#$ Help Index

Procedures

	Placing a Bet
	Changing Number of Decks
	Dealing the Cards
	Taking a Hit
	Finishing the Hand
	Doubling Down
	Splitting the Hand
	Getting a Marker

Commands

	Game Menu

Glossary

	Defined Terms

The index contains a list of all Help topics available for the Help Example. For information on how to use Help, press F1 or choose Using Help from the Help menu.
$#Game Menu

The Game menu includes commands that enable you to restart the game, change the brand of cards being dealt, and to exit from the program.

New	Restarts the game, shuffles the cards, sets the base bet to $10, markers to $100 and chooses single deck Blackjack.

Deck	Allows you to select the brand of cards to use when playing the game.

#$Glossary

Bet
BlackjackDeal
Deck
Double Down
Hit
Insurance
Marker
Stake
Wager - see Bet

#$KPlacing a Bet

In order to place a bet, also called a wager, move to the "base bet amount" box and change the value shown.

You cannot change the base bet amount once a hand is in play, nor can you bet more than your stake.

The base bet represents how much you are wagering on a single hand. If you Split your cards, or double down, you are doubling the base bet amount.

#$KChanging Number of Decks

In Las Vegas, you'll find that the large casinos on the strip deal any or all of:

	Single Deck - one deck of 52 cards, dealt from the dealer's hand

	Double Deck - two decks of 52 cards, dealt from the dealer's hand

	Multi-Deck Shoes - a device that is built to contain a large number of cards, typically 6 decks of 52 cards, where the dealer extracts one card at a time from the shoe.

#$KDealing the Cards

After placing a bet, click on the "Deal/Stand" button to tell the dealer that you are ready to play a hand.

You and the dealer will each receive two cards. This is known as the Deal. 

One of the dealer's cards remains face down until you are finished playing your hand.

If the dealer has an ace showing, you will be offered Insurance.

If your two cards total 21 (Blackjack), and the dealer does not have 21, you will immediately be paid 1.5 times your bet and the hand is over.

If you do not have 21 with only two cards, you can Double Down.

If both of your cards are the same value, you may Split the hand.

#$KTaking a Hit

In the game of Blackjack, an ace can be counted as either 1 or 11.

As long as the total of your cards does not exceed 20, you may draw a card, or as it's called in the game, take a Hit.

If your hand totals exactly 21, regardless of the number of cards, you cannot take another hit.

If the total of your cards exceeds 21, you lose your wager. This is known as "going broke", or "going bust", or simply "busted".

If you don't want another card, you tell the dealer that you stand by clicking on the Deal/Stand button.

The dealer can take a hit only when his hand total is less than 17. Once the dealer's hand value is greater than 17, the hand is over.

#$KFinishing the Hand

Once you have clicked on the Deal/Stand button, it is the dealer's turn to play.

If your hand is busted (the total value is greater than 21), no more cards are drawn by the dealer, because you have already lost the hand.

The dealer must continue to hit his own hand until the hand value is greater than 16.

When you and the dealer have both finished playing, your Stake is adjusted by the amount of your Bet.

#$KDoubling Down

Immediately after the deal, you can click on the Double Down button to tell the dealer that you are doubling your bet and you will take only a single Hit.

The best times to double down are when your first two cards total 10 or 11. If the dealer has a 10 (or Jack, Queen or King) showing, then you may not wish to double down on 11, because getting hit with an ace will hurt your hand.

Many players will double down whenever the dealer has a 5 or less showing and one of their cards is an ace.

Note that if you Split your original hand into two hands, you can double down either or both of the resulting hands, as long as you don't take a hit first.

#$KSplitting the Hand

When the first two cards dealt to you are the same value, you can "Split" your hand. In this case, the dealer will make two hands out of the single hand, with each of the new cards containing one of the cards from the original hand.

After creating two hands, the dealer will give you an additional card for each of the hands.

Either or both of the hands now plays (in turn) exactly as though the hands were dealt individually. This means that you can Double Down on either or both of the hands, get Blackjack on either or both, etc. The only thing you cannot do is Split a hand that is already split.

Note that there is one exception to the above - when you split aces, you receive the second card for each hand, but you are not allowed to double down or even take a hit on either hand. In other words, when you split aces, you get a total of only two cards for each of the new hands.

#$KGetting a Marker

In order to play Blackjack, you must have money (chips). The amount of money you have to play with is called your Stake.

In order to get the money in the first place, you must obtain a Marker from the casino. A Marker is a check drawn on your checking account.

In Las Vegas, after you are finished playing, you can buy back your Markers, presuming you have the money to do so. If you don't buy back your Markers, the casino will deposit the checks.

Most large casinos also have a system whereby you can obtain cash advances on your credit card, but we didn't want to complicate things with such a system, because it takes too long to get an authorization for your credit card.