Play Face Up 21

How to play

The player starts the game with a bet, the amount of which must fall within the table limits of $ and $250. (The table limit is on display on the top left corner of the game board). The chips available are for $1, $5, $25 and $100.

The point values of the cards from 2 to 10 are at their face value. The face cards J, K and Q share a value of 10. Aces could be either 1 or 11, that is, whichever makes a better hand. For example, a hand of (4, A) could be either 5 or 15.

Once the bet is selected, click on deal. Two cards each will be dealt out face up, for the player and the dealer.

You now have three options to match the dealer’s score – hit, stand or double. The dealer’s total versus your total would be a guide to making your decision. If the dealer is way off 21, you can safely choose ‘hit’, but if his hand is close to 21, and yours is far from it, you can still opt for ‘hit’ to surpass him (always keeping in mind of course, that you cannot cross 21).

After you have selected ‘hit’, another card will be dealt out to you. What’s your score now? At par, still less than, or more than the dealer’s?

Well, if you’ve gone past the dealer, and are slightly short of 21, you’re safe. The game will wait for your next move. In this scenario, you can now choose to ‘stand’.

Since you have taken three cards to get somewhere near 21, and chosen to stand, it’s now the dealer’s turn to get a third card. What’s his score now? Less or more than yours, or more than 21? Hooray if you have a better total – you get your money back and you have a chance to Rebet the amount! You can Rebet to play another free game.

Scenario 2: Between your hand and the dealer’s, if your first pair has a total that’s way ahead of the dealers’, and close to 21, you would be tempted to ‘stand’, so as not to exceed 21.

The dealer would then get a third, and a fourth card, and, unfortunately for you, would shoot past your total, and still be less than 21. In this case, you lose by your bet amount.

Scenario 3: Between your hand and the dealer’s, yours is somewhere close to 21, eg.18. the dealer could be at 12. At 18, you wouldn’t want to take the risk of ‘hitting’, so you choose to stand. The dealer has to draw 2 more cards, which could possibly take him past 21. If he goes bust, you win!

Scenario 4: You are given a deal of a hand of (5,5) and the dealer gets a hand of (10,7). The ‘double’ option is available to you, wherein your bet gets doubled, and you draw another card, after which it automatically stands. If the third card brings your total score to one that’s higher than the dealer’s you win.

Scenario 5: You could get a blackjack in the first deal itself, with a perfect score of 21 with 2 cards Ace and 10. You win! Face Up 21 is all about these permutations and combinations which you need to be aware of before playing.

Remember, players win even money, i.e., you win your bet amount, as well as the dealer’s.

You also need to pay attention to the following features:

Additional Features

8 decks of cards are used to deal in the Face Up 21 blackjack, and re-shuffled after each hand.

The ‘dealer hits a soft total of 17’ is the rule Face Up 21 follows. This means that when the dealer has a hand that totals 17, as in (Ace, 6) (Ace, 5, Ace), (Ace, 2, 4), and hits, the house advantage against the player increases.

The dealer also stands on a soft total of 18 or more.

Players win even money on the games, which implies that you get your bet amount and an equal amount back from the house.

In case of a Blackjack tie, it’s the player who wins, though not so in other ties, where the advantage goes to the dealer.

The ‘Double’ option can be used on a two card hand total of 9, 10 and 11, and after a ‘split’. You can ‘double down’ by doubling your card and receiving just one additional card to add to your hand.

The ‘Split’ option can be used on two cards of equal value, while placing an additional bet equal to your ante. You can continue to ‘hit’ for each hand.

In case you wish to split an Ace, only one card is dealt.

Face Up 21 permits you to ‘double’ after a split, to increase your chances of getting to 21.

Rules

There are some rules that you cannot ignore.

All wins get you even money

In the event that a dealer has to stand on the first deal, ( as in a hard total of 17 or more, or a soft total of 18 or more) the player continues to draw cards automatically. Note: the presence or absence of the Ace makes a total that’s soft, or hard, respectively) Player wins even when dealer goes bust.

