The Rules of BlackJack

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Definitions

"Dealer" shall mean the person responsible for dealing the cards at a Blackjack table.

"Blackjack" shall mean an ace and any card having a point value of 10 dealt as the initial two cards to a player or a dealer except that this shall not include an ace and a ten (10)-point value card dealt to a player who has split pairs.

"Hard Total" shall mean the total point count of a hand which contains no aces or which contains aces that are each counted as 1 in value.

"Soft Total" shall mean the total point count of a hand containing an Ace that has two (2) numerical values, 1 or 11.

"Push" shall mean that the dealer and player's point totals are the same.

"Card Reader Device" is defined as a device, which reads the hole card to identify if the dealer has a Blackjack. The device will be used such that the value of the hole card will only be read when the value of the hole card completes a Blackjack for the dealer.

Cards, Number of Decks, Value of Cards

Blackjack shall be played with a minimum of one (1) deck of cards with backs of the same color and design. Blackjack will be dealt using a shoe.
The value of the cards contained in each deck shall be as follows:
1. Any card from 2 to 10 shall have its face value;
2. Any Jack, Queen, or King shall have a value of ten (10);
3. Ace shall have a value of eleven (11), or one (1).

Wagers

Prior to the first card being dealt for each round of play, each player at the game of Blackjack shall make a wager against the dealer, which shall win if:
1. The score of the player is 21 or less and the score of the dealer is in excess of 21
2. The score of the player exceeds that of the dealer without either exceeding 21
3. The player has achieved a score of 21 in two (2) cards and the dealer has achieved a score of 21 in more than two (2) cards.
A wager shall be void when the score of the player is the same as the dealer, (a push) provided however that a player's wager shall be lost when the dealer has a Blackjack and the player has a simple 21 which is not a Blackjack.
No wager shall be made, increased or withdrawn after the first card of the respective round has been dealt.
Games may be mid-shoe entry, or no-mid shoe entry. All games will be mid-shoe entry unless no-mid shoe entry is posted at the game.
All wagers at Blackjack shall be made by placing gaming chips or tokens on the appropriate areas of the Blackjack layout. Verbal wagers accompanied by cash will not be accepted at the game of Blackjack.
The minimum wagers and maximum wagers shall be posted on a sign at each table.
After each round of play is complete, the dealer shall collect all losing wagers and pay all winning wagers. All winning wagers shall be paid at odds of 1 to 1 with the exception of standard Blackjack, which shall be paid at odds of 3 to 2.
Once the first card of a hand has been dealt, no player shall handle, remove or alter any wagers that have been made until a decision has been rendered and implemented with respect to that wager.
Once a wager on the insurance line, a wager to double down or a wager to split pairs has been made and confirmed by the dealer, no player shall handle, remove or alter such wagers until a decision has been rendered, and implemented with respect to that wager.
No dealer shall permit any player to engage in conduct in violation of subsections 7 and 8 of this section.

Prairie Meadows has the right to deny play to any player at any time for any reason, which it considers detrimental to the best interest of Prairie Meadows and the State of Iowa gaming industry.

Inspection of Cards

When cards are placed on the gaming table at the beginning of the gaming day, a casino supervisor will break the seal then give the cards to the dealer for inspection. When the Deck Checker system is not used, the dealer or casino supervisor will spread the cards face up in two rows to verify that all cards are present. The backs of cards will be checked to make certain there are no marking, which can be identified as to the value of the card. The backs will be spread once in each direction. Cards will be checked for any kind of damage. If after checking the cards, the dealer or supervisor finds that cards are damaged or improper, the supervisor will replace them. The defective decks will have the defect noted, and returned to the Card and Dice storage.

Shuffle and Cut of the Cards

Opening Shuffle: New Cards – Manual Shuffle

Cards will be "washed" two (2) decks at a time and then placed into the discard rack.
Remove all decks from discard rack and place in center of table.
The cards are then placed in four equal stacks in front of the gaming tray about shoulder width apart.
A yellow cut card is placed in the middle of the table between the stacks of cards.
Approximately 1/2 deck is picked from each of stacks 1 & 3, riffled twice, stripped 7-10 times, and riffled together once again and left laced so three logos are visible. This is then placed on the cut card between the three stacks, forming a new pile (stack 5).
This process is continued alternating between stacks 1 & 3, and stacks 2 & 4, until there is one single pile (stack 5) of cards in the middle of the table once again.
The dealer will call out in a loud clear voice "Shuffle Check" or "Cut" and wait for supervisor approval before proceeding to the cut process.

Automatic Shuffling Device

Cards used to play Blackjack may be shuffled using an automatic card-shuffling device. Should one not be in use the Standard Shuffle Procedure will apply.

