BlackJack

 System Requirements

 

Supported Operating Systems: Windows 10 or higher

 

Screen Resolution of at least 800 x 600 is recommended. 


Mouse or Touchscreen recommended

 

Foreword

 

The game of BlackJack is a contest between the dealer and player to see who can reach a sum of twenty-one with their cards without going over.  Hitting twenty-one with a Jack of Spades or Jack of Clubs pays a bonus for the player.  There are several options for the player to increase the bet or split the hand in two to increase the odds of beating the dealer.  Each card is face value with the exception of the Ace.  The King, Queen, and Jack cards are each worth 10.  The Ace is counted as either 1 or 11 depending on which is more advantageous.

 

Please take note of the license agreement paragraph 7 located at the bottom of this page.  The author will not be held responsible for any losses, damages, or injury resulting from the use of this software.

Getting Started

 

If you are starting the game for the very first time, it will be necessary to review the license agreement first before proceeding.  The license agreement is copied to the end of this user manual for your convenience and is also located under the Help menu ribbon option.

 

If you have never played, you begin by drawing a loan from the House.  You can pay off the debt whenever your bank balance is greater than your debt.  Select the option to Increase Bank Balance which is located under the Bank option in the menu ribbon at the top.  Debt is discussed later in this manual. 

If you have played, you can select the option to Load User Settings which includes your previous bank balance and the amount of debt you have.

 

The first thing for the player to do at the beginning of any hand is to place the bet which requires having a Bank balance greater than zero.  The current bet is located at the bottom left corner of the window (or table) and in the middle of the window during play.  The user may click in this field and manually type the bet or press the numeric buttons located to the right.  If Add is selected, the bet will increase when the numeric buttons are pressed.  Conversely, the bet will decrease if Subtract is selected.  The bet must always be less than the amount shown in the Bank.  The game will not continue until that is so.  Once there is a number in the Bet field, the Deal button will become active.

Press the deal button to continue.

The status of the game is always in the middle of the table between the dealer’s hand and the player’s.  “First Hand” refers to the player’s hand with the current bet for that hand shown slightly to the right.  The bracket “<” shown in the lower right corner of the window shows that it is the player’s turn to make a decision about that active hand.

 

Hitting and Standing

 

The Hit button located near the Deal button causes a new card to be dealt to the player.

 

The Stand button located near the Deal button causes the player’s current hand to be finished and the game continues either to the player’s next hand or to the Dealer.  Splitting hands is discussed later in this manual.

 

Insurance

 

If the Dealer ever draws an ace that shows as the second card, the option to take Insurance against the Dealer having BlackJack or Twenty-One is offered. 

Pressing the Insurance button located under the Dealer’s second card will activate the option.  Neglecting to press Insurance immediately after the hands are dealt will void the option to have insurance at any point of play afterwards.  In other words, as soon as Hit, Stand, Split, or Double Down is selected, the Insurance button disappears.

The Bet caption in the lower left now reads “Ins” for Insurance.  The field immediately to the right shows the amount of insurance.  The default is the limit which is always one-half the bet.  You can decrease this amount by manually entering a new amount less than the limit stated.  When you are satisfied, press the Done button in the lower middle of the window.

 

If the Dealer does have twenty-one with the first two cards, twice the insurance amount will be paid at the end for each of the user’s hands.  If the Dealer does not have BlackJack, only the amount of insurance is deducted for each hand.  Splitting is covered later in this manual.


Double-Down

 

Selecting Double-Down will give the player the option to increase the bet up to twice the original amount but the hand will only receive one more card from the deck.  After that time, the next hand is played.

After pressing the Double Down button, your bet is doubled as shown in the center of the screen and you are dealt one more card.  If you do not have enough in your bank to cover twice your original bet, a message will appear letting you know that.

As shown above, the player received one more card before the dealer began.  Because the dealer’s hand happened to exceed 21, the player won and with the new bet amount.

 


Split

 

When and only when the player is dealt two identically numeric cards or two identical picture cards, the option to split becomes available.

Pressing the Split button will begin a new hand for the player.  The second card dealt to the player, in this case a King of diamonds, will become the first card for the second hand.  Two new cards are dealt, one for each of the player’s hands.  The original bet for the first hand is duplicated to the second hand thereby doubling the player’s stakes.

You may split only once.  Note the location of the “<” to the right is still even with the first hand.  That is the active hand.  The player still has the option to Double Down where the bet for just the active hand can be increased.  Hit, Stand or Surrender the active hand to proceed.

