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BLACKJACK Topics Making a Backup Diskette ...........1 The Setting ........................1 Object .............................1 Playing the Game ...................2 Tailoring Las Vegas Games ........3 Options ..........................3 The Keys ...........................6 How the Dealer Plays ...............6 Basic Strategy .....................6 Card Counts ........................7 Ending the Game ....................8 End of Topics 1 Making a Backup Diskette~ ------------------------ It is important to make a backup copy of your Blackjack diskette in case your original diskette is lost or damaged. You can make only one copy. Choose the option "Make a Backup Copy" on the Main Menu and follow the instructions on the screen. The Setting~ ----------- In the game of Blackjack (also known as Twenty-one) you pit your skill-- and luck--against the casino. The casino blackjack table has a dealer and up to seven other players. You play against the dealer--in this case, the dealer is your computer. One or more ordinary decks of playing cards are used. Object~ ------ The object of Blackjack is to beat the dealer. You win if: o You have blackjack and the dealer does not. Blackjack is a hand containing an ace and a card with a value of 10. A ace is counted as 11 for a hand count of 21 points. Note: The count of a hand is the sum of the values of all the cards in the hand. Cards 2 through 10 are counted at face value. The jack, queen, and king count as 10. Aces count as either 1 or 11. o You are closer to a hand count of 21 without busting (going over 21) than the dealer. o You have 21 or less and the dealer busts. 2 You lose if: o The dealer has blackjack and you do not. o You bust (even though the dealer busts later). o Your hand point total is less than the dealer's total. If you and the dealer push (you both have the same point total), no money changes hands. Playing the Game~ ---------------- Blackjack offers you most of the common games of four different gambling areas: o Las Vegas Strip o Las Vegas Downtown o Lake Tahoe/Reno o Atlantic City ===================================== To begin playing Blackjack, choose either Las Vegas Strip or the optional game menu from the first screen. If you choose Las Vegas Strip, you play the standard game with preselected rules. If you choose from the optional game menu, you can tailor your game by specifying the number of card decks to be used, the minimum and maximum bet allowed, and whether players can make insurance bets (see below). 3 Tailoring Las Vegas Games~ You can also tailor the Las Vegas games by specifying whether: o You want to play with the surrender option and, if so, whether you want early surrender (before the dealer checks for blackjack) or conventional surrender (after the dealer checks for blackjack) o Cards can be split one, two, or three times o Six cards that add up to less than 22 automatically win o You can double your bet only when your cards add up to 10 or 11 o You can double your bet after a split o You can double if you have more than two cards o You play your hand early, that is, before dealer checks for blackjack. o Any two cards each with a value of ten is considered a pair After you choose a game, the rules for the game are displayed. Press Enter to go to the casino table to add players, choose their seat numbers, and enter their names. ====================================== Options~ Each casino has different rules. The options that are available appear when you are playing. The options are: HIT - To draw another card. If the additional card causes the hand count to exceed 21, you bust (and, therefore, lose). STAY - To play the hand as it is, without drawing more cards. 4 INSURE - When the dealer has an ace as upcard, you can make an insurance bet to protect yourself in case the dealer has blackjack. To insure, you bet an additional one-half of your original bet. If the dealer has blackjack, the insurance bet pays 2 for 1, but you lose the original bet. If the dealer doesn't have blackjack, you lose the insurance bet, but your original bet is still in effect. SPLIT - If your first two cards are the same (for example, two eights) you may split them. To split, you bet an additional amount equal to the original bet and then split (separate) them. You now have two hands. The dealer then gives you a second card for the first hand and you finish playing that hand. Next, the dealer deals to the second hand, and you play that hand. You do not receive any 3 for 2 payoffs for blackjacks on split hands. If you draw cards that make more pairs, you can continue to split up to the casino limit. Some casinos allow any cards with a 10 value as a pair; others require real pairs, such as two kings. When you split aces, you receive only one additional card per hand. There is no hit option on this split. DOUBLE - Also called "double down." To double, you place an additional bet equal in value to the original bet and turn your cards faceup on the table. You are dealt one additional card. Some casinos require a specific value for doubling; others allow you to double on any value. Certain casinos allow doubling after a split. 5 SURRENDER - Give up. Surrendering costs one-half of the original bet. There are two different surrender options: early surrender (before the dealer checks for blackjack) and conventional surrender (after the dealer checks for blackjack). Conventional surrender is not allowed if the dealer has blackjack. The surrender option is not available in many casinos. After you enter the name of each player, the terms appear (for example, 20 chips at $1.00 each for a total of $20.00). You can choose to accept the terms or buy a different number of chips. After you accept the terms, you can continue the game, buy more chips, add a player, or change the playing options. By pressing the keys indicated on the Options screen, you can change the following for any game: F3 = Show card count (yes or no) See below for an explanation of card count F4 = Deal cards faceup or facedown F5 = Turn sound on or off F6 = Change the card color F7 = Choose either black or white for the background color of the cards You can also end the game on this screen by pressing F8. Before each hand is played, you can press F2 (Options) to go to the Options screen. Then press F2 again to go to the Status screen to review the conditions for the game (for example, whether an insurance bet is allowed). 6 The Keys~ -------- The function keys that you can use within a game are displayed on the bottom line of your screen. You can use either the function keys or number keys for commands. Many screens display a highlighted function key. This key is the key that will be used if you do not select another. You can select a highlighted key by just pressing Enter. Also, for your convenience, you can enter information you have typed by pressing either Enter or the F1 key. Use the Esc key to exit without entering typed information. Use the Backspace key to erase. How the Dealer Plays~ -------------------- The dealer (your computer) plays by casino rules and is required to hit (take an additional card) if its hand total is 16 or less. The dealer stays (doesn't take any additional cards) if its total is 18 to 21. Dealer busts if its total is greater than 21. The dealer stays on all seventeens in some casinos and hits "soft-seventeen" in others. A soft-seventeen hand contains an ace, counted as 11, without the total hand count exceeding 21. Basic Strategy~ -------------- Basic strategy screens that advise you what to do if you don't count cards are available while you play blackjack. To go to these screens, press F2 for help when the Help option is displayed. 7 Card Counts~ ----------- Card counts are maintained in simple (sim) and intermediate (int) format. These counts are displayed, when you bet, if you select the "show count" option on the Options screen. Card counts are required by all forms of advanced play. You can use the card counts to double-check your own counts, vary the amount of your bet, decide when to change from the basic strategy, and so on. Refer to standard texts on blackjack for information on how to use card counts and advanced systems of play. In brief, the simple count is developed by adding 1 to a counter for each 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 which is played. Each 10-value card or ace played causes 1 to be subtracted from the same counter. The following cards are not counted: 2, 8, and 9. The correct count of a full deck is zero. When the count is positive, the deck favors the player, and when the count is negative, the deck favors the casino. When the count is more positive than the action number shown, you should consider increasing your bet. When the count is more negative than the action number shown, you should consider decreasing your bet. The intermediate count is based on the simple count. The intermediate count equals the simple count readjusted by the number of cards remaining to be played. This adjusted count more accurately reflects the makeup of the cards still to be played. The card counts are provided to help you learn to count correctly. You can also use the counts to help evaluate the advanced play techniques presented in blackjack books. 8 Ending the Game~ --------------- To end the game, press F8 when you are on the Options screen. Then press F9. You will be asked whether you want to play another game or whether you want to leave the program and return to DOS. Press F1 to play again or F2 to leave the program.