Fair or Exhibition Event licence: Rules of Play - Blackjack

1. BETTING LIMITS

1. The maximum bet allowed is five dollars ($5.00).
2. The minimum bet is one dollar ($1.00).

2. NUMBER OF DECKS; VALUE OF CARDS

1. Blackjack must be played with six (6) decks of cards.
2. These decks of cards must have the backs with the same colour and design and at least one (1) additional cutting card. The Supplier logo is required on the back of these cards, where they are leased or rented from Suppliers registered under the Gaming Control Act, 1992.
3. The value of the cards contained in each deck must be as follows:
   1. Any card from two (2) to 10 must have its face value.
   2. Any King, Queen or Jack must have a value of 10.
   3. Any Ace must have a value of 11, unless that value would give the player or the dealer a score in excess of 21, then it must have the value of one (1).

3. WAGERS

1. Prior to the first card being dealt for each round of play, each player at the game of Blackjack must make a wager against the dealer which must win if:
   1. The score of the player is 21 or less and the score of the dealer is over 21.
   2. The score of the player exceeds that of the dealer without either exceeding 21.
   3. The player has achieved a score of 21 in two (2) cards (blackjack) and the dealer has achieved a score of 21 in more than two (2) cards.
2. Once the first card of any hand has been removed from the shoe and exposed by the dealer, no player may remove or alter any wagers that have been made until a decision has been rendered and implemented with respect to that wager.
3. All wagers at Blackjack must be made by placing gaming chips on the appropriate areas of the blackjack layout.
4. Once a wager on the insurance line, a wager to double down or a wager to split pairs has been made and confirmed by the dealer, no player may handle, remove or alter such wagers until a decision has been rendered and implemented with respect to that wager.
5. After each round of play is complete, the dealer must collect remaining losing wagers and pay all winning wagers. All winning wagers must be paid at odds of one (1) to one (1), with the exception of blackjack which must be paid at odds of three (3) to two (2).
6. Bets for dealers are not permitted.
7. All ties are pushed.
8. All games must be played with gaming chips. Cash betting is not allowed.

4. OPENING OF TABLE FOR GAMING

1. After receiving six (6) decks of cards for the table, the dealer must sort and inspect the cards and the Designated Representative in Charge must verify the inspection.
2. After the cards are inspected, the cards must be spread face upwards on the table for visual inspection by the first player(s) to arrive at the table.
3. After the first player(s) is afforded an opportunity to visually inspect the cards, the cards must be turned face downward on the table, mixed thoroughly by a “washing” of the cards and stacked.

5. SHUFFLING AND CUT OF THE CARDS

1. Prior to commencement of play, the dealer must shuffle the cards so that they are randomly intermixed.
2. After the cards have been shuffled, the dealer must offer the stack of cards, with back facing away from him/her, to the players to be cut.
3. The player to cut the cards must be:
   1. The first player to the table if the game is just beginning.
   2. The player on whose box the cutting card appeared during the last round of play.
   3. The player at the farthest point to the right of the dealer if the cutting card appeared on the dealer’s hand during the last round of play.
   4. The player at the farthest point to the right of the dealer if the reshuffle was initiated at the discretion of the Designated Representative in Charge.
4. The player designated to cut the cards must do so by placing the cutting card in the stack at approximately halfway in the deck.
5. If the player designated refuses the cut, the cards must be offered to each other player moving clockwise around the table until a player accepts the cut. If no player accepts the cut, the dealer must cut the cards.
6. Once the cutting card has been inserted by the player, the dealer must take all cards in front of the cutting card and place them on the back of the stack after which the dealer must insert the cutting card in a position at least approximately one-quarter (¼) of the way in from the back of the stack. The stack of cards must then be inserted into the dealing shoe for commencement of play.
7. A reshuffle of the cards must take place after the cutting card is reached and the last hand completed.
8. The Designated Representative in Charge may determine after any round of play that the cards be reshuffled.