 

The same options are given to the second hand.  Once the second hand has been played out, the dealer plays and the winner is determined.  Both of the player’s hands play only against the dealer and not between themselves.

In this case, the dealer drew over twenty-one.  A Tie with the dealer loses and wins nothing for the player.


BlackJack

 

If the player is immediately dealt twenty-one which is an ace and either a Jack of Clubs or Jack of Spades, BlackJack is declared and the Dealer begins to play its own hand.  BlackJack pays the player 3:2 against the original bet.  If both the Dealer and player end with BlackJack, the game is a tie or “Draw”.  If the player has BlackJack and the Dealer has twenty-one but with more than two cards, the player still receives half the original bet.

In the case shown above, the Dealer finished with twenty and so the player won one and one-half times (3:2) the original bet.  If the Dealer has BlackJack and the player does not, the player only loses the original bet.  If Insurance was selected, as discussed earlier, then the amount of Insurance diminishes the loss accordingly.

 

BlackJack is possible for the player’s second hand if Split was chosen after the original deal.  If the first hand was dealt BlackJack, then the player does not have the option to split.  In both player hands, BlackJack will pay 3:2.


Surrender

 

If for any reason the player does not wish to continue the hand after the bet is placed and the hand is dealt, there is the option to Surrender by pressing the Surrender button near the Deal button.  Surrendering means the player will only lose half of the original bet.  At the end of the game, a capital S will appear next to the player’s hand that was surrendered if the hand was split.

After Surrendering, the player can now place a new bet and proceed by pressing the Deal button.

 


After the Hands Are Played

After all hands have been played and the winner has been determined, note the plus and minus symbols in the right column of the window.  The Dealer’s hand is measured against each of the player’s.  A minus sign even with the player’s hand indicates that hand lost against the Dealer’s.  Conversely, a plus sign means that hand won against the Dealer’s.  The opposite signs will appear in order from top to bottom to the right of the Dealer’s hand.  The letter T indicates a tie or draw with the Dealer.

 

At this point, a new Bet must be placed either by manually typing it in the field next the Bet caption or by using the numeric keys.  Press the Deal button once you are satisfied with the bet amount.

 

Increase Bank Balance

 

If the player has exhausted the Bank funds, the game will not continue after pressing the Deal button.  The only option is for the player to take on debt and begin again with a positive Bank balance.

Located under the File menu at the top, the Increase Bank Balance option will become active with a nil Bank balance. 

The Bet caption in the lower left corner now reads Debt.  The player may now either manually enter a number in the field directly to the right or use the numeric buttons.  The Add and Subtract options cause the number in the field to increase or decrease respectively.  Any amount may be entered up to 10,000.  The amount entered will increase the recorded debt.  The debt maximum is 1,000,000 although the game will continue to play if that is exceeded.  The current amount of debt is shown at the top.

 

Pay Debt

 

If the player ever chooses, the recorded debt amount may be reduced by selecting the option under the File menu to Pay Debt.

The debt amount will appear captioned at the top of the window.  Enter any amount up to that number by using the numeric buttons at the bottom or manually entering a number in the field located next to the Pay caption in the lower left of the window.

Press the Done button the lower middle of the window to complete the transaction.  The game will continue in a normal manner.


 

License Agreement

 

The license agreement can be viewed at any time by selecting the License Agreement option under Help.

 

From the BlackJack Author

Software LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR BlackJack FOR WINDOWS

 

PLEASE READ THIS software LICENSE AGREEMENT ("LICENSE") CAREFULLY BEFORE USING THIS BlackJack software.  BY USING BlackJack, YOU ARE AGREEING TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS LICENSE. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS LICENSE, DO NOT USE THE software.

 

1. General. this BlackJack software, documentation and any fonts accompanying this License whether on disk, in read only memory, on any other media or in any other form (collectively this BlackJack software) are licensed, not sold, to you by the BlackJack Author for use only under the terms of this License, and BlackJack Author reserves all rights not expressly granted to you. The terms of this License will govern any software upgrades provided by the BlackJack Author that replace and/or supplement the original BlackJack product, unless such upgrade is accompanied by a separate license in which case the terms of that license will govern. 

 

Title and intellectual property rights in and to any content displayed by or accessed through this BlackJack software belongs to the respective content owner. Such content may be protected by copyright or other intellectual property laws and treaties, and may be subject to terms of use of the third party providing such content. This License does not grant you any rights to use such content.

