Welcome to RS Games Blackjack, an accessible, online, multiplayer version of the classic card game Blackjack! RS Games Blackjack utilizes the RS Games client, which allows players to play against each other from around the world, via the centralized RS Games server.
To get started, you will need the RS Games client installed. TO get the RS Games client if you don't have it already, go to http://www.rsgames.org. connecting and logging into the server are covered in the RS Games client documentation. Alternatively, you can use the web client, from which you can play by using your web browser. A link to the web client can be found on our home page.
This document assumes you have read the RS Games client documentation first, for general concepts and instructions on using the client. If you have not read this document, please read it before continuing.
If you are using the web client, options referred to as keyboard commands in this document will appear as buttons on the web page.
Once you are connected, choose Blackjack from the list of games, and you will be presented with the main menu. From there, you can create a new game, join a game, or see a list of existing games. Choose an option using the up and down arrow keys and the enter key, or by clicking on the option if you are using the web client.
When you play RS Games blackjack for the first time, you start out with 5000 chips. This is more than enough to get you started. There are tables with various betting limits, so you can easily find one that fits your style of game play.
If your assets fall below 1000 chips, you can reset them to 5000 chips by choosing the Reset Chips option from the main menu. You can do this up to 3 times a day, after which you must wait until midnigh Eastern Time before you can once again reset your chips.
If you choose to create a new table, you will be asked if you want to make it private. If you choose yes, you can set a password, and only those who know the password will be able to join. You will then be asked if you would like to change the betting limits. If you choose yes, you will be asked to enter a new minimum and maximum bet for the table. Otherwise, these limits will be left at the defaults and you will be entered into your table, where you can wait for players to join.
Bots are computer players who will play against you if there are no other humans around to play with, or if you want to add more players to your game. If you are the creator of the game, you can press B to add a bot, or R to remove a bot.
Once you are ready to start the game, press the Enter key.
To join a table, choose the Join table option from the main menu. You will be presented with a list of tables that are open for players, along with the people playing in each game. Choose a game from the list, and press enter. If the game is private, you will then be asked to enter the password. Once you are in the game, you must wait for the game master to start the game.
Blackjack is a simple game. In case you are not familiar with it, this is not a jackpot kind of game where the player with the best hand wins all the money. Each player is playing against the dealer only, for himself or herself. The hands and decisions of other players don't make any difference.
Blackjack is a game of counting. The objective is to end up with a hand which exceeds the dealer's total without going over twenty-one. You do this with standard playing cards. Two through ten cards are counted as their corresponding numbers. Jack, Queen, and King are counted as ten. The ace is counted as one or eleven, whichever is better in your current situation.
To start a hand, the players bet whatever amount of chips they want, within specified minimum and maximum ranges. The dealer does not bet anything. Once all bets are placed, the dealer deals two cards to each player, then deals two cards to himself. Only one of the dealer's cards is shown. In this version, all cards of all players are revealed to everyone, since knowing the values of the other players' cards makes little or no difference in how you play your hand. Each player then takes his or her turn, making decisions about the hand as described later. Any player who goes over twenty-one is said to have busted. This means that player immediately loses his or her bet. Once all decisions have been made, the dealer reveals the second card in his hand. He then plays his hand according to a simple, mechanical strategy described later. He cannot make any decisions here, he must strictly follow the strategy. Once the dealer either finishes his hand or busts, the hand is over. If the dealer busts, all players who did not bust win. If the dealer does not bust, his total is compared to the totals of the players who did not bust. Those with totals above the dealer's total win. Those with the same total push. Those with lower totals lose.
The basic bet in Blackjack is double or nothing. This means, if you bet ten chips and win, you get your ten chips back, and you win an additional ten chips, for a total payout of twenty chips. If you lose, the dealer keeps your ten chips. If you push, meaning you have the same total as the dealer, you simply get your ten chips back.
A Blackjack is an initial hand of an ace and a ten-value card. Since the ace is counted as eleven, this gives you a total of twenty-one. If you get a Blackjack, you are paid with three to two odds. This means if you bet ten chips and get a Blackjack, you will receive twenty-five chips back. Before any players make decisions, the dealer checks his hidden or whole card to see if he has Blackjack. If he does, players who do not also have Blackjack immediately lose. Players who have Blackjack push. At that point, the hand is immediately over, as going any further would be pointless. A player who has Blackjack is in the best possible situation. The worst such a player can do is to tie with a dealer Blackjack. On the other hand, a dealer Blackjack is a disaster for all other players unless they also have Blackjack. In other words, a Blackjack beats any other hand, including a hand with three or more cards totaling twenty-one, and ties with another Blackjack.
