Six Card Charlie Blackjack

Objective

In Blackjack, the object of the game is to have a hand with a point value as close as possible to 21, without going over. A hand that has more than 21 points is called a "Bust".

You must have a point value closer to 21 than the dealer's hand in order to win. In Six Card Charlie Blackjack, if you hit on a hand and are able to collect 6 cards without busting (going over a total of 21), you'll get paid on the hand as if it was a blackjack.

Rules

• 8 standard decks of 52 cards, reshuffled before each round of play
• Dealer draws until he has a total of 17 or more
• Dealer stands on soft 17
• Double down offered on initial point values 9, 10 or 11
• No double down on split hands
• When splitting aces, only 1 extra card dealt to each hand
• No re-splits
• Tie hands push (bet is returned)
• Normal win pays 1:1
• Blackjack pays 3:2
• Blackjack after split pays 1:1
• Six Card Charlie pays 3:2
• Insurance pays 2:1
• Even Money pays 1:1

Card Values

The King, Queen, Jack and Ten are 10 points each; all other cards are worth their number values.

Aces can be used as either 1 or 11. Any hand that includes an ace has two values; a soft value and a hard value. For example, if the hand is an ace-8, the hard value is 9 and the soft value is 19. This hand would be able to play as a 9 or 19.

When the first two cards of a hand total 21, it's a natural Blackjack. Blackjack is the highest possible hand. When a hand totals 21 with 3 or more cards, this is not a Blackjack. It is simply called a 21 hand and would lose against a dealer Blackjack hand. When a 21 hand wins it pays 1:1.

Game Displays and Buttons

The game control areas include a chip stack to select bet amounts, the betting area(s) on the table and game buttons which appear whenever they can be used. The message area in the bottom bar of the game will assist you while the game is in progress.

Details on bet limits and payouts can be viewed by mousing over the Table Limits & Payouts card on the table.

Use the BET ALL button to place the same bet on all three hands or click in the bet circles on the table to bet individually on one or more hands. Each bet you place will use the chip selected in the chip tray.

When bets are placed, the BACK, CLEAR BETS and DEAL buttons appear.

		The BACK button removes bets one by one, starting from the last bet placed.
		The CLEAR BETS button removes all bets on the table.
		The DEAL button begins the round, the bets you placed will be removed from your balance and the cards will be dealt.

During the round, the SPLIT, DOUBLE, HIT and STAND buttons appear when appropriate (details in the How to Play section below).

		The SPLIT button is used to split two initial cards of the same value into two separate hands.
		The DOUBLE button is used to double your original bet and receive a single additional card.
		The HIT button is used to request another card.
		The STAND button allows you to proceed to play against the dealer with your current hand.

At the end of the round, the NEW GAME and REPEAT BETS buttons appear.

		The REPEAT BETS button clears bets and game results, then places the same bet(s) on the table for a new round.
		The NEW GAME button simply clears the table, allowing you to place different bets before starting a new round.

How to Play

1. Click on the chip tray to select the desired bet amount.
2. Place your bets.
3. Click on the DEAL button to start the hand. The initial 2 cards will be dealt to you and the dealer. The dealer's first card is dealt face down and the second card is dealt face up for you to see.
4. After the cards are dealt, in the event that the dealer's upcard is a 10 or an Ace, the following dealer actions will take place.
   1. Upcard is 10: Dealer checks for Blackjack
      
      If the dealer has a 10 showing, he will check for blackjack by peeking at his downcard and announcing "Checking for Blackjack". If the dealer does not have blackjack, the hand continues. If the dealer has blackjack and you don't, you lose the hand without continuing. In cases where both you and the dealer have blackjack, a push is declared.
   2. Upcard is Ace: Dealer offers Insurance
      
      When the dealer's up card is an Ace and you don't have a Blackjack, you are offered Insurance. Taking insurance means you make a second bet (the value of which is half the original bet) that the dealer has blackjack. If the dealer has blackjack, you lose your initial bet but are paid 2:1 on the insurance bet. If the dealer does not have blackjack, the insurance bet is lost and the hand is played out as normal.
   3. Upcard is Ace: Dealer offers Even Money
      
