Rules of Blackjack
Blackjack is played at a table with one dealer and up to 7 players. In front of each player spot is a betting square for bets to be placed. The number of players is irrelevant, because each player is playing ONLY against the dealer. Bets are in the form of colored chips. Each color means a different denomination and vary from casino to casino. All bets are to be made BEFORE each hand is dealt and once the first card is dealt bets cannot be removed. If you do not place a bet the dealer will not deal you any cards. Bets are to be stacked in a single pile, with highest denomination chips on the bottom of the stack. At each table there is a sign clearly stating the minimum and maximum bets allowed at that table. On the same sign, you will find any special instructions for the game, (ie. this is where you will be able to note whether Surrender is an active play) Find a table that suits your pocketbook, (in other words, don't bet more than you can afford to lose) Because there are many table games, it is important to make sure the table you are at is a BLACKJACK table. On the table surface you will see the phrase: "Blackjack pays 3 to 2" underneath you will find the dealer instructions concerning draws and Insurance payment. Now that you are at the correct table, it is necessary to find out what KIND of game you are playing. The choices are Multi-Deck and Single-Deck . Multi-Deck vs. Single-Deck For a beginner, it has been suggested to start with the Multi-Deck game which consists of 6 or 8 decks and are dealt from a Shoe , (a box for holding the cards) The cards are dealt "face up", so all the cards in play are showing. The reason for this is to get you, the new player, comfortable with the game and the casino enviroment. Also when selecting a table for "getting comfortable", choose one that has the lowest minimum bet in the casino. The more decks being used, the more of an advantage the casino has. Once you play for awhile and get the hang of the game, you may want to switch to the Single-Deck game, where the cards are dealt face down and the dealer only has one card showing face up. Values for the Cards Each player is given two cards, either face up or face down, and the dealer gets one card face down and one face up. The value of the hand is the sum of the cards. If anyone is dealt a "ten" and Ace as their two dealt cards, they have twenty one and are paid back at a ratio of 3 to 2. The suits are ignored, they don't count in the game at all. The cards with two to nine showing are taken at face value. Tens, Jacks, Queens and Kings are valued at "ten". Aces can be counted as One or Eleven. Mission of the Game The player's mission of the game is to get a score higher than the dealer and as close to "twenty-one" as possible. If the player or dealer exceed a score of "twenty-one, this is called a bust and that person loses the hand. If the dealer and player have the same score, it is called a push and nobody wins the hand. As explained before, the players DO NOT play against each other. The player must play first, if the players hand exceeds "21", (busts), the player loses their bet, even if the dealer busts on his hand. Soft and Hard Hands Because Aces are capable of having two values, when they are first dealt, the value is indistinguishable. For example, if you are dealt an A and 6, the value of the hand can be viewed as 7 or 17. This is called a SOFT hand because it doesn't exceed twenty one. If the player asks for another card and gets an 8, it is now considered a HARD hand because the value of the cards, (A+6+8, if the A is counted as eleven), is more than 21.

The strategies of what should be played vary with each variety of poker this section however should give you good tips and guidelines to follow for all varieties of poker.

1. Bring the appropriate amount to the table. as a rule of thumb you should bring about 40-50 times the table limit.
   
   
2. Watch the table. You should study the game and players before you play. You would be lucky to win in a game full of better players and it also gives you the opportunity to study how they play their game fast, loose, aggressive etc.
   
   
3. Skill level. you should find a game with players at your level and steer clear of experienced better players.
   
   
4. Know the Game. If it is a game you do not know the variety being played then stay away. Not only will you not know the probabilities you will also be protected from bad decisions
   
   
5. Trust no one. If you want to play a good game you must forget friendships and give the game all you have got.
   
   
6. Watch your hand Keep you hand away from any of the players on the table and also make sure no onlookers can see as many a good hand has been ruined by watchers poor poker faces.
   
   
7. Vary your strategy. Don't play the same way the whole game as a smart poker player will be watching and know what you will try next.
   
   
8. Always practice. If you want to be a better player you should take every opportunity to play in low stakes games. Experience will make you a better player.
   
   
9. Get out early. If you have nothing in your hand it is better to get out early than in the middle or the end
   
   
10. Take a break. If things aren't going well then take a break to keep yourself fresh and fed.
    
    
11. Know the probabilities. Make sure you know the odds of certain hands coming up. If you're betting heavily hoping to make an inside straight then you could be in trouble.
    
    
12. Treat every game the same. Don't let previous wins or losses cloud your judgment and play all hands sensibly.
    
    
13. Number of players. Remember that the amount of players determines what is a good hand. An average hand with three players is a poor one with seven.
    
    
14. Bet the big hands. Make sure that players have to pay to see a big hand.
    
    
15. Keep a poker face. Try to give a little away as possible and do not become emotional or wrapped up in the game as a good player will take advantage of this.
    
    
16. Calling. Only call a player if you think your hand can beat theirs and not call because you think that they are bluffing

Belonging to the Casino Rewards group, Strike It Lucky is a Microgaming casino and is unusual as it is Flash and does not require a download. Each game at the casino loads independently and quite quickly. The games themselves appear to be slow which would suit the novice player or those of you who are more patient! We also found that the casino session timed out repeatedly when trying to open a new game and also if we left the table or machine for more than a few minutes. This results in having to login again and becomes more than a little annoying. We must stress that these timeout problems could be particular to our set-up and proxy arrangement and we advise you to try it out for yourselves.

We cannot advise that any of the games were notably “loose” but Blackjack was noted to deal us a 7 on opening cards of 14 and an 8 on cards of 13 on several occasions which made a change from it happening to the dealer all the time.

There is no music in the casino or ambient noise such as murmured voices or glasses clinking which we thought detracted from a casino atmosphere. The only sounds were a few beeps on winning or losing and the dealer’s “push” at the Blackjack table.

Our $1000 free chips became $1350 after Blackjack, $1525 after Cyberstud and gradually reduced through games such as Roulette, Red Dog (great fun!) and various slots. Although, after over an hour’s play on a number of games, we still had $805 in the bank. This is obviously not representative of all experiences at Strike It Lucky but overall we feel that the games are fair and not noticeably or unduly biased towards the house.