Overview
Welcome To Casino Black Jack for Windows Help

This page will give you an overview of the basic procedures and rules for playing the game.  If you have played Black Jack, or 21 as it is also known, in a Nevada or Atlantic City casino, you will find the play of the game to be nearly identical.

The objective of Black Jack is to get as close as possible to a count of 21 without Busting.

The dealer plays his or her hand by the following rules:

   The dealer must hit with a total count of 16 or less.

   The dealer also hits with a soft 17.

   The dealer stands with a hard 17 or a total count

      greater than 17 and less than or equal to 21.

For a description and examples of a soft and hard 17 click on the "17" button.

When playing your hand you may hit, stand, split, and/or double down for one card.  The action you take depends on your strategy, the cards you hold, and the options you have selected in the "Options" Dialog Box.

This game has been designed to give you the fastest play possible.  This means there are minimal messages and prompts to annoy you with.  Just follow these steps when playing the game:

   Buy your chips.

   Make your Bet.

   Deal the cards.

   Hit, stand, split, or double down.

   When the hand is over, click on the Hand Over sign to repeat the process.

When splitting a hand, you will always be playing on the lowest cards on the screen.  When you stand or bust, you will see a sign indicating so.  You will then be playing on the cards immediately above.  Just click on hit or stand to play the hand.

For a detailed explanation of the different aspects of the game select from the following topics.

Buying Chips

Betting

Card Count

Card Values

Odds Chart

Options

Hitting and Standing

Splitting

Doubling

Insurance

Payoff

ScoreBox Totals

Strategy

Using The Keyboard


Using the Keyboard

To place bets using the keyboard press 'b' or 'B' to set the input focus to the edit box.

Enter your bet and press return or enter.

Hitting return when the Hand Over sign is displayed will clear the sign.


Card Count

The Card Count Window shows the number of cards that remain to be seen in each category, the total number of cards not seen, and the percentage of cards in each category relative to the total number of cards not seen .

A deck that is rich in fives tends to favor the house or the dealer.  A deck that is rich in tens tends to favor the players.

When the number of fives in a pack is greater than the number of tens, it is a good time to place small bets.  This is because a dealer must hit with a total count less than 17.  When the number of fives is significantly greater than the number of tens, the dealer has a greater chance of getting a total count of 21.

When the number of tens is significantly greater than fives, you should begin placing larger bets.


Odds Chart

The Odds Chart shows, as a percentage or as odds,  the chances that your next card will give you the total count indicated in the chart.

This chart is especially useful when determining whether or not to hit, stand, split, or double.

In determining the odds, Aces are only counted as 11 if your total card count is 10 or less.  If your total count is 11 or greater, Aces are counted as 1.

Click on the "T" button to toggle the display between Odds and percentages.


Buying Chips

When you click on the "Buy Chips" button, $1,000 in chips will be added to your total.  You may buy up to $100,000 in chips.  If you should buy $100,000 in chips and lose it all, you can reset the chips bought to $0 by answering yes to the message box that will be presented when this condition occurs.


Betting

You place bets by clicking on the chip buttons.  You must make a bet before you can deal the cards.  The bet must be equal to or greater than the table minimum and less than or equal to the table maximum.  You can set these limits in the "Options" dialog box.

A click on the dollar denominated chips with the LEFT mouse button will increment your bet by the amount indicated on the chip.

A click with the RIGHT mouse button on one of these chips will decrement your bet by the amount indicated on the chip.

Clicking on the Min and Max chip buttons will set the bet to the table minimum and the table maximum, respectively.  The LEFT and RIGHT mouse buttons function the same for these chips.

You will not be able to change your bet once the cards are dealt, except for when splitting or doubling down.  In these two cases the bet will be made for you.


Card Values

         Aces - count 1 or 11 at your option.

                    Aces will automatically be counted as 11 until

                    your total exceeds 21.  If your total exceeds 21

                    the first Ace encountered  in a hand will be given

                    the value of one.  If the total count of a hand still

                    exceeds 21, the next Ace in a hand will be given

                    the value of one, and so on..., until all Aces have been

                    changed.

        Tens and Face Cards- count as 10.

         All other cards counts its index number.


Options

Clicking on the "Options" button brings up the "Options" dialog box.  Here you can choose to allow splitting of Aces, splitting any two cards, doublingdown for one card on any count, change the number of decks, and also use bonus payments.  The "Options" button is disabled while a hand is in progress.

Bonus Payments

If the "Use Bonus Payments" option is checked payoff will be 1.5:1 instead of 1:1 for the card combinations of 8, 7, 6 and 7, 7, 7.  See Payoff topic for amounts paid for all card combinations and totals.


Hitting and Standing

Click the "Hit Me" button to take another card.  You may hit until you bust.

Click the "Stand" button to indicate that you do not want any more cards.


Splitting

If neither of the splitting options are checked in the "Options" dialog box, you will be able to split your first two cards only if  they are pairs (two Kings, two Fives, etc.)  You cannot split Aces.

If the "Split Aces" option is checked in the "Options" Dialog, you will also be able to split Aces.

If the "Split any two cards" option is checked in the "Options" Dialog, you will be able to split any two cards.  This option is not allowed in casinos, but selecting this option can make the game more exciting.

