Overview
Black Jack is played with 2 decks of cards, which are shuffled before each round. The object of the game is to get your hand as close to 21 as possible without 'busting' (cards adding up to more than 21), and beat the dealer's hand. All picture cards have the value 10. Number cards, 2-10, count as face value and Aces are valued either 1 or 11. Black Jack is played against a computerized dealer; you can play with up to five boxes (hands) per round. You start by making bets in the boxes of your choice. The dealer receives two initial cards; one card is dealt face up, one face down. You are dealt two face-up cards per box. For each box you can either HIT and receive another card, or STAND. You can keep hitting new cards until you are satisfied, or until you 'bust' and lose. Then the turn moves to the next box, and finally to the dealer. The dealer must HIT on 16 or lower and STAND on 17 or higher.
Acting
When play, decisions Hit, Stand, DD (Double Down) and Split are shown at the bottom of the play window. Make a selection by pressing the number key (1-4) corresponding to the play you wish to make.
Betting
Use joystick LEFT and RIGHT to select a box, then joystick UP to add chips to the bet or joystick DOWN to remove chips. Each chip has the same value. The longer you hold joystick UP/DOWN, the more chips you add/remove. Repeat for any other boxes you wish to play. When all bets have been placed, press Deal. Rebet is used to repeat the bets of the previous round.
Cashier
At any time during the game, as long as there is money in your account, you can bring more money to the table by pressing the * key. This displays the cashier dialog.
Controls - Insurance
Use joystick LEFT and RIGHT to select a box (hand) to insure. When a box is selected, FIRE toggles insurance on (indicated with an x) and off. Repeat for any other boxes you wish to insure. To apply your choices, joystick RIGHT to select OK, then press FIRE.
Double
Immediately after receiving your first two cards you can choose to double your bet ('double down'), unless you are dealt a BlackJack. You will then receive one more card to complete that box (hand).
Payouts
Beating the dealer pays 1 to 1. If the result is a push (tie), your bet is returned. A combination of an Ace and any 10 card on the initial deal is called a BlackJack. Unless the dealer also makes a BlackJack, your BlackJack hand pays the bet 3 to 2. If the dealer makes BlackJack too, the result is a push.
Rules - Insurance
If the dealer has an Ace, you are offered the chance purchase 'insurance' by betting an additional 0.5 times your initial bet. If the dealer hits a BlackJack, your original bet loses, but the insurance pays out 2 to 1 for a total even result. If the dealer does not hit a BlackJack, the insurance is lost and play continues as normal. If you are dealt a BlackJack whilst the dealer flips an Ace, you are offered the chance to go for Even Money. This reduces the win odds from 3:2 to 1:1, but prevents a push if the dealer also hits a BlackJack. The Even Money option is only available when the dealer shows an Ace.
Split
If you are dealt two cards of the same value you are entitled to 'split' the cards, double your initial bet, and play two hands separately. You must finish one hand before you continue with the other. A BlackJack can never result from a split.
