BLACKJACK If the player's first two cards are an ace and a 10 or face card, he wins. However, if the dealer also has a blackjack, it is a standoff, as are all ties or pushes. A winning blackjack pays the player 3 to 2. HIT or STAND Hit means to draw another card (which the player signifies by scraping the table with his cards or a similar hand motion). Stand means no more cards (which the player signals by placing his cards under his wager or moving his hand in a horizontal direction. If the player hits and busts (goes over 21), he immediately turns his cards over and his wager is lost. DOUBLE DOWN The player is allowed to double the bet on his first two cards and draw one additional card only to improve his hand. SPLITTING PAIRS If the first two cards a player is dealt are a pair, he may split them into two separate hands, bet the same amount on each and then play them separately. Aces receive only one additional card. After splitting, A-10 counts as 21 and not as blackjack. INSURANCE If the dealer's up card is an ace, the player may take insurance, a bet not exceeding one-half his original bet. If the dealer's down card is a 10 or any face card, the player wins 2 to 1. Any other card means a win for the dealer. SURRENDER Where permitted, a player may give up his first two cards and lose only one-half his original bet.

In most cases the dealer must draw on 16 and stand on 17. In some casinos, the dealer is required to draw on soft 17.

Blackjack tips If your hand adds up to 8 or less always hit. If your hand adds up to 9,10 or 11 always double down. If your hand adds up to 17 or more always stand (unless you have an ace). Stand on all totals of 13 or higher if the dealer is showing a 2 through 6. If you are dealt either an ace 8 or ace 9 always stand. If you are first dealt two 8s always split (unless the dealer shows a ten value card). If you are dealt two aces always split. Do not hit on a possible bust hand (12 or higher) if the dealer is showing 6 or less. Avoid insurance. Stay on cards of 12 through 16 when the dealer has 2 through 6 up. Split 9s if dealers up card is less than 9.Never split pairs of 4s,5s or 10s. Hit all totals of 12 to 16 provided the dealer is showing a 7 through ace.

Multi hand blackjack Multi-hand Blackjack is an exciting way to play Blackjack, where you get to play up to 5 hands at once. It is a game where you are dealt up to 5 hands of cards and play all your hands against the dealer's single hand. Most versions of Multi-hand Blackjack are played with 5 standard 52-card decks. All the cards are shuffled after each game and you play with all 5 decks at once, as this offers you the best possible chance of winning. Basic Blackjack Strategy Table Basic Progressive Blackjack strategy is defined as the proper play of cards knowing only your hand and the dealer's exposed card. It does not involve card counting (an advantage lost in playing most online Blackjack games as decks of up to 8 are used and reshuffled after each hand) or remembering which cards were played previously. The basic Blackjack strategy is created through intensive computer simulations, which perform a complete combinatorial analysis. In this method, the computer "plays" tens of thousands of hands for each Blackjack situation possible and statistically decides which decision best favors the player. Basic strategy is usually printed as tables with the dealer's up card the first row and your two-card combination the first column. The other entries in the table tell you what to do (Stand, Hit, Double-Down, Split) with the different combinations of dealer and player's hands. Basic Blackjack strategy tables (where 8 decks are used, dealer stands on 17, double-down on any two cards, double after split allowed, no re-splitting of cards allowed, no surrender) are shown below for hard totals, soft totals, and pairs along with a legend. Legend: S - Stand H - Hit D - Double Y - Yes, split N - No, don't split Hard Totals: Dealer's Up Card Your Cards 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 17 S S S S S S S S S S 16 S S S S S H H H H H 15 S S S S S H H H H H 14 S S S S S H H H H H 13 S S S S S H H H H H 12 H H S S S H H H H H 11 D D D D D D D D D H 10 D D D D D D D D H H 9 H D D D D H H H H H 8 H H H H H H H H H H Soft Totals: Dealer's Up Card Your Cards 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A (A,9) S S S S S S S S S S (A,8) S S S S S S S S S S (A,7) S D D D D S S H H H (A,6) H D D D D H H H H H (A,5) H H D D D H H H H H (A,4) H H D D D H H H H H (A,3) H H H D D H H H H H (A,2) H H H D D H H H H H Pairs: Dealer's Up Card Your Cards 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A (A, A) Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y (10,10) N N N N N N N N N N (9,9) Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y (8,8) Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y (7,7) Y Y Y Y Y Y N N N N (6,6) Y Y Y Y Y N N N N N (5,5) N N N N N N N N N N (4,4) N N N Y Y N N N N N (3,3) Y Y Y Y Y Y N N N N (2,2) Y Y Y Y Y Y N N N N

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