Dealer wins all ties except the blackjack

Strategy

Introduction

This game, as a variation of Blackjack, lets you see both the cards of the Dealer. This gives you the opportunity to compare your hand with the Dealer’s and decide to continue or stand. A betting system can certainly help you get the most out of your winning streak. CoolCat Casino does not however guarantee that a strategy will work for you. Nor is there any guarantee that you will win, using the strategy.

Betting Systems

Betting systems guide you to place appropriate bets in a particular situation. Betting systems are based on mathematics. Whether you’re winning or losing, these systems can guide you place appropriate bets to either win extra or recover your losses.

Some betting systems known as positive progression systems suggest that you increase your bet each time you win. Some betting systems instruct you to increase your bet each time you lose. These types of systems usually help you recover your losses and win some money as well. These systems are called negative progression systems. Some betting systems suggest that you decrease your wager each time you lose to save your money and play defensively. These are called negative regression systems.

There are many betting systems available out there. The Martingale System, Parlay System, Paroli System, D’ Alembert System, The Kelly Criterion, and the 1-3-2-6 System are popular betting systems.

Please note that a betting system suggests that you bet in a particular situation; it does not guarantee you a win every time you put a betting system to work.

The Parlay System

The Parlay system is a positive progression betting system. It suggests that you increase your wager every time you win and revert to your initial bet in case you lose. You begin your game by deciding an initial bet. Each time you win, you combine your winnings with your initial bet and use that as your next bet. You continue this as long as you win.

If you lose at any point, you begin your betting again with your initial bet.

To understand this system better, let’s have a closer look at it. Let’s say your bankroll is worth $100, and your initial bet is $10. Face Up 21 pays even money, so if you win, you get $10. That increases your bankroll to $110. Following this system, your next bet should be a combination of your winnings and the initial bet, which totals to $20 ($10 winnings + $10 initial bet). If you win again, you win $20. Your next bet should be worth $30 ($20 winnings + $10 initial bet). You can continue following the same pattern till you decide to stop or lose.

This system can assist you to win quickly. But, this system has its own drawbacks. If you keep increasing your bet according to the system, at one point your bet may reach the table limit or go too high. And if you lose at that moment, you may lose quite a big bet. To avoid this situation, decide your “quitting” limit as well and then quit once you reach that limit. Let’s say you decide your quitting limit as five hands. Once you have played five hands, quit. Simply quit.

Tips

Unlike most online casino games, Face Up 21 is not a game left entirely to chance. Players have 4 tools to better their score against the dealer, and this does require some application of strategy.

Regular players at Face Up 21 recommend a few tips which you could possibly adopt too. Their strategy lies in splitting a pair of eights and aces, but never separating the pairs of 10’s, J’s, K’s and Q’s. Also, you can safely hit on 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 when the dealer has 10, J, K, Q or Ace.

Players can also use the double option on two-card hard totals of 9, 10, and 11 to their advantage.

History

Glossary

Table Limits: The range between which your bet should be placed. In Face Up 21 Blackjack, the limits are 5 to 250

Rebet: If you wish to play another round of Face Up 21, click on Rebet. This bets the same amount you have bet in the previous game.

Deal: After the bet is made, the clicking of the ‘Deal’ button starts the game.

Hit: After the hands have been dealt to the player and the dealer, you can draw another card to get a total that’s either 21 or close to 21.

Stand: When the player chooses not to draw another card from the deck.

Double: Two cards totaling 9, 10 or 11 can be doubled, with an additional wager.

Split: This option can be used with cards of equal value, with an additional bet on the new hand, equal to your ante. You can hit up to three hands at a time. In the case of Aces, only one hand is allowed to be drawn after a split.

Hard Total of 17: A hand adding up to 17 without the presence of an Ace.

Soft Total of 18: A hand total of 18 with the Ace as one of the cards.

Even Money: In case of a win, the players get their bet amount back, plus an equal amount from the house.