Multi-hand Blackjack
Last updated: 2014-07-04
Multi-hand blackjack allows you to play up to five hands of Blackjack at once, one after the other. The objective is to accumulate cards with point totals as close to 21 without going over 21. The value of a hand is the sum of the point counts of each card in the hand. The value assigned to the cards is as follows:
- The cards from 2 through 10 are valued as indicated
- Face cards (Jacks, Queens, and Kings) are all valued at 10 points
- An Ace counts as one or 11: If scoring an 11 would cause your hand value to exceed 21 ('bust'), an Ace will count as one
- Soft total: A hand containing an Ace that can be counted as 11 without the total going above 21. For example, Ace-6 is soft 17.
- Hard total: A hand containing an Ace that can only be counted as one because counting it as 11 would make the hand go over 21. For example, Ace-6-10 is hard 17.
- A tie between the player and the house is known as a 'push', and means that no one wins or loses. If the first two cards dealt are an Ace and any 10-point card (Jack, Queen, King, or 10), it is known as blackjack, and is an automatic win for the player at 1.5:1, unless the house ties.
Information
- Eight decks are used in the Multi-hand version of blackjack, and each deck has 52 cards
- The deck is shuffled after 20% of the cards in the decks have been used
- The dealer draws a card on soft 17 and stands on 17 or more
- You can only split once
- There is no limit on the number of cards that can be dealt to the dealer or the player. It is limited only by choice (by clicking 'STAND') or the hand total being greater than or equal to 21 except in the cases of doubling down and split aces, where no more than one card will be dealt.
- If the dealer has a 10, Jack, Queen, King, or Ace as his first card, he will check to see if he has a blackjack before you draw your third card
How to play
- Select the amount you want to wager on a given hand by clicking on the chip of that denomination. The selected chip will be indicated by an arrow.
- Place bets on any of the five available positions by clicking on the 'BET' area for that seat. You can play any or all of the available positions.
- You can decrease the amount wagered by clicking on the 'BET' for the position you wish to decrease the bet for
- Once the wagers are placed on one or more positions, click on the 'DEAL' button. The 'DEAL' button will be enabled only if your bet is equal to or more than the minimum bet.
- Depending on the strength of your cards, you can choose from the following options offered to you: 'HIT', 'STAND', 'DOUBLE', 'SPLIT', or 'SURRENDER', as per the game rules
- If the dealer has a 10, Jack, Queen, King, or Ace as his first card, he will check to see if he has a blackjack before you draw your third card
- The 'INSURANCE' option is offered to you in case the dealer has an Ace as his first card
- Once either the player or the dealer stands or busts, the results are displayed below the both dealer's and the player's cards, and in the scrolling window
- To continue the game with the same bet(s), click on the 'REBET' button
- After a game, click 'CLEAR' if you want to clear all of the placed bets
- To remove bets for any given position, click on the 'BET' for the position you wish to decrease the bet for
- Your game balance is displayed at the bottom left-hand side of the game screen
- Click on 'REBUY' to buy more credits into the game from your Party Account
- Click on 'RULES' to view the game rules
- Click on 'GAMELOGS' to view the logs of the games you have played
- Click on 'VERSION' to view the current version number of the game
- To exit from the game, click on 'EXIT GAME'
Playing options
Stand: Clicking the 'STAND' button will keep your hand at its current value. You may stand at any time if you are satisfied with your hand as it is. Click 'STAND' and, when the dealer completes his or her hand, the hands will be compared.
Hit: You may continue to take cards until you either stand, go bust, or the value of a hand is 21. Click 'HIT' to be dealt the next card.
Double: After you are dealt your first two cards, you will be offered the chance to 'DOUBLE'. Once this option is selected, the bet amount is automatically doubled and you will be dealt one more card. The hand will auto-stand after the card is dealt.
Doubling down is also offered after splitting. If your account balance is not sufficient for the additional bet, the double-down option will not be offered.
In case you lose the hand, you lose both the initial bet and the additional amount placed for the double-down option.
Split: If you have two cards of the same value (for example two 7s, two 10s, two face cards, etc.), you can click 'SPLIT' to split the cards into two separate hands. Once this option is selected, an additional bet equal to your original bet is automatically placed.
You are only allowed to split once, even if more splitting opportunities arise. If the hand qualifies for a split but your room balance is too small to cover the additional bet, the split option will not be offered.
You may draw as many cards as you wish on each split hand, with the exception of splitting on Aces and doubling down after splits. If you split 'Aces', only one card will be dealt to each Ace. If a face card or a 10 is dealt to either Ace, the hand is counted as 21, not blackjack.
