BlackDiamond Online Table Games

Blackjack is one of the most popular card games in the world, due in part to the simplicity of play. The object of the game is to get closer to 21 points (by adding the value of cards dealt) than the dealer or "house" - without going over (bust).

After making a wager, the player is dealt two cards face up. The Dealer also recieves 2 cards, 1 face up and 1 face down (the hole card). The player must now choose whether to "Stand" (keep only the cards he has), "Hit" (continue to recieve more cards until he stands or busts) , Double Down (double his wager, and only recieve 1 more card) or Split (applicable when two like cards are initially dealt, the player may choose to split them into two hands and play both against the dealer.) When the player has completed his hand, if he has not busted, the dealer reveals his "hole" card, and his hand is played according to specific rules followed by the dealer. If the total of the dealer's 2 cards adds up to a hard 17-21, the dealer will stand. If the total of the dealer's cards is 16 or less, he will continue to recieve cards until the hand is at least 17 or he busts. Should the dealer and player tie, it is called a "Push" and the wager is returned.

When the initial cards dealt to the player result in Blackjack (A,10), the player automatically wins and the wager is paid 3:2 - unless the house has also recieved a 2 card Blackjack, which results in a tie (Push).

If the dealer has an Ace or any card with a value of 10 showing face up on the initial deal, the player has the option to buy "insurance" for the cost of half his stake. Should the dealer not have a blackjack, the player loses the insurance wager and the hand resumes. If the dealer does have blackjack when insurance has been purchased, the player is paid 2:1 on the amount of insurance.

Card values for Blackjack are added as follows: Face cards (jack, queen, king) are valued at 10 points each, numbered cards (2-10) count as the value of thier number (ie: 4 of hearts = 4 points) The Ace has the ability to score as 1 or 11 points, dependent on the other cards it is combined with. Hands containing an Ace where the value is 11 are called "soft hands" (A, 6 = soft 17) . A "hard hand" includes an Ace with a value of 1 (A, 6, K = hard 17).