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Progressive Blackjack -
Rules
Rule
Authority:
InterCasino
Progressive Blackjack is played and programmed according to Atlantic
City Blackjack rules.
Authority: New
Jersey Casino Control Commission.
Rule Exceptions:
The cards are shuffled after each hand, pairs may not be re-split, and
players may not draw additional cards on split Aces.
Premise:
In Progressive
Blackjack, before you are dealt any cards you have the option of making
a $1 side bet that allows you to participate in additional payouts.
Upon wagering, you and the dealer (the computer) are dealt two cards to
start. The objective of Progressive Blackjack is to accumulate cards
that add up closer to 21 than that of the dealer’s cards, without going
over 21. Cards are worth their face value with the exception of Kings,
Queens, and Jacks which are each worth 10 and Aces which are worth
either 1 or 11. If the value of your hand is closer to 21 than that of
the dealer, you win. If the value of the dealer's hand is higher than
yours you lose. If the hands are of equal value the deal is a push and
your money is returned. If you have a total of 22 or higher (a busted
hand), you lose regardless of whether the dealer also busts.
Summary
of Rules:
- 8 52-card decks
are used
- The deck is
re-shuffled after each hand
- Dealer stands on
all 17's
- Doubling after
splitting allowed
- No re-splitting
of cards allowed
- No surrender
- Only one
additional card allowed on each Ace when splitting a pair of Aces
How
to Play:
InterCasino
Progressive Blackjack is played with eight fifty-two-card decks. After
each game has been played, the used cards are shuffled back into the
deck. All face cards are valued at ten and the cards from 2-10 are
valued as indicated. Aces can be valued at either one or eleven; if
counting the Ace as eleven would put the hand over twenty-one, the Ace
is automatically counted as one instead. You do not need to specify
which value the Ace has as it's always assumed to have the value that
makes the best hand. The value of a hand is the sum of the values of
the individual cards. For example, a hand containing a Jack, 3, and 4
has a value of 17.
Your chips are
stacked by denomination ($1, $5, $25, $100, $500) at the bottom of the
game window. Select the amount you would like to wager on a given hand
by clicking the left mouse button on the chip of that denomination. The
amount wagered per hand may be increased or decreased by placing the
mouse on the stack that you wish to add or subtract to your bet. Each
time you click the left mouse button you will add a chip from that pile
to your planned wager amount. Likewise by clicking on the right mouse
button you can decrease your planned wager amount. You may repeat your
last bet by simply hitting the "0" button of your numeric keyboard.
Other keyboard shortcuts are summarized below. If you place a wager
that is lower than the minimum table bet limit, your bet amount will be
automatically adjusted to the minimum bet amount.
To qualify for the
Bonus Jackpot you need to place a $1 bonus bet. You do this by clicking
on the flashing chip holder directly in front of you. You may place a
Bonus bet prior to playing your hand as long as the lights surrounding
the chip holder are flashing. Players may win a bonus payout, if they
receive two or more consecutive Aces as the first cards dealt to them
in their hand. The size of the Jackpot increases with every bet. The
current level of the Jackpot is displayed at the left-hand side or
right-hand side of the screen depending on your seating position. You
may also qualify for a bonus payout based on the suit and number of
aces held in a particular hand. See the Bonus Payout Table.
You begin a hand of
Progressive Blackjack by placing a bet on the table as described above.
You will then receive two cards face up. The dealer will receive one
card face up and one face down. Once you have been dealt your two cards
(and based on the nature of these cards) you can do the following by
clicking with the left mouse button on the appropriate button:
Hit:
Requests another
card. You can request a hit as many times as you like, but if your
total goes over twenty-one, you will "bust" and lose the hand.
Stand:
Requests that you
receive no more cards. The hand as it currently stands will be judged
against the dealers.
Split:
If you have two cards
of the same denomination, a Split button will appear. You can split
your cards into two hands and play each hand separately. Your original
bet will be duplicated for the new hand. Each hand will be played out
as usual except when splitting Aces, where only one additional card per
hand is dealt. A white box displaying your card total will appear over
each hand indicating which hand is active. The split option can only be
used once per hand -- you cannot split part of a split hand. Any
winning 21 obtained after splitting a pair is paid 1-to-1.
Double Down:
If you select this
option, three things will happen: you will get exactly one more card,
your turn will end, and your bet will be doubled.
Insurance:
Whenever the dealer's
up-card is an Ace, the player has an option of taking insurance. The
player may opt to take insurance by clicking on the "Insurance "
button. If you do not wish to take insurance, you simply click on the
"Pass" button to proceed with the rest of the hand. If the player
believes that the dealer's down card is a 10-ranking card, then the
player is permitted to place a side bet of half the original wager as
insurance. If the dealer does have a 10 ranking card, the player is
immediately paid 2-to-1 on the insurance bet, but the original wager is
lost unless the player too has a Progressive Blackjack and pushes with
the dealer. Here the player is simply betting that the dealer's unseen
card is a 10-valued card.