 

2. Permitted License Uses and Restrictions.

A. Subject to the terms and conditions of this License, you are granted a limited non-exclusive license to install and use this BlackJack software. You may not make this BlackJack software available over a network where it could be used by multiple computers at the same time. You may make one copy of this BlackJack software in machine-readable form for backup purposes only; provided that the backup copy must include all copyright or other proprietary notices contained on the original.

 

B. You may not and you agree not to, or to enable others to, copy except as expressly permitted by this License), decompile, reverse engineer, disassemble, attempt to derive the source code of, decrypt, modify, create derivative works of this BlackJack software, or any part thereof (except as and only to the extent any foregoing restriction is prohibited by applicable law).  Any attempt to do so is a violation of the rights of the BlackJack Author and its licensors of this BlackJack software.

 

3. Transfer. You may not rent, lease, lend, redistribute or sublicense this BlackJack software. You may, however, make a one-time permanent transfer of all of your license rights to this BlackJack software to another party, provided that: (a) the transfer must include all of this BlackJack software, including all its component parts, original media, printed materials and this License; (b) you do not retain any copies of this BlackJack software, full or partial, including copies stored on a computer or other storage device; and (c) the party receiving this BlackJack software reads and agrees to accept the terms and conditions of this License.

 

4. Termination. This License is effective until terminated. Your rights under this License will terminate automatically without notice from the BlackJack Author if you fail to comply with any term(s) of this License. Upon the termination of this License, you shall cease all use of this BlackJack software and destroy all copies, full or partial, of this BlackJack software.

 

5. Limited Warranty on Media. BlackJack Author warrants the media on which this BlackJack software is recorded and delivered by the BlackJack Author, if applicable, to be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of original retail purchase. Your exclusive remedy under this Section shall be, at BlackJack Author's option, a refund of the purchase price of the product containing this BlackJack software or replacement of this BlackJack software which is returned to BlackJack Author or an BlackJack Author authorized representative with a copy of the receipt. THIS LIMITED WARRANTY AND ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES ON THE MEDIA INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, OF SATISFACTORY QUALITY, AND OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE LIMITED IN DURATION TO NINETY (90) DAYS FROM THE DATE OF ORIGINAL RETAIL PURCHASE. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON HOW LONG AN IMPLIED WARRANTY LASTS, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. THE LIMITED WARRANTY SET FORTH HEREIN IS THE ONLY WARRANTY MADE TO YOU AND IS PROVIDED IN LIEU OF ANY OTHER WARRANTIES (IF ANY) CREATED BY ANY DOCUMENTATION OR PACKAGING. THIS LIMITED WARRANTY GIVES YOU SPECIFIC LEGAL RIGHTS, AND YOU MAY ALSO HAVE OTHER RIGHTS WHICH VARY BY JURISDICTION.

 

6. Disclaimer of Warranties. YOU EXPRESSLY ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT USE OF this BlackJack software (AS DEFINED ABOVE) AND SERVICES (AS DEFINED BELOW) IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK AND THAT THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO SATISFACTORY QUALITY, PERFORMANCE, ACCURACY AND EFFORT IS WITH YOU. EXCEPT FOR THE LIMITED WARRANTY ON MEDIA SET FORTH ABOVE AND TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, this BlackJack software AND SERVICES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS", WITH ALL FAULTS AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, AND BlackJack Author AND BlackJack Author'S LICENSORS (COLLECTIVELY REFERRED TO AS "BlackJack Author" FOR THE PURPOSES OF SECTIONS 6 AND 7) HEREBY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS WITH RESPECT TO this BlackJack software AND SERVICES, EITHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES AND/OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, OF SATISFACTORY QUALITY, OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OF ACCURACY, OF QUIET ENJOYMENT, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS. BlackJack Author DOES NOT WARRANT AGAINST INTERFERENCE WITH YOUR ENJOYMENT OF this BlackJack software OR SERVICES, THAT THE FUNCTIONS CONTAINED IN this BlackJack software OR SERVICES WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS, THAT THE OPERATION OF this BlackJack software OR SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE, OR THAT DEFECTS IN this BlackJack software OR SERVICES WILL BE CORRECTED. YOU FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGE THAT this BlackJack software IS NOT INTENDED OR SUITABLE FOR USE IN SITUATIONS OR ENVIRONMENTS WHERE THE FAILURE OF, OR ERRORS OR INACCURACIES IN THE CONTENT, DATA OR INFORMATION PROVIDED BY, this BlackJack software COULD LEAD TO DEATH, PERSONAL INJURY, MONETARY LOSS, OR SEVERE PHYSICAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THE OPERATION OF NUCLEAR FACILITIES, AIRCRAFT NAVIGATION OR COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL, LIFE SUPPORT OR WEAPONS SYSTEMS. NO ORAL OR WRITTEN INFORMATION OR ADVICE GIVEN by the BlackJack Author OR A BlackJack Author AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE SHALL CREATE A WARRANTY. SHOULD this BlackJack software OR SERVICES PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE ENTIRE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR LIMITATIONS ON APPLICABLE STATUTORY RIGHTS OF A CONSUMER, SO THE ABOVE EXCLUSION AND LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. 

