1. I don't know how to play Blackjack

Blackjack, or 21 is very easy to play and you don't need experience to play. The objective of the game is to have a hand value that is closer to 21 than the dealer (me), without going over 21.
No need to worry about any other players who may be in the game at the same time as you, they are of no concern, you are playing against the dealer only.

The first round of each session a dummy run take place for all those who are not familiar with the game. (NB - I have decided to change this format to just 1 game per session, so unless most of the players are inexperienced, there will be no need for a dummy run)

3. I've played Blackjack many times, is this the same?

Yes and no. As with most of the Borgata games, this is a facsimile of the game. It holds to most of the basic rules of play, but is not quite the same game as you might know it, and some of the rules will be unique to Borgata Blackjack, that is why anyone wanting to take part should always read the help or FAQ pages provided.

4. Does it matter what suit of cards I have?

No, the value of a hand is simply the sum of the point counts of each card in the hand, so for example - say you have 5 Diamonds, 7 Clubs and 9 Hearts, that would have a value of 21.

5. Do I have to place any bets?

Yes..! When you join the game, you will be given 5 Credits for you to use. You will be using these credits to play.

Minimum bet 1 Credit,
Maximum bet 5 Credits.

6. So what happens when I place my bet?

When you join the game, you will be given the opportunity to pick 2 cards from the array of cards on the Borgata Blackjack page. Once you inform me of the card numbers you have chosen, I will place the corresponding cards face up on the gaming table and remove them from the array. So if you pick cards 5 and 32, they would be removed and no longer be available to be chosen by anyone else.

You can now place your bet, remembering that regardless of whether you play your cards or 'bust', it will cost you 1 Credit as your minimum bet. When all players in the game have their cards on the table each player will have an option to place a further bet when it's their turn to play their hand. Once all bets are placed and every player has finished playing their hands, the dealer will play his hand.

7. How can I join a game?

There will be a series of compos, as many as is needed to accumulate 6 players for a session. All those winning a compo will be given a place at the table. If you're the first in you will get seat No.1 and so on through to 6.

8. Where do I get Credits from and what will they cost me?

To gain a place at the table you have to win a compo, for each Blackjack session there will be 3 games. As soon as you earn your place at the table you will be awarded 5 Credits, so they will cost you nothing...

9. What happens if I win a hand?

If you beat my hand (ie. you get closer to 21 than I do) you will win twice what you placed as a bet, so for example, if you see your cards on the table and decide to bet 3 Credits on them and they beat the dealer's hand you would recieve your original 3 plus the minimum bet (total 4 Credits) plus another 4 Credits as your winnings.

10. So what now, I've won some credits, what do I do with them?

Well, each Borgata Blackjack session will have just 1 game now, so at the end of that game you can keep your winnings if you have any and try to join the next round to accumulate more credits or use them to exchange for loot. Refer to the Exchange Table at the bottom of the page...

11. I just played a session and won 9 Credits - Can I join another session?

Yes, as long as you earned your place by winning a compo, but you will only be awarded another 5 Credits if you have less than 5 credits at the start of the session.

12. So what's a Blackjack?

A blackjack, is a total of 21 in your first two cards, therefore it is an Ace and any ten-valued 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-valued card on one of the Aces, this is NOT a blackjack, but rather a total of 21. The distinction is important, because a winning blackjack pays the player odds of 3 to 1. So for let's say a bet of 3 Credits on your hand would see you getting back your 3 Credits plus 9 more. A player's blackjack beats any dealer total other than blackjack, including a dealer's 21 with 3 or more cards. If both a player and the dealer have blackjack, the hand is a tie and the players bet is returned.

13. When do I get my turn and how will I know?

If you were the first player to join the game session, you will have "No.1" attached to your name, the second player "No.2" and so on.

I, as the dealer will tell you it's your turn, (via your inbox), you can decide how you want to play your hand that will already be visible on the gaming table on Borgata Blackjack page. If you want to place a further bet, then you need to do so BEFORE you take any action on your hand. You will be allowed one action per turn - ie. one hit at which time I will select the highest numbered card left in the Card Array and add it to your hand, or ofcourse you may decide to 'stand' or 'split', eitherway your turn is then over and I will go to player No.2, No.3 etc until every player has played a turn at which point I would return to you if you still have a play to make.

