Bond Street Blackjack

Bond Street Blackjack Game Overview

The chip sizes available in Bond Street Blackjack range from £1 to £500.

How To Play

The aim of  Bond Street Blackjack is to obtain more cards than the dealer without exceeding 21. 

The ultimate winning hand is Blackjack - this occurs when the first two cards dealt equal 21 exactly. 

Bond Street Blackjack is played with eight decks.

Game Rules

Up to seven players can play Bond Street Blackjack, as well as the dealer hosting the game.

It is played with eight standard 52-card decks.

The card values are as below:

• Cards from 2 to 10 - worth their face value
• Face cards (Jacks, Queens and Kings) - worth 10 each 
• Aces - worth one or 11, whichever is more favourable to the your hand (N.B. a hand that contains an Ace counted as 11 is called a Soft Hand)

Once the betting time is up, the dealer will deal each player one card (starting from their left and moving clockwise) face up. 

The dealer then deals everyone a second card face up, ending with himself - the dealer's second card is dealt face down. 

The value of your initial hand will be displayed next to your cards.

Blackjack

This is the best hand possible - it happens when your initial two cards equal exactly 21.

Insurance

You can only purchase an Insurance bet if the dealer's up-card is an Ace. 

It offsets the risk of the dealer having blackjack, even if you have blackjack yourself.

If the dealer reveals blackjack, Insurance bets pay out 2:1; if the dealer reveals blackjack and you haven't taken insurance, odds are paid out 3:2.

The dealer will sneak a peek at their down-card to see if they have blackjack:

- If they don't, the round continues

- If they do have blackjack and you don't, the dealer wins

- If you and the dealer both have blackjack, the game ends in a 'push' and your bet is returned

It's not possible to purchase Insurance when the dealer's up-card is a 10 or face card.

The Insurance amount is the value of half your main bet.

Insurance bets are settled separately.

Double Down

You can Double Down on any two initial cards. 

This lets you double your bet, but you can only receive one more card thereafter. 

It's not possible to Double Down after splitting.

Hit 

This sees you dealt another card, which is added to your existing hand. 

You can hit as many times as you like, as long as you don't exceed 21.

Stand

Stand lets the dealer know you're satisfied with your hand and don't want to 'hit' any more.

Split

If your initial two cards are of equal value, it's possible to Split them into two separate hands. 

Each hand is a separate bet; both are the same value as your main bet.

You'll then be dealt a second card for each hand.

It's possible to 'hit' on each hand unless you split an initial pair of aces.

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

You can only split once per hand.

Outcome

If the total sum of your hand is more than 21, you 'bust' and lose your bet. 

When all players have played their hand, the dealer will reveal their down-card. 

They must:

- Hit - if the value of their cards is less than 16

- Stand - if they have a Soft 17 or higher 

If your final hand is closer to 21 than the dealer's, or if the dealer 'busts', you win. 

In the case of drawing a tie with the dealer, the round ends in a 'push' game and your bet will be returned. 

Blackjack (Ace and 10) beats a hand of: 21 comprising three or more cards; 21 resulting from a split pair.

Side Bets

There are two side bets available in Bond Street Blackjack: Perfect Pairs and 21+3.

You can combine side bets with your main bet.

It's possible to win a side bet without winning your blackjack bet. 

Perfect Pairs

This feature helps you win if your first two cards consist of any pair, i.e. two Queens, two Aces, two threes etc. 

Three types of pairs are available - each has a different payout (below).

• Perfect Pair – same suit, e.g. two Aces of Spades
• Coloured Pair – different suits of the same colour, e.g. a two of Diamonds and a two of Hearts
• Mixed Pair – different suits, e.g. a 10 of Hearts and a 10 of Clubs

Perfect Pairs Payouts:

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

21+3

This helps you win if your initial two cards, plus the dealer's up-card, form any of the winning combinations below.

• Suited Trips – an identical triplet, e.g. three Queen of Hearts
• Straight Flush – cards of the same suit are in numerical sequence, e.g. a 10, Jack and Queen of Diamonds
• Three of a Kind – cards are of same value but different suits, e.g. three Kings
• Straight – cards of different suits in numerical sequence, e.g. a two of Spades, three of Clubs and four of Hearts
• Flush – any cards of the same suit, e.g. a two, six and 10 of Clubs

Each winning combination has a different payout.

21+3 Payouts

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

Any malfunctions void the game round and all payouts for the round.

Bet Behind

This lets you bet on another player's hand, meaning you'll share the outcome of that player's hand. 

Payouts for Bet Behind wagers are the same as for 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 decides not to participate in the round, your bet will be refunded immediately.

The nickname displayed at each seat identifies the player who will make all decisions for that hand.

You can, however, opt to place an Insurance bet 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 can't place a Bet Behind bet on your own hand.

It's possible to prohibit other players from betting behind you.

Hot Player

The 'Hot Players' icon helps you determine which player is on the longest winning streak.

The number within the gold medal indicates the number of consecutive rounds that player has won. 

When a 'Hot Player' loses a round, they will lose the gold-medal icon.

Return to Player

Return to Player (RTP): 96.30%

The expected return to player is the amount we pay out to players relative to the amount of wagering on the game.

For example, if we take £100 of wagers we will, on average, pay out £96.30 of wins.