      If the dealer's up card is an Ace and you do have a Blackjack, you are offered Even Money. Taking even money means you believe the dealer also has blackjack and do not want to risk a push (tie). When you accept the offer for even money, you are instantly paid 1:1 for your Blackjack and play on the hand ends. You give up the normal 3:2 payoff, whether the dealer has blackjack or not.
5. Play out any hands still in play after the dealer blackjack options described above. Your options include HIT and STAND, plus DOUBLE and SPLIT in certain circumstances.
When playing multiple hands or splitting hands, you will take action on one hand at a time. An arrow appears to indicate the active hand.
1. HIT and STAND
   Unless the hand is a natural Blackjack, in which case no further action can be taken, you may choose to stand (refuse any further cards), or hit (take another card). You can hit as often as desired until you select STAND or your point value exceeds 21 (bust). When you bust, you immediately lose your bet regardless of the dealer's hand result. If you hit on a hand and are able to collect 6 cards without busting, it's called a "Six Card Charlie" and is an automatic win against the dealer, regardless of what point value is reached. Six Card Charlie pays 3:2.
2. DOUBLE
   Also known as Double Down, it means you believe that your hand can be won with just one more card and are willing to double your original bet. This is a common bet when the first 2 cards dealt have a total point value of 11.
   
   The option to Double will only be offered on your first two cards (see Rules section for point values on which doubling down is allowed), unless the hand is a natural Blackjack in which case no further action can be taken. When you double down, your original bet is automatically doubled (the additional bet is removed from your balance), you receive one more card and action on the hand ends.
   
   
3. SPLIT
   If you are dealt two initial cards of the same value (such as two eights or a Jack and Queen), the hand can be split into two separate hands. An additional bet of the same amount will automatically be removed from your balance and placed on the table, the two cards will be split into two different hands and a second card will be dealt to each. The hands will then be played out separately.
   
   
   
   Notes:
   
   
   • If you split two Aces, only one more card will be dealt to each hand.
   • A hand can only be split once.
   • A two card 21 total on a split is not a natural blackjack. If the hand wins it will pay 1:1.
6. After your final actions, the dealer's down card is revealed. If the dealer's hand is 16 or less, he must continue to hit until reaching 17 or more. The dealer must stand on soft 17 (see Card Values) and cannot take additional cards. If the dealer busts (exceeds 21), any of your hands that haven't busted are winning hands.
   
   You win the hand if your point value is higher than the dealer's point value. If you and the dealer have the same totals, it's a push (tie) and your bet is returned to you.
   
   When your hand busts, you lose your bet for that hand regardless of the final dealer result.

Payouts

Menu Bar

The menu bar at the bottom of the game screen contains the following displays and buttons:

The BALANCE display shows the total amount of money available to make bets with, which is the sum of cash and playable bonus money. The ARROW button to the left of the BALANCE display opens a panel showing the breakdown of balances (details below) and is only present when promotions are active on the website.

Cash:  money deposited on the website or bonus money that has been converted to real money after meeting wagering requirements.

Playable bonus:  money that can be used to make bets but cannot be withdrawn from the website until wagering requirements are met.

Pending bonus:  cannot be used to make bets or be withdrawn from the website until wagering requirements are met.

		The VOLUME button opens a panel which allows you to set the volume of the game audio.
		A single click on the VOLUME button will mute all game audio. Clicking the button again will restore the volume to its default setting.

The MENU button opens an internal menu containing links to the game guide and various other pages on the website.

The SETTINGS button opens a panel in which various game settings can be managed:

Background music:  option to mute just the background music for the game in question.

Game sounds:  option to mute just the game sounds for the game in question.

Dealer voice:  option to mute just the dealer's voice.

Basic Strategy

Players often use the following strategy to decide whether to Hit, Stand, Double, or Split. This strategy does not guarantee that the player will win but is used to improve the overall percentage of winning.

RTP

The RTP, or return to player, is the percentage of the total amount bet that gets paid out as winnings. This percentage is based on the rules of the game, the probability of game events occurring and the "best play" strategy.

The RTP shown above is a theoretical number based on a large data set. Individual results will vary.

Unless otherwise specified, Game RTP is inclusive of game features such as bonus games, free spins/hands, jackpot increments, etc. For games with jackpots, see the Jackpot Balance Management section for specific info about the jackpot increment which is included in the overall Game RTP shown above.

General Information

The game features, settings and functionality are subject to the terms and conditions of this gaming website. Use of the game, whether in FUN mode or for real money, indicates agreement to such terms and conditions.

Any unfinished hands/rounds shall be placed in a "resumable" state and will be loaded automatically the next time any game is opened. A list of unfinished games is also available in the My Account section. A hand/round is considered unfinished if a) outstanding bets still need to be resolved or b) when reasonably possible, the server detects that the final game result was not displayed to the player even when all wins have already been paid.

Inactive login sessions on this gaming site will expire after 20 minutes.

Malfunction of the gaming hardware/software will render any and all affected game play and pays void; all affected bets will be reimbursed once appropriate verifications have been performed.