Here are the decisions you will be making about your hand. The first choice is to hit. This means you want another card. Remember though, should you go over twenty-one, you will bust and lose the hand. The only case this is not true is if you have an ace counted as eleven. Such a hand is called a soft hand. Hitting on a soft hand cannot cause you to bust, since the ace can always be counted as one to keep the total from going over twenty-one. When you don't have an ace counted as eleven, this is called a hard hand. For example, your first two cards are an ace and a five. This gives you a total of soft sixteen. You take a hit and get a queen. Normally you would now be busted with a total of twenty-six. However, in this case, the ace changes its value from eleven to one, so your hand is now a hard sixteen. You can continue hitting as long as you like, until you are satisfied with your total or you bust.
The next decision is to stand. This means you don't want any more cards. Once you stand, your involvement in this hand is finished. Very simple.
The third decision is to double down. You must make this decision before you decide to hit or stand. If you double down, you place an additional bet of an amount up to your original bet, in exchange for one, and only one, more card. If your third card is a bad card, too bad, you can't have any more. Doubling down is most advantageous with totals of ten or eleven.
The next decision is to split. If you have a pair of cards, such as two eights or two aces, you can elect to split the pair. Like doubling down, you must make this decision before any other decisions. You put down another bet equal to your original bet. Each of your two cards becomes the first card in a new hand. At this point, each of your hands is treated separately. Note that if you split aces, only one card may be dealt to each split ace. Also note that getting a Blackjack only applies to your very first two cards. For instance, if you split two tens and get an ace on one of them, even though that's a total of twenty-one in two cards, it's not considered a Blackjack for payout purposes.
The last decision to talk about is insurance. When the dealer deals two cards to himself, if his up card (the card he's showing) is an ace, he will offer each player insurance. Insurance is a side bet. If you take insurance, you place a bet up to half your original wager. You are betting that the dealer has Blackjack, that is, his whole card (the card he is not showing) is a ten-value card. After all players have made insurance decisions, the dealer checks the value of his whole card in a way which doesn't reveal the value to the players. If the dealer does, in fact, have Blackjack, players who placed an insurance bet win that bet at two to one odds, and lose their regular bet unless, of course, they also have Blackjack. If the dealer does not have Blackjack, that is, his whole card is anything other than a ten-value card, players who placed insurance bets lose those bets, and play proceeds normally.
Now we will talk about the dealer's strategy. Remember, when playing out his hand, the dealer must follow a very strict, mechanical strategy. He will never double down or split. The strategy is as follows. The dealer will always hit if his total is sixteen or lower. The dealer will always stand if his total is seventeen or higher. In RS Games Blackjack, the dealer will stand even on soft seventeen, that is, a seventeen where an ace is counted as eleven, for example, an ace and a six.
In RS Games blackjack, hands will continue until all players leave the table. Since the game is played individually, it is possible for one player to play alone against the dealer. Between hands, the table will appear in the list of available tables so that new players may join. Of course, if your table is private, players must have the password in order to join. The game master may also postpone the start of the next hand to give players more time to join.
There are several keyboard commands that can be used to get information about your current game:
You can chat with other players at any point during game play by pressing the F2 key, typing your message into the input box and pressing enter. You can also chat at the main menu to other players who are not currently in a game, also by pressing F2.
To change the volume of the background music during the game, use F3 to lower the volume and F4 to raise the volume. You can also adjust the volume of the sound effects with F5 and F6 to lower or raise the volume, respectively.
You can opt to receive a transcript of your game, that is, an email containing the entire text of your game. When you leave a game, you will be asked if you would like to receive a transcript. If you would, choose Yes, and the transcript will be sent to the email address you used when creating your RS Games account.
Thanks to the following people for helping to create RS Games Blackjack:
If you have any problems using any of the games released by RS Games, or have a question, bug report, suggestion, feature request, or anything else, feel free to contact RS Games by sending an email to rsgames@gmail.com.