The following procedures are applicable to the automatic shuffling device:

When an automatic shuffling device is used, the cards will be inspected as described under "Blackjack-Inspection of Cards". The cards will then be washed 2 decks at a time and loaded into the shuffler.
To facilitate opening if the shuffler has not completed its cycle on the first set of cards, the second set of cards may be prepared and manually shuffled at table opening.
On subsequent shuffles the unused portion of cards from the shoe are removed and inserted into the center of the discards already in the rack.
The discards are then removed from the rack and inserted into the automatic shuffler.
The shuffler will then eject the already shuffled cards, and the dealer will proceed with the cut process.
If an error light turns on during the shuffle, the cards in the machine will not be brought into play until a supervisor investigates the error.

STANDARD SHUFFLE PROCEDURE

Immediately prior to commencement of play, the dealer shall shuffle the cards so that they are randomly intermixed. Cards will be shuffled as follows:

Remove unused portion of cards from the shoe and insert the stub into the center of discards already in the rack.
Remove all decks from the discard rack and place in center of table.
The cards are then placed in four equal stacks in front of the gaming tray about shoulder width apart.
A yellow cut card is placed in the middle of the table between the stacks of cards.
Approximately 1/2 deck is picked from each of stacks 1 & 3, riffled twice, stripped 7-10 times, and riffled together once again and left laced so three logos are visible. This is then placed on the cut card between the three stacks, forming a new pile (stack 5).
This process is continued alternating between stacks 1 & 3, and stacks 2 & 4, until there is one single pile (stack 5) of cards in the middle of the table once again.
The dealer will call out in a loud clear voice "Shuffle Check" or "Cut" and wait for supervisor approval before proceeding to the cut process.

Cut Of The Cards

Once the shuffle is complete, the dealer will roll the cards, square them, and offer the cut to the designated player. ( If opening a new game WITH a shuffle machine, the cards are unloaded from the shuffle machine and offered for cut.)
The player shall cut the cards by placing the cutting card in the stack, at least one deck from either end.
Once the cutting card has been inserted by the player, the dealer shall take all cards in front of the cutting card and place them to the back of the stack after which the dealer shall insert the cutting card in a position at least one deck in from the back of the stack. The stack of cards shall then be inserted into the dealing shoe for commencement of play.
If a player refuses the cut, the cards shall be offered to each other player moving clockwise around the table until a player accepts the cut. If no player accepts the cut, the dealer shall cut the cards.
A reshuffle of the cards in the shoe shall take place after the cutting card is reached in the shoe except that:
1. Prairie Meadows may determine after each round of play that the cards should be reshuffled.
2. If the Games Supervisor has any doubts about the validity of the cut or the integrity of the game, he/she may instruct the dealer to reshuffle the cards.

When the shuffle procedure is completed, the cards are placed into the shoe.

"Burning Of The Cards"

The first card from the shoe shall be "burned" face down by placing it into the discard holder and shall not be shown unless a guest requests to see it.
A card will be "burned" when:
1. The shuffle has been completed.
2. A new dealer has pushed into the game.
If the dealer, in error, "burns" two cards or does not "burn" the first card after the shuffle has been completed, or if the new dealer fails to "burn" a card after pushing into a game, the dealer continues to deal normally. If a dispute arises, a Supervisor is to be called.

Procedure for Dealing Cards

All cards used to game at Blackjack shall be dealt from a dealing shoe specifically designed for such purpose and located on the table to the left of the dealer.
After each full set of cards is placed in the shoe, the dealer shall remove the first card therefrom face downwards and place it in the discard rack.
Each dealer shall remove cards from the shoe, turn them face upwards, and then place them on the appropriate area of the layout.
At the commencement of each round of play, the dealer shall, starting on his left and continuing around the table, deal the cards in the following order:
1. One (1) card face upward to each spot on the layout in which a wager is contained;
2. One (1) card face down to himself
3. A second card face upwards to each box in which a wager is contained
4. A second card face downwards to himself, which is placed underneath the first card.
Prairie Meadows may elect to utilize a card reader device. If a card reader device is used and the dealer's first card is and Ace, King, Queen, Jack, or ten (10) of any suit, the dealer shall determine whether the hole card will give the dealer a Blackjack prior to dealing any additional cards to the players at the table. The dealer shall insert the hole card into the card reader device by moving the card face down on the layout without exposing it to anyone, including the dealer, at the table. If the dealer has a Blackjack, no additional cards shall be dealt and each player's wager shall be settled accordingly. If the card reader is not functioning, or there is not a card reader on the game, the dealer shall manually peek at the hole card to determine if there is a blackjack.
As each player indicates his decision(s) by hand signal, the dealer shall deal face upwards whatever additional cards are necessary.
After the decisions of each player have been implemented and all additional cards have been dealt, the dealer shall turn his hole card face upwards. Any additional cards authorized to be dealt to the hand of the dealer shall be dealt face upward at this time. The dealer must draw to 16 and "soft" 17 and stand when "hard" 17 or more is reached.
At the conclusion of a round of play, all cards still remaining on the layout shall be picked up by the dealer in order and in such a way that they can be readily arranged to indicate each player's hand in case of questions or dispute. The dealer shall pick up the cards beginning with those of the player to the far right and moving counterclockwise around the table. The dealer's hand will be the last hand collected. The cards will then be placed on top of the discard pile.
Whenever the cutting card is reached in the deal of the cards, the dealer shall continue dealing the cards until that round of play is completed after which he shall reshuffle the cards. If the cutting card is drawn as the first card of a new round, the cards will be reshuffled prior to additional play.
No player or spectator shall handle, remove or alter any cards, and no dealer or other employee or casino key employee shall permit a player or spectator to engage in such activity.
Each player at the table shall be responsible for correctly computing the point count of their hand and no player shall rely on the point counts announced by the dealer without checking the accuracy of such announcement.