 

7. Limitation of Liability. THE USER AGREES THAT IN NO EVENT SHALL the BlackJack Author BE LIABLE FOR PERSONAL INJURY, MONETARY LOSS, OR ANY INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES WHATSOEVER, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF DATA, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION OR ANY OTHER COMMERCIAL DAMAGES OR LOSSES, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE this BlackJack software OR SERVICES, HOWEVER CAUSED, REGARDLESS OF THE THEORY OF LIABILITY (CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE) AND EVEN IF THE  BlackJack Author HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR PERSONAL INJURY, OR OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THIS LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

7a. IF THIS SOFTWARE IS USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH ANY FORM OF PRIVATE OR COMMERCIAL WAGERING OR GAMBLING, THE USER AGREES THAT IN NO EVENT SHALL the BlackJack Author BE LIABLE FOR MONETARY LOSS OR PERSONAL INJURY RESULTING FROM INCORRECT OPERATIONS, PREDICTIONS OR FORECASTS FROM USE OF THIS SOFTWARE.

 

8. Export Control. You may not use or otherwise export or reexport this BlackJack software except as authorized by United States law and the laws of the jurisdiction in which this BlackJack software was obtained. In particular, but without limitation, this BlackJack software may not be exported or re-exported (a) into any U.S. embargoed countries or (b) to anyone on the U.S. Treasury Department's list of Specially Designated Nationals or the U.S. Department of Commerce Denied Person’s List or Entity List. By using this BlackJack software, you represent and warrant that you are not located in any such country or on any such list. You also agree that you will not use these products for any purposes prohibited by United States law, including, without limitation, the development, design, manufacture or production of missiles, or nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.

 

9. Government End Users. this BlackJack software and related documentation are "Commercial Items", as that term is defined at 48 C.F.R. §2.101, consisting of "Commercial Computer software" and "Commercial Computer software Documentation", as such terms are used in 48 C.F.R. §12.212 or 48 C.F.R. §227.7202, as applicable.  Consistent with 48 C.F.R. §12.212 or 48 C.F.R. §227.7202-1 through 227.7202-4, as applicable, the Commercial Computer software and Commercial Computer software Documentation are being licensed to U.S. Government end users (a) only as Commercial Items and (b) with only those rights as are granted to all other end users pursuant to the terms and conditions herein. Unpublished-rights reserved under the copyright laws of the United States.

 

10. Controlling Law and Severability. This License will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Massachusetts, as applied to agreements entered into and to be performed entirely within Massachusetts between Massachusetts residents. This License shall not be governed by the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, the application of which is expressly excluded. If for any reason a court of competent jurisdiction finds any provision, or portion thereof, to be unenforceable, the remainder of this License shall continue in full force and effect. 

 

11. Complete Agreement; Governing Language. This License constitutes the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the use of this BlackJack software licensed hereunder and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous understandings regarding such subject matter, with the exception of any additional terms and conditions you are required to accept if you choose to use the BlackJack Author's online store which will govern your use of such store and any Services you purchase through that store. No amendment to or modification of this License will be binding unless in writing and signed by the BlackJack Author. Any translation of this License is done for local requirements and in the event of a dispute between the English and any non-English versions, the English version of this License shall govern.

 

12. Third Party Acknowledgements and Terms. Portions of this BlackJack software utilize or include third party names and trademarks and other copyrighted material. Your use of such material is governed by their respective terms.

 

13. Miscellaneous Provisions. These TOS will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Massachusetts, without giving effect to its conflict of laws provisions or your actual state or country of residence. If for any reason a court of competent jurisdiction finds any provision or portion of the TOS to be unenforceable, the remainder of the TOS will continue in full force and effect.

 

These TOS constitute the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes and replaces all prior or contemporaneous understandings or agreements, written or oral, regarding such subject matter. Any waiver of any provision of the TOS will be effective only if in writing and signed by the BlackJack Author.

 

                                                                                                                                

Rev. 7/14/2023