Blackjack at Hard Rock Atlantic City
How to Play
The objective is to draw cards closer in value to 21 than the Dealer’s cards without exceeding 21. The game is played with anywhere from one to eight decks of 52 cards each. After placing a wager in the circle, the Dealer deals two cards face-up to each player and two cards to the Dealer: one face-up and one face-down. The Dealer then proceeds left to right around the table, announcing card point totals. Any card from 2 to 10 counts at face value; Jacks, Queens and Kings are counted as 10; and the Ace is counted as 11 unless that would produce a point total more than 21, in which case it is then counted as 1. Players are responsible for correctly computing their card point totals. Players signal their desire to stand by waving their hand palm down in front of them and signal they would like to take an additional card by scratching the felt in front of them. Players have the option of surrendering one-half of their wager before drawing any cards to their hand, if the Dealer does not have a Blackjack. After all players have had the opportunity to act on their hand, the Dealer turns over their hole card and takes additional cards based on the rules for the Dealer. If the player’s hand is closer to 21 than the Dealer’s, but does not exceed 21, or the Dealer’s count exceeds 21, the player wins. A winning hand pays 1 to 1. In the event of a tie (a push) neither hand wins or loses.
Blackjack
A Blackjack is a total of 21 on the first two cards dealt and wins immediately unless the Dealer also has a Blackjack, which then results in a tie. Winning Blackjacks are paid 3 to 2. If the Dealer has an “upcard” of 2 through 9, the Blackjack is paid immediately, and the cards are removed. If the Dealer’s up card is a 10 or Ace, the Dealer verifies whether they have a Blackjack prior to paying the player. On single or double-deck games, Blackjack is paid 6 to 5.
Player Options
Insurance: When the Dealer’s up card is an Ace, a player may make an additional wager
known as Insurance, which is a wager made when the Dealer has a Blackjack.
At the Dealer’s prompt, a player may wager up to half of their original wager.
The Insurance Wager is paid 2 to 1 if the Dealer has a Blackjack. The Insurance
wager is separate from the original wager. The game continues as normal after
Insurance activity is settled. When a player has a Blackjack and the Dealer’s
up card is an Ace, that player has the option of taking “Even Money” for their
Blackjack in lieu of placing an Insurance Wager.
Splitting Pairs: When the first two cards received are of the same value, the player has the option of splitting them to form two separate hands. Pairs may be split three times for a total of four hands, except for Aces that may only be split once. Play must be completed on one hand before playing the next one. A player may double down after splitting and receiving the second card on the split hand. The wager on each split hand must equal the original wager. Each hand may be hit as many times as desired with the exception of Aces. When splitting Aces, players receive only one card on each hand. If the Dealer finds they have a Blackjack after a player splits pairs, that player will only lose their original wager.
Doubling Down: After two cards have been dealt to the player or after being dealt the second card on a split, players may make an additional wager up to the amount of the original wager and receive only one additional card. This is called “Doubling Down.” The exception is that players may not Double Down when their first two cards total 21. If the dealer finds they have a Blackjack after a player Doubles Down, that player will only lose their original wager.
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Common Blackjack Terms
- Blackjack – 21 in first 2 cards dealt (Ace and 10/face card)
- Push – Tie with the dealer, no money exchanged
- Bust – Going over 21
- Hit – Taking another card to add to your total
- Stay – Staying with the amount you are currently at
- Insurance – If the dealer is showing an Ace, you may place an insurance bet that would protect you from losing in the case of a dealer blackjack
- Split – If player has a pair, they may split their hand to create 2 separate hands
- Side Bets - Bets you can make on the side that increase your payouts if won