Madison Avenue Blackjack

Madison Avenue Blackjack Game Overview

The chip sizes available in Madison Avenue start from £1.

How To Play

In Madison Avenue Blackjack, your objective is to beat the dealer's hand with your cards without totalling more than 21.

The best possible hand is Blackjack - this happens when the first two cards dealt equal 21 precisely. 

Game Rules

No more than seven players can play Madison Avenue Blackjack, in addition to the dealer hosting the game.

Eight standard 52-card decks are used in this game, and the values of the cards are as follows:

• Cards from 2 to 10 will be equal to the number on the card
• Face cards will all be worth 10. The Face cards are Jacks, Queens and Kings
• Aces can have a value of either 1 or 11, based on which figure improves your hand more. If a hand includes an Ace worth 11, it is known as a Soft Hand

As soon as betting time has closed, each player will be dealt a single face up card by the dealer, and they will begin from their left and go round clockwise. 

After this, all players will receive a second face up card, but the dealer's next card will be face down.

Next to your cards, you will be able to view what your hand is valued at.

Blackjack

Blackjack is the strongest possible hand in the game, and this occurs when your first two cards total exactly 21.

Insurance

Insurance can only be purchased if the dealer's up-card is an Ace, and even in the event that you have Blackjack, it can offset the risk of the dealer possessing the same hand.

If the dealer's hand is Blackjack, then winning bets on insurance will be paid out at 2:1.

The dealer will check their down-card to see if they have Blackjack:

- If they don't, the round will carry on

- If they do have Blackjack and you don't, your bet will lose and the dealer wins

- If you and the dealer both have Blackjack, the game ends in a 'push', and you will be returned your stake.

Insurance is priced at half of your original stake.

Insurance bets are settled separately.

Double Down

You have the option to double down on any two initial cards, meaning you can double your stake, but after you do this you will receive just one more card.

If you have split your cards, you will not be able to double down.

Hit 

When you 'hit', the dealer will deal you an extra card, and it is added to the total of your existing hand.

You can continue to hit until your hand totals more than 21.

Stand

This option lets the dealer know you don't want to receive any further cards.

Split

If your initial two cards are of equal value, you can split them and form two different hands. 

Each hand is a separate bet, with an identical wager to your initial stake.

For each hand, you will receive a second card, and you can 'hit' on each of them unless you split an initial pair of Aces.

If you split on two Aces, you can only receive one more card per hand.

You cannot split any hand more than once.

Outcome

You 'bust' and your bet will be settled as a loser if the total of your hand goes over 21.

The dealer's down-card is shown once all of the players at the table have played their hand.

The dealer is required to:

- Hit - if their cards have an overall value of fewer than 16

- Stand - if their hand is at least a Soft 17

If the final value of your hand is nearer to 21 than the dealer's, or if the dealer busts their hand, your bet will be settled as a winner.

If your cards have an identical value to the dealer's at the end of the game round, it is known as a 'push', and you will have the value of your bet refunded.

Blackjack (Ace and 10) will always defeat a hand worth 21 that consists of at least three cards, or was formed by splitting pairs.

Side Bets

In Madison Avenue Blackjack, you can choose to play two side bets: Perfect Pairs and 21+3.

These side bets can be combined with your main bet.

Even if your Blackjack bet loses, you can still win a side bet.

Perfect Pairs

Win this side bet if the first two cards you are dealt are the same. For example, you could have two Kings, two Aces, or two 4s.

There are three different types of pairs, each consisting of a different payout:

• Mixed Pair – non-matching suits, e.g. a 9 of Spades and a 9 of Diamonds
• Coloured Pair – non-matching suits, but with the same colour, e.g. a 5 of Diamonds and a 5 of Hearts
• Perfect Pair – matching suits, e,g, two 9s of Clubs

Perfect Pairs Payouts:

• Mixed Pair 6:1
• Coloured Pair 12:1
• Perfect Pair 25:1

21+3

This side bet will be won if the first two cards you were dealt, in combination with the dealer's up-card, create any of the combinations listed below:

• Flush – any cards with a matching suit, e.g. a 3, 7 and Jack of Spades
• Straight – cards of non-matching suits in numerical order, e.g. a 5 of Diamonds, 6 of Hearts and 7 of Clubs
• Three of a Kind – cards with an identical value but non-matching suits, e.g. three Queens
• Straight Flush – cards with a matching suit in numerical order, e.g. a 7, 8 and 9 of Hearts
• Suited Trips – three identical cards, e.g. three Aces of Spades

For each of these winning combinations, there will be a different payout awarded.

21+3 Payouts

• Flush 5:1
• Straight 10:1
• Three of a Kind 30:1
• Straight Flush 40:1
• Suited Trips 100:1

Any malfunctions void the game round, as well as all payouts for the round.

Bet Behind

Use the bet behind feature to wager bets on another player's hand. You will share their outcome - if they win, you win, and if they lose, you lose.

If you use the bet behind feature to bet, the payouts are exactly the same as ordinary bets.

You can place a bet in any activated bet behind spot at another player's seat while betting is open. 

If you place a bet behind bet and the player at that seat elects not to take part in the round, you will have your bet refunded instantly.

The player who will make all decisions for that hand can be identified by the nickname displayed at each seat.

Insurance bets can still be placed when the dealer's up-card is an ace. 

You can also choose to double your bet when the player you are betting behind opts to Double Down or Split. 

You will not be able to place bet behind bets on your own hand. However, you will have the option to prevent other players from using the bet behind feature on your hands.

Hot Player

The 'Hot Players' icon shows you which player at the table has the greatest winning streak.

The gold medal you can see will show a number that refers to the number of consecutive rounds that player has won. 

When a 'Hot Player' loses a round, the gold-medal icon is removed.