21, Bagram, or Twenty plus one is a game which progresses by counting up 1 to 21, with the player who calls “21” is eliminated. It can be played between any number of players. Implementation This is a simple 21 number game using Python programming language. The game illustrated here is between the player and the computer. Blackjack Card Values. In Blackjack an Ace can either have the value of 1 or 11, cards from 2 -10 have the same value as the card and all face cards (King, Queen, Jack) and 10 all have the value of 10. Below is a table with the card values used during a game of Blackjack.
Thirty-one or Trente et un is a gamblingcard game played by two to seven people, where players attempt to assemble a hand which totals 31. Such a goal has formed the whole or part of various games like Commerce, Cribbage, Trentuno, and Wit and Reason since the 15th century.[1]
The game is also known as Big Tonka, Nickel Nock, Blitz, Clinker, Klinker, Scat, Cadillac in south Louisiana and Mississippi, Cad in Pennsylvania, Whammy! in central Indiana, Juble in Oklahoma and Kansas, and as Skedaddle, Snip Snap Snoop and Schnitzel in other countries. Like cribbage and many other card games. 31’s depending on the players can have the choice of runs. The traditional German version has runs where the French version does not. Scoring also consists of cards of the same suit.
History[edit]
Thirty-One is first mentioned in a French translation of a 1440 sermon by the Italian, Saint Bernadine, so may be of Italian origin. However, it spread rapidly across Europe to become popular in France, England and Ireland and is a precursor to Vingt-Un.[2]
Object[edit]
The object is to obtain a hand with a value total as close as possible to 31, from which the name of the game is taken.[3] The game is usually best played with at least four players.
Details of play[edit]
Thirty-one uses a standard deck of 52 playing cards (in the Dutch version - Eenendertigen - only 32 cards - 7 and higher - are used). Aces are high, counting 11, court cards count 10, and all other cards count face value. Each player gets a hand of three cards. The rest of the deck sits in the middle of the table as stock for the game, and the top card of the stock is turned over to begin the discard. Players keep track of how many games they have lost by folding the corners of a five-dollarnote. The five-dollar note is also their stake in the game. This can be substituted with other denominations or currency.
After the hands in the first round are dealt, play proceeds with each player, starting with the player to the immediate left of the dealer and going clockwise around the table, taking the top card of either the stock or the discard and subsequently discarding a card. All players are trying to collect a hand value of 31 (or the nearest to it) in the same suit. Play continues clockwise around the table until any player knocks or obtains a blitz.
When it is a player's turn, and that player believes their hand is high enough to beat at least one of the opponents, they knock on the table in lieu of drawing and discarding. All other players, going clockwise from the player who knocked, have one more turn to draw from the stock and discard, or they have the option of keeping all three cards in their hands, known as standing. The round ends when the player to the right of the player who knocked has had a final turn. If no one knocks by the time a player exhausts the stock, the round ends in a draw. Because knocking relies on the confidence that the player will not have the lowest score, a skilled player may memorise which suits the other players are discarding. If a player discards a different suit than that which he discarded his previous turn, it can be inferred that the player is 'changing suits'. Changing suits puts a player at a distinct disadvantage because the resulting lowered score raises the risk that another player may knock.
At the end of the round, the players show their hands and total each one up, only counting cards of the same suit. For instance, if the three cards in a hand are all different suits, the highest value card would stand as that player's score. The player whose hand scored the lowest is declared the loser, and must subsequently fold a corner of his/her five dollar bill. It is important to note that in the event of a tie between two players for lowest score, both players are declared losers and each folds a corner of their five dollar bill. If there is a tie involving the knocker, the knocker pays, this is in accordance with the concept that the one betting must beat at least one player or else they pay up.
If, at any time in the round prior to someone knocking, a player acquires a hand value of 31 in the same suit, known as a blitz, they immediately show it, the round immediately ends, and all other players fold a corner of their five dollar bill.
When a player has folded all 4 corners of their bill, they continue to play on a 'free ride', also sometimes called 'on the bike' until that player loses again. At that time, they leave the game. The last player in the game wins all the five dollar bills.
There is one case where it is possible to pick up one's own discard. This happens when there are only two players left in the game and one player knocks. The card that the other player discarded just before the knock is still on top of the pile, so it is now available to take back if desired. For example, if the player had just broken up a suit for tactical reasons, he or she can now restore it.
If the knocker fails to beat anyone (has the lowest hand) he/she is charged double.
Common variations[edit]
Banking[edit]
The play is the same as the regular version of Thirty-one described above, but with the following changes. Before each round, each player has to ante one token or coin onto the centre of the table. While dealing, after each player has received one card, the dealer puts one card face down on the table to form a pile of three cards known as the 'widow'. A player may use a turn to exchange one or more cards in their hand with an equivalent number of cards in the widow, leaving the cards they put in the widow face up.
At the end of the round, the player with the highest-valued hand takes all the tokens or coins on the table. If any player acquires a blitz in their hand, they immediately show it, the round ends, all other players place one token or coin on the table, and the player who blitzed takes all of the tokens or coins on the table.