How to play the split option
- Once the 'Split' option is clicked, the cards are split into two separate hands and one more card is dealt to each of the hands. The hand with an arrow pointing towards it is the active hand.
- Click on 'Hit', 'Stand', or another of the available options
- Once the first hand is decided, the arrow moves to the second hand
- The arrow will not be shown if the hand value is 21. It will move to the other hand automatically.
- Click on 'Hit', 'Stand', or another of the available options
Insurance: Insurance gives you a chance to protect yourself when you believe the dealer has blackjack. If the dealer's first card (face-up card) is an Ace, you can opt to insure your hands against the dealer's blackjack by clicking either the 'Yes' button or the 'No' button displayed near the dealt cards. Insurance costs 50% of the bet amount in addition to your initial bet. The insurance bet will be placed automatically and will be displayed to the right of the occupied seat. If you do not take any action within 20 seconds of the insurance being offered, the system will assume you have rejected the option and the game will continue.
If the dealer has a blackjack, the insurance bet pays 2:1, and you will lose the initial bet. If the dealer does not hit blackjack, you will lose the insured bet and the game will continue for the initial bet amount. You will not be offered insurance if you have a blackjack.
The 'Insurance' option will not be offered if the hand qualifies for insurance but your account balance is too small to cover the additional bet.
Surrender: You can choose to discontinue play of your hand for that round and surrender one-half of your bet amount when your first two cards are revealed. This decision must be made before you decide to double down, split pairs, stand, or hit.
The 'Surrender' option is offered after the dealer has checked to see if he has a blackjack. If the dealer's second card results in a blackjack, your entire wager will be collected by the dealer and the game will come to an end. However, if the dealer's second card does not result in a blackjack, and you opt for the 'Surrender' option, one half of your bet will be returned to you.
Paytable
Paytable | |||||
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Win Type | Description | Payoff | |||
Blackjack | A blackjack, or 'natural', comprises a total of 21 in your first two cards. A blackjack is therefore an Ace and any 10-point card, with the additional requirement that these be your first two cards. If you split a pair of Aces, for example, and then draw a ten-point card on one of the Aces, this will not count as blackjack, but rather a total of 21. Your blackjack beats any dealer total (including a dealer's regular 21) except a dealer's blackjack. If both you and the dealer have a blackjack, the hand is a tie or 'push', and nobody wins or loses. | 1.5:1 | |||
Normal | Your total is greater than dealer's, but less than or equal to 21. | 1:1 | |||
Push | The totals of both your hand and that of the dealer are the same. | Even | |||
Insurance | Offered on the dealer's Ace to insure your hand against the dealer receiving a blackjack. It costs 50% of the bet amount, in addition to the initial bet placed by you. | If the dealer gets a blackjack, the insurance bet pays 2:1. You lose the initial bet. If the dealer does not get a blackjack, you lose the insured bet, and the game continues for the initial bet amount. |
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Surrender | Only allowed on the first two cards. Player can select to discontinue play of their hand for that round. | If the dealer's second card results in a blackjack, player's entire wager will be collected by the dealer. If the dealer's second card does not result in a blackjack, then one-half of player's bet amount will be returned. |
Adding funds to your Party Account
To add funds to your Party Account, click on 'DEPOSIT' in the 'Cashier' menu, then select the desired deposit option. You can also add funds to your account by clicking on 'REBUY' while in the game screen and then clicking on 'CASHIER', or by clicking on 'DEPOSIT' or 'REAL BALANCE' in the 'My Account' section in the left panel of the Main Lobby. The time taken to transfer funds and the fees charged will vary depending on which deposit option you choose. Funds can only be added at the beginning of a new game.
What do I do if I reach my betting limits?
If your game balance drops below the minimum bet you are trying to place, you will have to click on 'REBUY' to buy in credits from Party Account to your game balance.
To add funds to your Party Account, click on the 'DEPOSIT' option in the 'Cashier' menu in the Main Lobby, or click the 'CASHIER' button in the 'Buy-in' window of any game. You can also click on the 'DEPOSIT' button or on 'REAL BALANCE' in the 'My Account' section of the left panel in the Main Lobby.
I could not complete the game. What should I do?
If you get disconnected from the blackjack game, please log back in to your poker account and open the game again to complete the unfinished game. If you are unable to play or are experiencing other problems, please contact our Customer Care team.
Note that the 'In play' amount (the amount brought to the blackjack table) will not be available for play on poker tables before you have completed the unfinished blackjack game."
If you are disconnected while the game is waiting for player input such as after the deal, you will be prompted to complete the game after logging back in. After completing the incomplete game, you can resume playing the game, or you can select another game of your choice.
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