Vegas Downtown Blackjack

Vegas Downtown Blackjack is an enjoyable variant of the game with some interesting twists. The game is played with two decks of cards that are shuffled before each round. The game offers the ability to double, take out insurance and split hands, while the dealer must always hit on soft 17. It is a fast-paced game that promises to provide hours of entertainment.

Game Flow

Anyone familiar with the basics of Blackjack will get to grips with Vegas Downtown Blackjack very quickly. As is usual, the idea is to put together a hand of cards that is as close to 21 in value as possible but without exceeding 21 and going bust. When determining the value of a hand, Aces are worth 1 or 11, the face cards Jack, Queen and King are worth 10, and the number cards 2 to 10 are worth their face values. As a result, 21 can be formed with just two cards, an Ace and a ten card, and this is called Blackjack. It is the strongest possible hand and it will beat other hands, including those worth 21 that are comprised of more than two cards.

To start a round you need to place your bet and then click on ‘Deal’. You are then dealt two face-up cards while the dealer receives one face up and one facedown. If the dealer’s face up card is a 10 or an Ace they will then check for Blackjack. There are then three basic options to choose from:

• Stand – Nothing happens and play moves to the dealer
• Hit – Receive another card to your hand, if you don’t go bust then you may Hit or Stand again.
• Double – This is available only after your first two cards are dealt. Your bet will be doubled, you will receive one more card to the hand, and then the hand stands.

On occasion, there are two further possible options:

• Insurance – If the dealer’s face up card is an Ace, you can take insurance out against the dealer having Blackjack. Insurance costs half of your original bet.
• Split – If your first two cards have the same value then they can be split into two hands. This will double your bet and then you play the two hands independently. You can split up to three times per game, for a total of four hands. However, you can only split Aces once. If you split Aces, each hand will receive just one more card. Furthermore, split hands cannot form Blackjack, only a hand worth 21.

When you have finished playing your hand the dealer will play. The dealer will always draw more cards until the hand is worth at least 16. The dealer will stand on a hard 17 but hit on a soft 17. A hand is considered soft if it contains an Ace.

Bets Explained

Blackjack has just one main bet and the insurance bet as described above, making betting on the game very simple.  

Special Features

The game contains a number of shortcuts to speed up gameplay and make it more enjoyable. There are buttons to clear bets, quickly deal the next round, and so on. In the settings menu it is possible to turn on turbo mode and you can also turn the sound on and off as well as the dealer voice sound effects.

Payouts

All winning hands are paid out at 1:1, except for Blackjack, which pays at 3:2. A winning insurance bet pays at 2:1, while hands that tie with the dealer are returned as a push.