An amount equal to the player's initial bet if the player has two, three or four cards of the same suit
Once or twice the player's initial bet if the player has five cards of the same suit
Once, twice or three times the player's initial bet if the player has six or seven cards of the same suit
Once all players have made their choice and placed their hole cards face down on the table, the dealer reveals his cards. To qualify, the dealer's seven-card hand must contain at least three cards of the same suit. Note that, should the dealer's hand contain only three cards of the same suit, the highest ranking of those cards must be a 9 or higher. If the dealer's hand qualifies, he reveals, in turn, the cards of each player who raised, comparing the rank of each player's hand to his own. A player may fold before the dealer reveals that player's hand. In that event, the cards of the concerned player are not revealed to the other players.
The Suits
The ranking of High Card Flush hands is determined by the number of cards of the same suit. The hand with the most cards of the same suit wins. When the dealer's and the player's seven-card hands have the same number of cards of the same suit, the hand that contains the highest ranked card in the flush will be deemed to outrank the other concerned hand. However, if all the cards are equal in rank, the hands will be deemed identical.
Don't come: The Don't come bet, which may be made anytime after the Come Out roll, is similar to the Don't Pass bet.
Associate Chances (Odds): After the Come Out roll, the player may place an additional wager on his Pass, Come,Don't Pass or Don't Come bet to increase his stakes. This is what is called taking odds on Pass or Come, or laying odds on Don't Pass or Don't Come.
Stand if he is satisfied with his hand. Blackjack Switch is played with 6 to 8 decks of 52 cards. Aces count as 1 or 11, face cards count as 10 and all other cards are counted at face value. A blackjack occurs when the two first cards of a hand are an Ace and a 10 or a face card, i.e. a twocard hand with a total value of 21, the highest possible score at blackjack.
The bets
The maximum number of players at a Blackjack Switch table is five. Using value chips purchased from the dealer, you must make two identical initial bets, one for each hand to be played. Bets must be made in accordance with the minimum and maximum table limits and must be placed on the designated betting spots before the first card can be dealt, after which time no more initial bets may be placed, changed or withdrawn.
The deal
The dealer deals the cards to each player from a "shoe". Only the dealer may touch the cards. The dealer deals a card face up for each of the two hands of each player, and one face up to himself. The dealer then deals a second card face up for each of the two hands of each player, and one face down to himself.
Insurance
If the dealer's face up card is an Ace, you may wager, on the designated spot, for each of your two hands respectively, an insurance bet equal to one half of the original bet of your hand. If the dealer draws a blackjack, the insurance bet pays 2 to 1. If the dealer fails to draw a blackjack, the insurance bet is lost.
The switch
After having received the first two cards of your two hands, and if the dealer did not draw a blackjack, you may choose to either keep your hand as dealt or ask the dealer to switch the second cards dealt to each of your two hands. You cannot obtain a blackjack through a switch ; however, the two-card total will count as a soft 21.
Your other options
For each of your two hands, based on your two-card total and the dealer's face-up card, you have the following options :
Hit, i.e. draw one or several additional cards to improve your hand without going over 21 ;
Stand, if you are satisfied with your hand ;
Split a pair, i.e. split two cards of the same value, up to a maximum of four hands. Each hand is then played separately. Aces may be split only once and you receive only one additional card for each hand. When splitting a hand, you must wager an additional amount equal to the initial bet of your hand. There is no blackjack on split pairs ;
Double down, i.e. wager an additional amount equal to your original bet after the first two cards are dealt, except if the two cards dealt are a blackjack. You may also double down after splitting a pair, except in the case of a pair of Aces. In all cases, you receive only one additional card after doubling down.
Split a pair, i.e. two cards of the same value, up to a maximum of four hands. Each hand is then played separately. Aces may be split only once and the player receives only one additional card for each hand. When splitting a hand, the player must wager an additional amount equal to his original bet. There is no blackjack on split pairs.
Double down, i.e. wager an additional amount equal to the original bet after the first two cards are dealt, except if the two cards dealt total 21. A player may also double down after splitting a pair, except in the case of a pair of Aces. In all cases, the player receives only one additional card after doubling down.
Take insurance if the dealer's face up card is an Ace. In this case, the player may wager a sum equal to one-half of his original bet on the insurance line. If the dealer draws a blackjack, the insurance bet pays 2 to 1. If the dealer fails to draw a blackjack, the player loses his insurance bet.
The House Strategy
After having revealed his face down card, the dealer completes his hand, as necessary, according to the house strategy, which is in accordance with what is indicated at the table:
Hit on a count of soft 17 or less and stand on hard 17 and more.
or
Hit on a count of 16 or less and stand on all 17s (soft or hard) or more.
Soft Hand
Hand in which an Ace may have the value of either 1 or 11 without the total value of the hand exceeding 21.
Example: A soft 17 is a hand that could be made up of an Ace and a 6 for a total value of 7 or 17.
Hard Hand
Hand with no Aces or one in which Aces have only the value of 1.
Example: A hard 17 is a hand that could be made up of a 10, a 6 and an Ace for a total value of 17.
The Deal
With each hand being dealt, the first and third cards dealt from the shoe make up the Player hand, and the second and fourth cards, the Banker hand. Once the cards are distributed, the dealer announces the point count for each hand.
If the total of one of the two hands, each made up of two cards, is 8 or 9, the hand is called a Natural, and no other cards are dealt for the Player hand or the Banker hand. Otherwise, a third card may be drawn, as the case may be, for the Player hand or the Banker hand, as indicated in the chart below
The Deal
For each deal, two cards are dealt from the shoe for each hand: Player and Banker. Depending on the total of either hand, a third card may be dealt.