Blackjack at Emnotweni

Blackjack, also known as 21, is one of the most popular casino games, as it is a mixture of skill, smart decision making and luck. At Emnotweni, we have 4 Blackjack tables. The minimum bet on the tables is R25 and the maximum bet is R2000.

How to play Blackjack

• Pick a table and sit down. They generally seat about 6 people.
• Place your wager. The amount of this depends on your discretion and the House rules.
• You will now be dealt 2 cards, face up. The dealer gets one card, face up.
• The main objective of Blackjack is to accumulate cards with a total points value of as close to 21 as you can get, without going over 21.
• Now you need to decide whether to stay or take more cards to try and get closer to 21.
• If your cards are worth more than 21 points, then you are said to have bust. If you bust, it is game over.
• Players who do not bust wait for the dealer's turn.
• When the players are done, the dealer must now deal him or herself cards until he or she has a total of 17 or higher. By rule, the dealer must continue to draw on 16 or less and stay on 17 or higher.
• The winner is whoever has a higher hand than the dealers total, but does not exceed 21.
• Face cards, in other words the King, Queen and Jack, are worth 10 points each. Aces are worth 1 or 11, whichever better suits your purpose. Other cards are the value of their number, for example an 8 is worth 8 points.
• To win, you need to beat the dealer without busting. If your total and the dealer's are the same it is called a push, or a tie, and you get your money back.
• Blackjack, or a natural 21, is a combination of an Ace and a ten or a face card (a total of 21 points) with the first 2 cards, and automatically wins the hand and one and a half times your wager, unless the dealer also has Blackjack, in which case it is a tie.
• All remaining players with a higher total than the dealer win an amount equal to their bet.
• Players with a lower count than the dealer lose their bet.
• If the dealer busts, all remaining players win.
• For the more advanced player, there are other betting options, namely Insurance, Surrender, Double Down, Even Money and Split.
• You could also choose to add an additional Perfect Pairs Wager.

Insurance
If the dealer's showing card is an Ace, the player can place a side bet of up to half the initial bet against the dealer having a natural 21. If the dealer has a Blackjack hand, insurance pays out at 2-1 odds. If the dealer does not have a natural 21, however, you lose your insurance money.

Surrender
You can give up your hand and lose only half of your bet.

Double Down
You can double your initial bet after the first 2 cards are dealt, but afterwards can only be dealt 1 more card.

Even Money
If you are dealt a Blackjack with the first 2 cards, and the dealer is showing an Ace, you can cash in your bet at a 1-1 payout ratio. This is just in case the dealer also has a natural Blackjack, in which case you lose.

Split
If you are dealt 2 cards of the same value, for example two 10's, you can split them into two separate hands with equal bets on each and play on with two hands, and twice the chance to win.

Perfect Pairs
A player may choose to place an additional (Perfect Pairs wager÷ if the boxes for wagers on the blackjack table layout provide for Perfect Pairs wagers.

• A player may place a Perfect Pairs wager on any box on which the player has placed a blackjack wager
• The betting limits for Perfect Pairs wagers will be displayed on a sign at the table.
• A Perfect Pairs wager must be placed before any cards in the round of play are dealt.
• A Perfect Pairs wager wins if the first 2 cards dealt to the player are a pair and loses if the first 2 cards dealt to the player are not a pair
• Winning Perfect Pairs wagers must be paid as follows:
  
  
  • Mixed Pair: 6 to 1
  • Coloured Pair: 12 to 1
  • Perfect Pair: 25 to 1