right hand corner of the chat window. You may reopen the chat window at any time by clicking on "Chat" in the top menu bar.

Please refrain from using any language or discussing topics that others may deem offensive. Failure to comply with this rule may result in your removal from InterCasino. If you feel that someone is abusing this rule, please send an e-mail to our support team and we will look into it.

Numeric Keyboard Shortcuts:

For keyboards without keypads, you must use the "Fn" key plus the shortcuts above (e.g. 'Fn' + Enter). Please note that these keyboard shortcuts are given as a suggestion only. Some computers may function differently, and the shortcuts may not work on some computers.

Note: You are able to turn on and off the sound, voice and animation at anytime by clicking on the Options button that is located on the lower left-hand area of the console. The setting is turned on is the box is checked and off when it is unchecked, you must exit and re-enter the game to re-activate the animation feature.

References:

For further information on blackjack, please consult the following references:

• Carlson, Bryce. Blackjack for Blood, Compustar Press, 1992.
• Humble, Lance and Cooper, Carl. The World's Greatest Blackjack Book, Doubleday, 1987.
• Scoblete, Frank. Best Blackjack, Bonus Books, 1996.
• Tamburin, Henry. Reference Guide to Casino Gambling, Research Services Unlimited, 1993.
• Uston, Ken. Million Dollar Blackjack, Carol Publishing Group, 1994.