Note: The
Double Down and Split options will only be active immediately after you
receive your first two cards. If the dealer has an Ace showing, you
will be offered a chance to buy Insurance for half of the amount you
bet. When you buy insurance you are, in effect, making a second bet.
You are betting that the dealer has a natural Blackjack. If the dealer
does have a natural Blackjack (in other words, his down card is a ten
or a face card), you will collect a payoff of 2 to 1 on your insurance.
You will also lose your original wager, unless you have a natural
Blackjack too. If the dealer does not have a natural twenty-one, the
rest of the hand is played out as usual and you will lose your
insurance money.
If you win the
hand, you will get back your original bet plus the same amount in
profit. A hand that consists of an Ace and any ten-value card is called
a natural twenty-one, or a natural Blackjack (except in the case of a
Split hand – see details above). If you win with a natural Blackjack,
you will be paid off at three-to-two odds, which means you get your
original bet back plus 150% profit. (So if you bet $50 and win with a
natural twenty-one, you get $50 (your bet) plus $75 (your bet plus half
of your bet), which totals to $125.
Payoffs:
| Result |
Payoff |
| Winning hand |
1 to 1 |
| Blackjack |
3 to 2 |
| Insurance |
2 to 1 |
Bonus Payout:
Bonus
Bet Payouts are received when consecutive aces are the first cards
dealt in a hand. The payout varies for different combinations of
consecutive aces. Winning Bonus Bets will be paid to the player at the
end of the round when all other bets are paid.
|
Result
|
Payoff
|
|
4
Red Aces OR 4 Black Aces
|
JACKPOT
|
|
3
Suited Aces
|
$2500
|
|
4
Unsuited Aces
|
$1500
|
|
3
Unsuited Aces
|
$250
|
|
2
Suited Aces
|
$100
|
|
2
Unsuited Aces
|
$25
|
Betting
Limits:
$2 minimum bet
$2,500 maximum bet.
Individual tables
may have a higher minimum bet and a lower maximum bet. There are two
ways to determine the table bet limit for a specific table. At the
casino floor level, you can place your mouse pointer over a specific
table. After 2 or 3 seconds a box will appear identifying the table
number and the minimum and maximum bet. Alternatively, you can click on
a specific table. A new window will open displaying the minimum and
maximum bet.
You may also set
your table bet limit below the maximum specified limit by selecting Bet
Options from the Game Menu. The Modify Table Bet Limit window will
appear on the screen. To reduce your maximum table bet limit type in
the new limit in the appropriate box and confirm it by typing your PIN
in the box below. Click on the OK button to complete the update. Please
be aware that you can modify your table bet limit no more than once per
week (Friday 12:00 AM EST) and that using the Modify Table Bet Limit
function affects the bet limit for all games and not just the game that
you are currently playing.
Basic
Progressive 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 InterCasino Progressive
Blackjack with 8 decks reshuffled after each hand) or remembering which
cards were played previously. The basic Progressive 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 favours 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 for InterCasino rules (8 decks, 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
Upcard
|
|
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
Upcard
|
|
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
Upcard
|
|
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
|
Numeric
Keyboard Shortcuts:
|
Keyboard Entry
|
Action
|
|
0
|
Repeat
last bet
|
|
Enter
|
Deal,
Stand
|
|
+
|
Hit
|
|
-
|
Take
Insurance
|
|
*
|
Double
Down
|
|
/
|
Split
|
|
1
|
Pass,
Refuse Insurance
|
|
Up Arrow
|
Increase
bet by $1
|
|
Down Arrow
|
Decrease
bet by $1
|
|
"<Shift>Up
Arrow"
|
Increase
bet by $10
|
|
"<Shift>Down
Arrow"
|
Decrease
bet by $10
|
For keyboards
without keypads, you must use the "Fn" key plus the shortcuts above
(e.g. <Fn> Enter). Please note that these keyboard shortcuts are
offered as a suggestion only. Some computers behave differently than
others and therefore we cannot guarantee that the shortcuts will apply
to all computers.
Note: You may turn on/off the Sound, Voice,
Animation and Full Screen Mode during the game by clicking on the
Options button from the menu. The setting is turned on when the
checkbox is checked and it is turned off when the checkbox is
unchecked. Select the Done button when you are finished choosing your
options or choose Cancel to return to the casino without making any
changes. You must exit and re-enter the game to activate the Animation
and Full Screen Mode feature.
References:
For further
information on blackjack, please consult the following references:
Carlson, Bryce. Blackjack
for Blood, Compustar Press, 1992.
Humble, Lance and
Cooper, Carl. The World's Greatest Blackjack Book, Doubleday,
1987.
Scoblete, Frank. Best
Blackjack, Bonus Books, 1996.
Tamburin, Henry. Reference
Guide to Casino Gambling, Research Services Unlimited, 1993.
Uston, Ken. Million
Dollar Blackjack, Carol Publishing Group, 1994.
Last updated: November 2003
Game
Rules by Inter Casino
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