14. I see the Ace has 2 values, how do I know which value to use?

The Ace can be counted as either 1 or 11. You need not specify which value the Ace has. It's assumed to always have the value that makes the best hand. An example will illustrate:
Let's say at the start of play you have (Ace,6), your hand value can either be 7 or 17. If you chose to stand there (draw no further cards), then your hand would be 17. Let's assume that you didn't stand there and decided to draw another card, ('hit') and your next card is a 3. That's a good card for you because your hand value is now 20, but what if you drew an 8 instead, and you still counted your Ace as 11 then you would most certainly 'bust' (hand value of more than 21), so the Ace is counted as 1 to give you a new value of 15

15. The Deal of the Cards

Before a player is allowed to choose his or her cards from the Borgata Blackjack page, all players total Credits will have 1 Credit deducted as their preliminary bet.

When you have chosen your cards, they will be placed face up on the gaming table. Once all players in the current session have their cards, each player will have the opportunity to place a further bet on their hand should they wish to do so, and they can take whatever actions they want to take with their hand, ie, whether to 'stand' or 'hit' etc. You can hit once in your turn and then the dealer will move to the next player in sequence. You will be able to twist again if you want to when the dealer returns to you until you have finished playing your hand.Once all players in the session have played their hands, I, the dealer, will then play my hand, obviously starting with flipping over the one card that was placed face down.

16. How the Dealer Plays His Hand

The dealer will play his hand in a specific way.

The dealer will stand on anything that is 17 or over. If he has less than 17 he MUST 'hit' (draw another card) until he reaches a value he can stick on or bust..For example, (Ace,8) would be 19 and the dealer would stop drawing cards ("stand"). Also, (Ace,6) is 17 and again the dealer will stand. (Ace,5) is only 16, so the dealer would hit. He will continue to draw cards until the hand's value is 17 or more. For example, (Ace,5,7) is only 13 so he hits again. (Ace,5,7,5) makes 18 so he would stop ("stand" or "stick" ) at that point.

17. Hitting/Standing

The most common decision a player must make during the game is whether to draw another card to the hand ("hit" or "twist" ), or stop at the current total ("stand" or "stick"). When it's your turn, I will ask you what you want to do with your hand. If you decide to 'hit', I will select the card from the Card Array that has the highest number on it.

For example: there are 104 cards in this array (2 decks) all numbered 1 to 104. If card 104 has not been chosen earlier when each player selected their cards, then card 104 will be selected and placed face up with your current hand. The next player to 'hit' will receive card 103, 102, 101 and so on. If a card is not availailable, then the selction will jump to the next highest numbered card.

18. Splitting Pairs

When you are dealt a matching pair of cards (remember, ignore the suits), you have the ability to split the hand into two separate hands, and play them independently. Let's say you are dealt a pair of eights for a total of sixteen. Sixteen is the worst possible player hand, since it is unlikely to win as is, but is very likely to bust if you draw to it. Here's a great chance to improve a bad situation.

Announce that you wish to split your cards and let me know what bet you wish to place on each split. Note that you must bet the same amount on a split. I will treat each split as an independent hand. You chose which hand to play through to completion first, then you can play the remaining hand - you cannot play both hands simultaneously. However, if you are dealt an additional pair in the first two cards of one hand, you are allowed to resplit giving you 3 hands on the table at the same time. You can split a maximum of 3 times, giving you 4 hands on the table.

19. Ace Pairs

Splitting Aces is a very strong player move, you will not be restricted from splitting pairs of Aces up to 3 times as other pairs, but remember - if you draw a ten-valued card on one of your split Aces, the hand is not considered a Blackjack, but is instead treated as a normal 21, and therefore does not collect 3:1 odds.

Summary

That's really all you need to know about Borgata Blackjack! If you've never played the game before don't worry, after a couple of plays, all these details will be easy. Like many things, it's easier done than said!

Good luck!

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