Blackjack Guide
The Basics
The objective of Blackjack is for the sum of your cards to reach as close to 21 as possible. Cards 2-10 count as their face value, face cards are valued at 10, and Aces are valued at either 1 or 11, whichever is more beneficial. The Player's goal is to have a higher total than the dealer without going over 21. The Player can see one of the Dealer's initial two cards, but not the other.
The Player wins double their money if:
The Dealer busts and the Player does not
The Player's total is higher than the Dealer's and the Dealer did not bust
The Player wins two and a half times their money if:
The Player is dealt Blackjack (an Ace and a card valued at 10) and the Dealer is not.
The Player loses their money if:
The total value of the Player's cards exceeds 21, the Player has busted, and does not win regardless of the Dealer's total.
The Dealer has a higher total than the Player without exceeding 21, the Player loses.
The Dealer is dealt Blackjack (an Ace and a card valued at 10) and the Player is not.
The Player's money is returned if:
The Player and the dealer have the same total.
Both the Dealer and the Player are dealt Blackjack (an Ace and a card valued at 10).
Player options
The Player can make 6 types of decisions during the game: BET INSURANCE, HIT, STAND, DOUBLE, SPLIT, and SURRENDER.
BET INSURANCE: If the Dealer's visible card is an Ace, he has a high probability of having Blackjack. A Player may make an insurance bet to limit this possibility. If the Player chooses to take insurance and the Dealer has blackjack, the Player will be given back his initial bet plus the insurance bet. If the Dealer does not have blackjack, the Player continues playing as normal.
HIT: When the Player chooses HIT, he is dealt another card to increase his total.
STAND: By choosing STAND, the Player declines to be dealt any more cards on this hand.
DOUBLE: A Player choosing DOUBLE doubles his original bet, and takes only one more card on that hand.
SPLIT: If both of the player's cards have the same value, a player may choose to SPLIT. The player takes one of their cards and forms a new hand, then plays on it as normal.
SURRENDER: A Player who chooses SURRENDER is given back half of his original bet, and does not continue to play.
Dealer behavior
The Dealer always goes after the Player.
The Dealer will always hit if his total is 16 or lower.
The Dealer will always stand on a 17 or higher unless he has a "soft 17" (a 17 with an Ace valued at 11)