You can split up to three times for a total of four hands to play.

A hand that has been split cannot be split again.  In a casino, you would be allowed to split as many times as you were dealt pairs.

When you split, a bet equal to the amount bet before the split will be made for you.  If you do not have enough chips to make the bet you will be asked if you want to buy more.  Answering yes will give you just enough chips to make the bet.  You will not be able to split until you have enough chips to make the bet.  Also, if you have already purchased $100,000 in chips you will not be able to buy more until you have lost all of your chips.


Doubling

If the "Double down on any count" option is not checked in the "Options" dialog box, you can double down for one card only if the total count of  the values of the first two cards dealt to you equals 11.

If the "Double down on any count" option is checked in the "Options" dialog box,  you can double down for one card with any count.

You can double down up to four times.

When you double down, a bet equal to the amount bet before doubling will be made for you.  If you do not have enough chips to make the bet you will be asked if you want to buy more.  Answering yes will give you just enough chips to make the bet.  You will not be able to double until you have enough chips to make the bet.  Also, if you have already purchased $100,000 in chips you will not be able to buy more until you have lost all of your chips.

 In many Nevada casinos you can bet less than your original bet when doubling.


Insurance

If, when the cards are dealt, you have a natural and the dealers' up card is an Ace, you will be asked if you want insurance.  Answering yes will cause half of your bet to be used for insurance and you will be insured.  If you answer no you will not be insured.  You are betting against the dealer having 21.  Insurance pays 2:1.  See the "Payoff" topic for a complete list of payoff situations.

If you are insured and the dealer has 21 you will collect 2 times the amount of insurance, or the amount of your original bet, since half of your bet was used for insurance.  You will also get your bet back for pushing.  Total payoff for the hand is  1:1.

If you are insured and the dealer does not have 21 you lose the insurance and collect on your 21.  Total payoff is .25:1.

If you are not insured and the dealer has 21 you push.

If you are not insured and the dealer does not have 21 you collect 1.5:1.

Insurance is a sure thing.  If you are insured you will collect at least .25:1 regardless of the outcome of the dealers' hand.  If you are not insured you may only push.  Of course, you could also win more.  The odds of the dealer having 21 are about 5:2.


Payoff

When the message box asks if you want insurance:

                                            Dealer Has 21      Dealer Does Not

You are insured                           1:1                         .25:1

You are not insured                    Push                       1.5:1

All other times:

                            Dealer Doesn't Have 21  Dealer Does Have 21

                                                                   Natural | No Natural

You have Natural               1.5:1                    Push         1.5:1

You have 21                       1:1                      Push         Push

You have 8,7,6

  or 7,7,7 and

  using bonus

  payments                          1.5:1                    Push        Push

If your total is equal to the dealers' total you Push.

If your total is greater than dealers' total payoff is 1:1.


ScoreBox Totals

The Total Chips number always reflects the current chips available.  When you place a bet the Total Chips number is decremented and incremented to indicate the total chips available after placing a bet.

The Amount Bet number shows the sum total of all bets made during a hand.

The Amount Won number shows the sum total of all bets won during a hand.  It reflects the amount collected, not the amount added to your total chips.  The amount added to your Total Chips may be higher than the Amount Won.  This is because you will also get your bet back if you win.

As an Example:

  You have $1,000 in Total Chips.

  You bet $100.

  Total Chips will show $900.  AmountBet will show $100.

  You deal the cards and you split once.

  Total Chips will show $800.  AmountBet will show $200.

  You win 1:1 on each hand.

  Total Chips will show $1,200.  AmountWon will show $200.

  And, Amount Bet will show $200.


Strategy

The strategy shown in the scorebox will indicate that you should hit, stand, double, or split.  The specific strategy depends upon the cards you hold in your hand and the value of the dealers' up card.  This strategy is based on computer calculations performed by Julian Braun of IBM as mentioned in "According to Hoyle," by Richard L. Frey.  By using this strategy, Mr. Braun feels that you will at least break-even.  The strategy shown in the scorebox is based upon these assumptions:

  You can split Aces and pairs, but not any two cards.

  You can double down with any count.


Soft and Hard 17 Description

A soft 17 occurs in situations where an Ace is counted as 11, and when added to the value of the other cards in a hand,  yields a total count of 17.  When this situation occurs the dealer must count the Ace as one and hit until his total equals 17 or greater.

Examples:

Soft 17 -    Dealer has an Ace and a Six

                   or

                   Dealer has an Ace, a Five, and another Ace

Hard 17 - Dealer has an Ace, a Six, and a Ten

                   or

                 Dealer has an Ace, a Five, another Ace, and a Ten


Holding cards with  the sum

of their values exceeding 21


Taking another card


Holding cards with a total

count of 21 or less.


Doubling down for one card is the process of

making another bet equal to your original bet,

and taking one and only one additional card.

The hand is counted as one, but you will be paid

twice if you win.


Splitting is the process of separating the first two

cards dealt to you and making a bet equal to your

original bet, and playing the cards as two separate

hands.  You may hit, split or stand on each.  You

are paid separately on each hand.


A natural is an Ace and any face card or ten for

a total count of 21.


The sum total of your cards equals the total of the

dealers' cards.  You get your bet back if you push.