Madison Avenue Blackjack

Madison Avenue Blackjack Game Overview

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

Aim of the Game

The aim of Madison Avenue Blackjack is to achieve a higher card count than the dealer without going over 21.

The best hand you can achieve is Blackjack, where the sum of the first two cards dealt is exactly 21.

You only compete against the dealer in this game, not against other players.

How to Play

Madison Avenue Blackjack is hosted by a dealer and allows up to seven players.

There are eight standard 52-card decks in play. 

The values of the cards are as follows: 

• Cards from 2 to 10 are worth their face value.  
• Face cards (Jacks, Queens and Kings) are each worth 10.  
• Aces are worth 1 or 11, whichever is more favourable to the hand - note that a soft hand includes an Ace worth 11. 

Once the betting time has expired, the dealer will deal one card face up to each player.

Dealing starts with the first player to the dealer's left and continues clockwise.

The dealer will then deal a second card face up to each player and face down to himself.

You will be able to view the value of your initial hand next to your cards.

Insurance

If the dealer's upcard is an Ace, you can choose to buy insurance to offset the risk that they have blackjack - even if you have blackjack.

The amount of insurance is equal to one half of your main bet and is settled separately from your main bet.

The dealer will then check for blackjack, if he doesn't have it then the round will continue.

If the dealer has blackjack but you don't, the dealer's hand wins.

If you both have blackjack, the game will end in a push and your bet is returned.

Note - when the dealer's upcard is a ten or a face card, you won't be able to purchase insurance and the dealer won't check his hand for blackjack.

Double Down, Hit or Stand

Should the dealer not have blackjack after checking his first two cards, you will be offered the chance to improve your hand.

If the value of your initial hand is not 21, you can Double Down to double your bet and receive one more card to your hand.

Alternatively, you can choose to Hit to receive another card to your hand, which you can do more than once until you are satisfied with the value of your hand - this is called Stand.

 

Split

If your initial hand is comprised of a pair of cards that are equal in value, you can choose to Split the pair to make two separate hands, each with a separate bet. 

A second card will be dealt to both of your hands, and you can choose to Hit or Stand.

However, if you split a pair of Aces, you will not have the option to Hit.

Side Bets

There are two optional side bets available in Madison Avenue Blackjack - Perfect Pairs and 21+3.

Side bets can be placed in combination with your main blackjack bet.

It is possible to win on any side bet regardless of whether or not you later win on your blackjack bet.

Side Bet - Perfect Pairs

Perfect Pairs gives you the opportunity to win if your first two cards make a pair - e.g. two Kings, two Jacks or two tens.

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

• Perfect Pair – same suit, e.g. two Aces of Spades. 
• Coloured Pair – different suits of the same colour, e.g. two of Diamonds + two of Hearts. 
• Mixed Pair – different suits, e.g. ten of Hearts + ten of Clubs.

Side Bet - 21+3

The 21+3 side bet applies if your first two cards plus the dealer's upcard make any of the following winning combinations, each with a different payout:

• Suited Trips – an identical triplet, e.g. three Queens of Clubs. 
• Straight Flush – in numerical sequence and same suit, e.g. ten, Jack and Queen of Diamonds. 
• Three of a Kind – same value but different suits, e.g. any three Kings. 
• Straight – in numerical sequence but different suits, e.g. two of Spades + three of Clubs + four of Hearts. 
• Flush – same suit, e.g. two, six and ten of Clubs. 

Bet Behind and Hot Players

You can choose to bet on another player's hand by using the Bet Behind feature, which will allow you to share the outcome of the player's hand and receive the same payout as an ordinary bet.

If your chosen player decides not to participate in that round, your bet will be immediately refunded.

The Hot Players icon will allow you to see which players are on the longest winning streak.

The number shown on the gold medal indicates the number of consecutive wins that the player has achieved so far.

Once a Hot Player loses a round, they lose the gold medal icon.

Payouts

• Blackjack pays 3:2. 
• Winning hand pays 1:1. 
• If the dealer has blackjack, insurance pays 2:1. 

Side Bet Payouts - Perfect Pairs