Go Downtown (and play Vegas Blackjack)
Petula Clark wasn't the only one singing about going downtown in 1964, that was the year that Vegas casinos really started becoming popular and new varieties of blackjack started being introduced. Today, we have online Vegas Downtown Blackjack at First Web Casino, a great blackjack gambling game designed by the experts at Microgaming.
What do Petula Clark and Blackjack have in common?
The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares
So go downtown, things'll be great when you're
Downtown - no finer place, for sure
Downtown - everything's waiting for you
O.K., so there is no way this song could have been written about the Internet back then, but it really does describe how great it is to play Vegas Downtown Blackjack. The lights and graphics are bright, some of the best on the Web. And you can definitely forget your troubles while playing blackjack (especially if you win). Yep, there is no finer place to be on the Net but playing First Web's Vegas Downtown Blackjack.
So What's the Skinny?
Vegas Downtown Blackjack differs from traditional blackjack in a few interesting ways. First, Vegas Downtown Blackjack is a hole card game (meaning one card is facedown), the dealer must check for Blackjack (21) if their up-face card is a Ten or Ace. At First Web, this action will be shown in the slight raising of the unrevealed hole card. If it is indeed is an Ace or ten value card making up a Blackjack, the hand is over at that point.
Unlike traditional blackjack, the dealer hits with a Soft Seventeen (an Ace with a 6). This can work in your favor since the Dealer now must draw two additional cards if the next card is anything but a ten or a face card.
Some Other Nifty Rules
A few other rules should be kept in mind with Vegas Downtown Blackjack. All Blackjack hands not matched by the dealer's pay out 3 to 2 odds. A Player may split a hand of two Aces just once per game. After doing so, a max of one hit per new hand is permitted. However, split Aces and Ten value cards are not permitted to become a hand of Blackjack. Thus, Split Aces with a ten value card will not pay 3 to 2 odds. This throws an interesting challenge into the game should you decide to split your hand.
Of course, to guard yourself against the Dealer getting blackjack, you can take out insurance when he shows an Ace. If he does get the Blackjack, you lose your original bet, but win your insurance bet which pays at 2 to 1 odds. (The cost for making an Insurance bet is half of one's initial wager)