Three-of-a-kind[edit]
One optional rule is that if a player has three cards of the same value from different suits, the hand is worth 30.5 points.[4]
West Lansing Cut Throat[edit]
The play is the same as the regular version of Thirty-one described above, but with the following changes:
- Three tokens are purchased for the agreed upon amount of money prior to play beginning, and the last player with any tokens wins the pot.
- There is no 'free ride'. A player who knocks but does not beat at least one other player, pays two tokens. In this scenario the knocker tying for the lowest score will lose two tokens. All others with the same total as the knocker will not lose a token.
- Three cards of the same rank count as a score of 30½, however all hands ranking as 30½ are equal and considered a tie, E.g. 2,2,2 and A,A,A.
Side wagers between individual players are quite common and often encouraged. Typically the first players knocked out will often choose an active player and place a 'side bet' on which player will win or go further in the game.
Switch[edit]
The goal of the game is the same as in normal Thirty-One. The difference for this version called Switch is that instead of picking from the pile or the discard up-card, players exchange cards from two hands on the table. At the beginning of the game, the dealer is dealt two hands, and one extra hand is dealt and placed in the middle of the table face-down. The dealer looks at both hands and chooses the hand they want to play with and places the other hand face-up next to the face-down hand. Then it is the turn of the player next to the dealer.
During a turn, a player has four options:
- Pick up a certain card in one of the hands on the table and exchange it for one of the cards held in their hand (if they pick up a face-down card, their discard will be face-up).
- Swap one of the hands entirely with their own hand.
- Renew one of the hands on the table. (If they renew a hand on the table, they have the choice to place it face-up or face-down. If they choose face-up, their turn is over; if they choose face-down their turn continues.)
- 'Nock'. Nocking applies the same as it does in the normal game.
At the end of the game, the winner is decided in the same way as in the normal game of Thirty-One, although if a player has a hand of three cards of the same suit and is greater than 21, they may choose to restart the game making their hand the new face-up hand for the new game and re-dealing all hands for the other players and the face-down hand. Caesars contact number.
No-Elimination Thirty-One[edit]
This is a version which uses no money or tokens. The main difference between this game and the normal Thirty-One is in the scoring. It is a good game for social groups as all players are able to play every hand (no elimination), from beginning to end.
Object of No-Elimination Thirty-One:To obtain the highest total count of cards in one suit. The highest score possible is 31, which is an ace and 2 face cards (or the 10).
Setup:Use a standard 52-card deck of playing cards. Fantasy 5 random number generator. First dealer is determined by picking the highest card. Shuffle and deal three cards to each player. The remainder of the pack is placed in the center of the table, forming the stock. The top card of the stock is flipped face-up and placed next to it and is called the up-card, the top card of the discard pile.
Object of the Game:Each player is trying to obtain - as close as possible - a score of 31 (an ace and two face cards) in one suit. The value of each card is as follows:
- aces are worth eleven points
- face cards are worth ten points
- all other cards are worth their face value in points
Game Play:The player to the left of the dealer goes first. This player takes either the up-card or the top card from the stock, then discards one card face up onto the discard pile. Play then continues with the next player to the left. (A player can take a card ONLY when it is their turn. A buried card is gone from that hand.)
If and when a player obtains a score of 31 card points in one suit, this is called a blitz, and the player immediately reveals it, saying 'Blitz” or “Thirty-One,” ending the hand. All play stops, all players reveal their hands, and card points are tallied for each hand.
If no blitz has not yet been called, and a player is satisfied with their card point tally, instead of drawing and discarding, they knock once on the table. Each player after them has one additional turn to improve their hand (and perhaps get a blitz). When the turn of play returns to the player who knocked, the hand ends.
Scoring:At the end of the hand, whether by a player knocking or revealing a blitz, all players reveal their hands, and card points are tallied for each. If a hand contains three cards of different suits, the highest card is the hand’s score. If the hand contains two or three of one suit, the point values of these cards may are totaled to score the hand - whichever gives player the higher score. For instance, a king of spades (10 points) is a higher value than a 5 and 3 of hearts (8 points).
How to Score:
- Lowest score – 1 point, except Knocker gets 0 points
- Middle score(s) – 2 points, except Knocker gets only 1 point
- Highest score – 3 points, except Knocker gets 4 points
- Blitz (31) – 6 points
- Ties – All ties get highest score possible. For instance, a tally of 30, 27, 27, 27 means 30 is high, and all 27s are middle (no low score for that hand).
Stop the Bus[edit]
Stop the Bus is a game common in England that uses the hand rankings from three card brag, instead of scoring closest to 31. The hand rankings are: three of a kind (a 'prial') as the best hand, followed by a running flush, then a run, then a flush, then a pair followed by a high card. If a hand is otherwise similar then the card is ranked by high card or high pair, then by middle card or kicker, then low card. Suits are irrelevant.
Instead of drawing from a stock, the game starts with three face-up cards on the tables. On their turn, players may swap one or three cards from their hand for the table cards.