6. PROCEDURE FOR DEALING CARDS

1. All cards used at the game of Blackjack must be dealt from a dealing shoe, one (1) at a time, in clockwise order.
2. After each full set of cards is placed in the shoe, the dealer must remove the first card face downwards and place it in the discard rack. Each new dealer who comes to the table must also burn one (1) card as described herein before the new dealer deals any cards to the players. Burnt cards may be shown to the players if requested.
3. All players’ cards are dealt face upwards. The dealer receives only one (1) card face upwards.
4. As each player indicates his/her decision with a hand signal or verbally, the dealer must deal face upwards whatever additional cards are requested and may announce the new point total of each player after each additional card is dealt. After the last player has acted, the dealer then draws his/her second card and additional cards, if required.
5. Players do not touch any cards on the table at any time.
6. At the conclusion of a round of play, all cards still remaining on the layout must be picked up by the dealer in order and in such a way that they can be readily arranged to indicate each player’s hand in case of question or dispute. The dealer must pick up the cards beginning with those of the player to his/her far right and moving counter-clockwise around the table. After all the players’ cards have been collected, the dealer must pick up his/her cards against the bottom of the players’ cards and place them in the discard rack.
7. Each player at the table shall be responsible for correctly computing the point count of his/ her hand and no player shall rely on the point counts announced by the dealer under this section without himself/herself checking the accuracy of such announcement.

7. INSURANCE WAGERS

1. Whenever the first card dealt to the dealer is an Ace, each player shall have the right to make an insurance bet which shall win if the dealer’s second card is a King, Queen, Jack or 10 and shall lose if the dealer’s second card is an Ace, two (2), three (3), four (4), five (5), six (6), seven (7), eight (8) or nine (9). Dealer must announce “insurance open and insurance closed”.
2. An insurance bet may be made by placing on the insurance line of the layout an amount equal to half (½) the amount staked on the player’s initial wager. All insurance wagers must be placed immediately after the second card is dealt to each player and prior to any additional cards being dealt to any player at the table.
3. All winning insurance wagers must be paid at odds of two (2) to one (1).
4. All losing insurance wagers must be collected by the dealer, immediately after the first two (2) cards of the dealer’s hand are shown.
5. At the time insurance is offered by the dealer, a player with a blackjack may request and be paid even money.

8. DOUBLING DOWN

1. Except for blackjack, a point count of 21 in two (2) cards, a player may elect to double down, i.e. make an additional wager equal to the amount of the player’s original wager, on the first two (2) cards dealt to the player, or the first two (2) cards of any split pair on the condition that one (1) and only one (1) additional card must be dealt to the hand on which the player has elected to double down. In such circumstances, the one (1) additional card must be dealt face upwards and placed sideways on the layout.
2. If a dealer obtains blackjack after a player doubles down, the dealer must collect all wagers of such player including the double down wager.

9. SPLITTING PAIRS

1. Whenever the initial two (2) cards dealt to a player are identical in value, the player may elect to split the hand into two (2) separate hands provided that the player makes a wager on the second hand, in an amount equal to the player’s original wager.
2. When a player splits a pair, the dealer must deal a card to complete the player’s decision with respect to the first incomplete hand on the dealer’s left before proceeding to deal any cards to any other hand.
3. After a second card is dealt to a split pair, the dealer may announce the point total of such hand and the player must indicate his/her decision to stand, draw or double down.
4. A player splitting Aces must have only one (1) card dealt to each Ace and may not elect to receive additional cards.
5. If the dealer obtains blackjack after a player splits pairs, the dealer must collect all wagers including all split hands and wagers.
6. A player may split pairs twice for a maximum of three (3) hands.

10. DRAWING OF ADDITIONAL CARDS BY PLAYERS AND DEALERS

1. A player may elect to draw additional cards whenever his/her point total is less than 21, except that:
   1. A player having blackjack or a hard or soft total of 21 may not draw additional cards.
   2. A player electing to double down must draw one (1) and only one (1) additional card per hand.
   3. A player splitting Aces must have one (1) card dealt to each Ace and may not elect to receive additional cards. Aces may only be split once for a total of two (2) hands.
2. The dealer must draw on 16 and soft 17 or below, and must stand on any hard count of 17 or more (i.e. dealer has six (6) and Ace — dealer must draw).

11. IRREGULARITIES

1. A card found turned face upwards in the shoe must not be used in the game and must be placed in the discard rack.
2. A card drawn in error without its face being exposed must be used as though it were the next card from the shoe.
3. After the initial two (2) cards have been dealt to each player and a card is drawn in error and exposed to the players, such card must be dealt to the players or dealer as though it were the next card from the shoe. Any player refusing to accept such card must not have any additional cards dealt to him/her during such round.
4. If the dealer has a hard 17 or above and accidentally draws a card for himself/herself, such card must be burned.
5. If there are insufficient cards remaining in the shoe to complete a round of play, all of the cards in the discard rack or in a segregated area of the double shoe must be shuffled and cut, the first card must be drawn face downwards and burned, and the dealer must complete the round of play.
6. If no cards are dealt to the player’s hand, the hand is dead. If one (1) card is dealt to the player, cards must be backed up to ensure all players have two (2) cards.