« BASIC PLAY (1) |

BASIC PLAY (2)

The player makes a one-hand cut, setting the cut-off portion on the table. The dealer then completes the cut. When more than one deck is used or the cards are dealt from a shoe, the dealer may hand you a marker card. You insert this solid colored plastic card edgewise into the deck for the cut. The purpose of all this is to assure you that the cards are well mixed and that everything is left to random chance.

After the shuffle and cut, the top card (the burn card) is usually taken out of play without being seen and put in the discard tray. After all the wagers are placed in the appropriate betting squares, the dealer then deals clockwise from first base to third base, one card at a time to each player. The cards may be dealt face down, in which case you are allowed to handle them to determine their value.

If the cards are dealt face up, they are placed in front of your bet and are not to be handled. The dealer always has one card face up and one card face down (except in the English version, where the dealer takes one face-up card and takes the second card only after all the players’ hands are completed).

After each player has two cards, the dealer goes back to first base and continues clockwise around the table, giving additional cards to players as they desire (called hitting), until the players wish no more cards (called standing) or have exceeded the 21 count (called busting). After collecting the bets of all players who have busted, the dealer reveals his down card (or takes a second card in the English version). He then hits or stands according to the casino rules and collects from or pays off the remaining players accordingly.

When your play is complete, you will want to take your casino chips and change them back into currency. The dealer cannot do this for you, since the currency slot at the table is a one-way path only. The casino will have a central cashier cage for changing chips. This not only reduces the chance of theft from the casino, it also helps the casino bosses identify big winners. If you were a big winner and don’t want to fumble with a large number of small-denomination chips, ask the dealer to upgrade them for you before going to the cashier.

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