Payment of Blackjack

Payment

If the first face up card dealt to the dealer is a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 and a player has Blackjack, he shall announce Blackjack and unless the player has requested to double down, the dealer shall pay the Blackjack at odds of 3 to 2. All player's blackjacks will be paid in the order in which they were dealt.
If the first face up card dealt to the dealer is an Ace, King, Queen, Jack, or Ten (10) and a player has a blackjack, the dealer shall announce the Blackjack but shall make no payment nor remove any cards until the dealer's hole card has been determined. If the dealer's second card gives him Blackjack, the wager of the player(s) having Blackjack shall be a "push" and constitute a stand off.

Insurance Wagers

Whenever the first card dealt to the dealer is an ace, each player shall have the right to make an insurance bet which shall lose if the dealer's second card is an ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9.
An insurance bet may be made by placing on the insurance line of the layout an amount not more than half the amount staked on the player's initial wager. All insurance wagers shall be placed immediately after the second card is dealt to each player and the dealer, and prior to any additional cards being dealt.
All winning insurance wagers shall be paid at odds of 2 to 1.
All losing insurance wagers shall be collected by the dealer immediately after he discloses his hole card and before he draws any additional cards.
When calling for insurance, the dealer shall announce, "Insurance" in a clearly audible voice.
While calling for insurance the dealer shall at the same time, run his hand along the full length of the insurance line.
The player may insure any hand regardless of value.

EVEN MONEY

Whenever the first card dealt to the dealer is an ace, the dealer will ask for insurance.
Any player who received a Blackjack with their first two (2) cards may now take an even money payoff for their Blackjack.
This transaction will be completed immediately and the players' cards will be put in the discard pile.

DOUBLING DOWN

A player may elect to double down, i.e., make an additional wager not in excess of the amount of his original wager, on the first two (2) cards dealt to him or the first two (2) cards of any split pair except Aces on the condition that one (1) and only one (1) additional card shall be dealt to the hand on which he has elected to double down.
If a dealer obtains Blackjack after a player doubles down, the dealer shall collect the amount of the original wager of such player and shall not collect the additional amount wagered in doubling down.

SPLITTING PAIRS

Whenever the initial two (2) cards dealt to a player are identical in value, the player may elect to split the hand into two (2) separate hands provided that he makes a wager on the second hand so formed in an amount equal to his original wager.
When a player splits pairs, the dealer shall deal a second card to the first of the hands so formed and shall complete the player's decisions with respect to the first incomplete hand on the dealer's left before proceeding to deal any cards to any other hand.
After a second card is dealt to a split pair, the player shall indicate his decision to stand; draw or double down with respect thereto except that:
1. A player may split pairs again if the second card so dealt is identical in value to a card of the split pair; up to three (3) times "total of four (4) hands" – this includes aces.
2. A player splitting aces shall only have one (1) card dealt to each ace and may not elect to receive additional cards.
If a dealer obtains Blackjack after a player splits, the dealer shall collect the amount of the original wager of such player and shall not collect the additional amount wagered in splitting.

Drawing of Additional Cards By Players and Dealers

A player may elect to draw additional cards whenever his point count total is less than 21 except that:
1. A player electing to double down shall draw one (1) and only one (1) additional card;
2. A player splitting aces shall only have one (1) card dealt to each ace and may not elect to receive additional cards.
A dealer shall draw additional cards to his hands until he has a hard 17 or a hard or soft total of 18, 19, 20 or 21, at which point no additional cards shall be drawn.
A dealer shall draw no additional cards to his hand regardless of the point count, if decisions have been made on all players' hands and the point count of the dealer's hand will have no effect on the outcome of the round of play.

Irregularities

A card found turned face upward in the shoe shall not be used in the game and shall be placed in the discard rack.

A card drawn in error without its face being exposed shall be used as though it were the next card from the shoe.

If the dealer has seventeen or more and accidentally draws a card for himself, such card will be discarded.

Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino I-80 Exit 142 Altoona, Iowa