Celebrity Cruises

BLACKJACK

Blackjack is the most popular casino game, exciting but easy to play. The object of the game is to beat the total of the dealer's hand without going over 21. When adding the total of your hand, Kings, Queens and Jacks count as ten points. Aces count as 1 or 11, (whichever is to the advantage of the hand). All other cards are counted at face value. Players place their bets in the box corresponding to their seat position. When the dealer has shuffled the cards and a player has made the cut, they are placed in the "Shoe" and the first card is set aside (burnt).

The Basic Game
When all bets have been placed, each player is dealt two face up cards and the dealer receives one card face up and one face down,('hole card'). Each player, in turn, is now offered the option to draw additional cards or stand . If a player draws cards that total more than 21 points their bet automatically loses. When all players hands have been decided the dealer will turn over the hole card and stand or draw according to the following rule. If the dealer's cards total 16 or less they must continue to draw until their cards total 17 or more. If the total of the dealer's cards exceeds 21 then all bets remaining on the table will win. In all other cases the dealer will pay the bets on hands which exceed his total, take all bets on hands with lower totals and leave all bets on hands with an equal total. Winning hands are paid at odds of 1 to 1 (even money) with the exception of the hand known as "Blackjack", which is explained next.

The hand known as Blackjack
When the first two cards dealt to a player or the dealer are an Ace and a '10' count card this hand is known as "Blackjack" and beats all other hands, including 21 with three or more cards. If both a player and the dealer have "Blackjack", this is a stand-off or push. A player's winning "Blackjack" hand is paid at odds of 3 to 2. Insurance When the dealer's face up card is an Ace, this bet is offered to any player who wishes to insure against the dealer's hand being a "Blackjack". If any player wishes to insure against the dealer's hand being a "Blackjack" they must place an additional bet on the Insurance Line of up to half their original bet. Players wishing to insure their own "Blackjack" hand will receive an even money payment immediately. If the dealer has "Blackjack" all insurance bets will be paid at odds of 2 to 1, and any remaining "Blackjack" hand will be a standoff. If the dealer does not have "Blackjack" then all Insurance bets lose, and any remaining "Blackjack" hands will be paid out as described in the selection "The Basic Game".

Doubling Down
At certain points in the game it is to the player's advantage to increase his bet. He does this by placing an amount which may be less than, or equal to (but may not exceed) the original stake, behind his initial bet. This process is called "Doubling Down". A player may "Double Down" on any two cards except "Blackjack". When "Doubling Down" a player receives only one more card. If the dealer gets a "Blackjack", only the original bet will lose.

Splitting Pairs
If a player's first two cards have the same point value, they may be split into two separate hands by placing an additional bet, of the same value, alongside the original bet. After the player has placed an additional bet to split a pair, the dealer will separate the two cards and deal one extra card to the first split hand. The player will now decide whether to stand or draw additional cards to this hand (split Aces will receive just one more card). Once the first split hand has been completed, the dealer will then repeat the process with the second split card. All pairs may be split again, up to a maximum of three times, for a total of four hands.
NOTE: When splitting Aces, a two card 21 is not a "Blackjack".
A player may "Double Down" on any split hand, as explained in the previous section.
When splitting pairs, as with "Doubling Down", if the dealer gets a "Blackjack", only the original bet will lose.

Points to remember
When indicating your decision to stand or draw it is advisable to use the standard hand signals, i.e. flat hand above your cards to stand or point at your cards to draw. All other decisions should be indicated verbally. Only the dealer is allowed to handle, remove or change the position of the cards.
Please do not hesitate to ask the dealer if there is anything that you do not understand. In the event of a dispute, the final decision rests with the Management.