Instructions - Golden Royal Blackjack

Golden Royal Blackjack™

Xbox 360 LIVE Community Games

Object of the Game:

Get closer to 21 than the dealer. Golden Royal Blackjack can be played by up to four local players or can be played online via Xbox LIVE. Each player plays against the dealer. The players do not play against each other.

Let's Begin:

Press Start on a controller to Join the table. Next the Join menu will appear. If you are signed into Xbox Live, your Gamertag name will be displayed in green at the top of the menu. To play as this Gamertag, select PLAY from the menu. Select CHANGE SIGN IN to sign into Xbox LIVE with your Gamertag. Select PLAY AS GUEST to enter a name to use instead of a Gamertag. Note that your data will not be saved and you cannot progress in Rank when playing as a guest.

You may next be presented with the option to choose a storage device. This is where your data will be loaded and saved from. You will not need to choose a storage device if there is only one storage device available or if you chose to play as a guest.

Players can join the table at any time. However, the Join Game Icon will not appear until another Game Controller is turned on. If a player joins while a hand is in progress, they will not be able to play until the next hand starts.

Betting:

The dealer will shuffle the cards if necessary. Next the dealer will ask for a bet. The amount of chips you have is displayed under your name. Select to bet 5, 10, 25, or 50 from the menu. You cannot bet more chips than you have and larger amounts will not be displayed in the menu. The game will automatically select the amount you last bet if you have enough chips to cover it.

Playing a Hand:

After everyone has bet, the dealer will deal the cards. Each player and the dealer are dealt two cards. The first card dealt to the dealer is displayed face down. Each card is worth face value. Royal cards are counted as 10's. Aces can be either a one or an eleven. The game will show your hand total above the hand. If it is counting an Ace as an eleven it will be preceded by the word Soft. If a Soft hand goes over 21, the hand total will be recalculated with the Ace counting as a one.

Each player gets a turn. On the first part of your turn you can HIT, STAND, DOUBLE DOWN, or SPLIT. The dealer will deal you another card if you select HIT. Selecting STAND ends your turn. DOUBLE DOWN doubles your bet and you are dealt one more card, then your turn ends.

The game will automatically highlight what the computerized AI has chosen is the best move for you. Note that the AI does not know any information that you do not. It simply chooses based upon the hand you were dealt and what the dealer is showing. It is a recommendation for Casino style gaming not necessarily the correct move. For example the computer will always recommend DOUBLE DOWN if you a dealt a hand that totals to eleven. Odds are that the next card will be a 10 value card as there are more 10 value cards in the deck than any other type. However, the next card could be a two.

If you are dealt a pair ( two cards of the same number but any suit ) you can split the hand into two hands. You can only split the first two cards you are dealt.

Splitting Aces is a special case in Blackjack. If you split a pair of Aces you will only receive one card for each hand, then your turn will end.

You cannot SPLIT or DOUBLE DOWN if you do not have enough chips to do so.

You can continue to HIT until you either bust ( go over 21 ) or until you select STAND.

If you are dealt a 21 ( an ace and a 10 or royal card ), you have Blackjack and the game will immediately payout your chips, paying three to 2 and your turn will end. Getting 21 with more than two cards is not a Blackjack and you will push if the dealer also has 21.

If you have five cards and have not gone over 21 you will have a Five Card Charlie. Five Card Charlies count as a win and you are immediately paid your winnings.The dealer cannot achieve a Five Card Charlie in Golden Royal Blackjack.

Insurance:

If the dealer is showing an Ace, you will have the option of buying insurance. Insurance costs half your bet and the amount the insurance costs will be displayed at the top of the menu asking if you want to buy insurance. If the dealer does have Blackjack, you will receive the cost of the insurance as well as the chips you had bet.

Dealer Has Blackjack:

If the dealer is showing and Ace, a 10 card, or a Royal Card, the dealer will check if they have Blackjack. If the Dealer does have Blackjack, every player that does not also have a Blackjack loses that hand.

Dealer's Turn:

After all the players have had a turn, the dealer will have their turn. The dealer must hit if their total is 16 or less. The dealer always stands on a total of 17 or greater, whether it is a Soft hand or not.

Winning a Hand:

If your hand is closer to 21 than the dealers without going over, you win the hand. If you and the dealer have the same total, it is a push and the dealer returns your bet to you. If the dealer busts, goes over 21, you win as long as you have not busted.

Golden Royal Cards:

Certain Royal cards in the game are golden in color. If you are dealt one of these Gold cards and you win the hand you will receive the Golden Royal Bonus in chips. The value of the Golden Royal Bonus changes and is displayed in the upper right hand corner of the screen if someone can win it.

If you win the hand with two Golden Royal Cards, you will win twice the Golden Royal Bonus!

Rank:

If you are playing using a Gamertag, the game will save your chips and your Rank. There are 100 Ranks in Golden Royal Blackjack. You start at Rank Zero. Under your available chips the game will display your current Rank, as well as how many Rank Points you need to achieve the next Rank. You earn Rank Points on the outcome of a hand.

Winning a hand is worth three Rank Points
A Blackjack is worth five Rank Points
A Five Card Charlie is worth ten Rank Points
Busting on a hand causes you to lose one Rank Point
Losing a hand neither earns or loses any Rank Points.

Though Busting causes you to lose a Rank Point your Rank will never go down.

Exiting the Game:

Press Back on your controller to quit playing and leave the table. If no players are playing you can press Back on any controller to return to the title screen.

Tips:

The pros say to never take insurance. Over a long playing period you will lose more chips from the insurance cost than you will gain from the insurance paying out.
Ignore the Computer AI when you think you may get a Five Card Charlie. The Computer AI plays by Casino rules and as such does not consider Five Card Charlies an option.
Play more carefully when a Golden Royal Bonus is available to you. You may not want to risk busting when you have a 16 and 900 Bonus Chips are available.
Playing with more players will increase the Casino feel. The game plays with eight decks of cards just like many Casinos.