Sweepstakes Blackjack – Game Rules
Sweepstakes Blackjack is an enhanced version of the popular game of standard Blackjack.
- Fixed or spread limit betting
- No doubling down
- No splitting of pairs
- A natural 21 beats other hands totaling 21
- Dealer must stand on 12 or more, including a soft 18
- Dealer must hit on 11 or less and a soft 17
- The House covers the largest allowable bet on the table if that hand comes into play against the Dealer
Play Begins:
- Bets are placed and either a cut card, a random generator, or dice are used to determine the first action against the Dealer in each hand. (The seat now becomes “Player #1”.)
- Starting at Player #1 and moving clockwise, all players are dealt two cards face down.
- The Dealer’s two cards are dealt face up.
- The first Action Hand (Player #1) privately reviews their hand against the Dealer and decides if they want any more cards.
- Before taking a card, a player has the option to surrender and forfeit half their bet.
- If they take another card and bust, the player exposes their hand and loses their wager.
- When the player sticks with a 21 or under, the play then moves to the next player to the left in clockwise rotational order.
- This sequence continues for each player until the last player stays or busts.
- The House/Dealer always compares their hand against the Action Hand first.
- 1st Action Hand has 8-1 odds, 2nd to play has 7-1 odds, 3rd has 6-1 odds, 4th has 5-1 odds, 5th has 4-1 odds, 6th has 3-1 odds, 7th has 2-1 odds. The last to play has 1-1 odds. The House/Dealer can win 8 bets per hand. The House/Dealer can only lose one bet per hand.
- At this point, the 1st Action Hand flips their cards over and compares them to the Dealer.
- If the Action Hand beats the Dealer, they receive an amount equal to their bet from the Dealer and the Dealer’s cards are turned in.
- The Action Hand is now compared to players to their left until their hand is beaten by a better hand.
- Once beaten by a player to the left, the Action Hand pays that player an amount equal to his/her bet.
- The Action button moves to that player.
- That player’s hand is now the Action Hand and is compared to all remaining players until beaten by a better hand.
- The Action Hand wins a wager every time it is compared to a lower ranking hand.
- When a game is already in progress and a new hand is ready to begin, the count to determine where the Action Button is placed starts from the last winning hand of the previous round. Bets are placed and either a cut card, a random generator, or dice are used to determine the first action against the House/Dealer.
Another version of the game: Each player would have the choice of being the House/Dealer for two hands per round. This version would be a straight collect game.
