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Blackjack is one of the most popular and straightforward casino table games. All players at the table play against the house and the object of the game is to make a hand closer to 21 than the dealer without going over. Blackjack is played with 6 decks of 52 cards contained in a shoe and is dealt by a croupier. On the table there are 7 playing boxes and it can be played by 1 or more players at one go. A player may opt to play one box to a maximum of three boxes and up to three players may play in the same box but only the box ‘OWNER’ can make decisions. Cards are counted at face value with the exception being face cards that have a score of ‘10’ and the Ace that is considered at a value of either ‘1’ or ‘11’, this is only the choice of the player during the drawing phase, once the hand is complete then the ace is counted as ‘11’ unless it brings the total in excess of 21. When the game starts each player is dealt two cards face up and the croupier is dealt one card face up. If a player hits 21 with the first two cards then this is considered as a blackjack and the player is paid 1½ times their wager if the house doesn’t get a blackjack in which case it is a draw. If the score of the first two cards is less than a blackjack then the player may opt to either stand (and not take any cards) or hit (take another card). The player may take as many cards as he/she wants until they reach an acceptable score, total a result of 21 or bust (go over 21). After all players make their actions the croupier keeps drawing cards until they hit a score of 17 or more. If the players busts (goes over 21) the player loses immediately, if the bank busts (goes over 21) all players win automatically. If the player has a score higher than that of the bank the player gets paid on a 1:1 (unless it’s a blackjack) and if the house gets a score higher than that of the player then the player loses his/her wager. The player also has further options during the game; Splitting Pairs If the player is dealt two cards of the same value, he/she may opt to split them into two separate hands. To do this the player must match the initial bet. A player may split up to a maximum of three times (making four separate hands). Each new hand is played normally unless the split cards are Aces, in which case only one card is dealt on each hand and the score cannot be changed. Doubling Down Players are also offered the option of increasing their original wager by “doubling down”. After receiving the first two cards the player may opt to double their bet by increasing their wager up to the amount of the original bet. In this case the player will only receive one more card and the score cannot be further improved by taking further cards. A player may also double down after splitting a pair except in the case of splitting aces. Insurance If the croupier’s first card is showing an ace the player is offered the possibility of making an insurance bet. The player may place a wager that is up to half their original bet. If the croupier hits a blackjack when drawing the second card, then the insurance bet is paid 2:1 but if the croupier doesn’t hit a blackjack then the insurance bet is lost.
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