See also[edit]
Card Game 21 Instructions
References[edit]
- ^David Parlett, Oxford Dictionary of Card Games, pg. 307-308 Oxford University Press (1996) ISBN0-19-869173-4
- ^Parlett 1991, pp. 80/81. sfn error: no target: CITEREFParlett1991 (help)
- ^Diagram Group The Little Giant Encyclopedia of Card Games pg. 341 Sterling (1995) ISBN0-8069-1330-4
- ^'31 (Scat) - Card Game Rules'. www.pagat.com.
Bibliography[edit]
- Parlett, David (1991). A History of Card Games, OUP, Oxford. ISBN0-19-282905-X
External links[edit]
- Pagat.com, Rules of Card Games: 31 (Scat), at Pagat.com
- Blitz31Open-source game for Windows
Video poker practice online.
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The Ace is a powerful tool for any successful hand because of its unique flexibility to count as either one or 11 points, at the player’s discretion. All learned blackjack players know we need to use this card wisely, and not let it go to waste.
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1 or 11 – How to Use an Ace
Required to form a natural two-card blackjack in all variants of the game (and thus a higher pay-out), the Ace is the pillar of the game of 21. A natural blackjack will always trump the dealer’s hand, or possibly force a push (otherwise known as a tie) if the dealer also draws to blackjack. And the Ace’s flexibility to be valued at either one or 11 points can be used according to which value is most advantageous for us, and this should not be taken for granted.
A hand with an Ace is known as a “soft hand” based on the fact that if we hit, we cannot bust. For example, if we hold an Ace/Four (five or 15 points in total) as our first two card dealt, it is impossible to bust by drawing another card, because if we drew a card valued at 10 points, we would simply give the Ace a value of one, for a hand total of 15. If we drew another Ace from the Ace/Four hand, such a hand could total either six or 16.
Drawing an Ace and a high-valued card such as a Seven, Eight or Nine give the player a strong starting hand, and needs to be played based on what the dealer is showing. It is important to play to the Ace’s strengths, but also be aware of the potential danger we face when the dealer shows an Ace; it’s equally as deadly a weapon when used against us.
If we draw two Aces, our first course of action is to always split them. While the Ace is a powerful card on its own, if we are dealt a pair of Aces on our first draw and opt to keep them together, their combined total value is either two or 12 points. While drawing another card would not bust our hand, starting with a soft-12 is a much poorer hand with much weaker odds of winning, than beginning afresh with two new hands which both have the potential to draw to blackjack.
While we are required to place another bet equal to our original wager when we split our cards, it is well worth the money, as we stand in a much stronger position than before. And should we win, the payout will be greater. Keeping the Aces together wastes the inherent value of the Ace card by itself. Always split them to have the best possible chances of bettering your hand.
21 Card Game Rules
The Catch With Split Aces
Because the decision to split a pair of Aces is universally agreed upon, because of the favourable odds such a move hands the player, casinos employ certain rules to counter its effectiveness.
- If we split our Aces and draw a 10-valued card to achieve blackjack with either hand, many land-based casinos enforce the rule that such a hand is not considered a natural blackjack, and therefore, we are not be entitled to the usual 3 to 2 payout; instead we only receive a 1 to 1 payout. We have more freedom playing online simply because of the vast range of different games with different rules, but there are still quite a few variants which enforce this rule, so be mindful of it before you let rip at not scoring a bigger return from your hard-earned 21.
- Another rule which can counter the effectiveness of split Aces states we are only allowed to be dealt one additional card to each Ace, with no allowance for hitting (just like if we were to double down). This significantly hurts our chances if we are dealt two lower cards, such as a Deuce and a Four, two our Aces, giving us totals of 13 and 15 respectively, and leaving us with no other option but to stand. Again, with the flexibility of online gaming, try to play games of 21 which do not own such a rule.
- One other rule which is far less enforced but still exists, is the simple rule which dictates players are not permitted to split Aces, full stop. There are subtypes of blackjack where this regulation is imposed. Steer clear of such games.
How to Maximise Our Aces
Using an Ace to its full potential is a key part of basic strategy. Whenever we are dealt an Ace, it is important to take note of the dealer’s up-card before we proceed (as it is with any other card). To understand what moves we should make with any hand containing an Ace, familiarise yourself with basic blackjack strategy here.
Exploiting an ‘Ace rich deck’ is a tactic used by many gamblers. A single standard deck has 52 cards, and there is one Ace for every thirteen cards. Should we be playing a single deck game, we should take note if no Aces appear in the first deal of 13 cards, or if even luckier, the second or even third deal of 13 cards. If such a scenario arises, we tend to call the deck an Ace rich deck, as none of the four Aces have yet been dealt.
If no Ace card shows in the first 13 cards dealt in a single-deck game, we should double our starting bet, and raise it again by around $5-$10 for every subsequent 13 cards dealt without an Ace. While this rare situation gives us only a slight boost in our odds, it should be taken advantage of whenever possible so as to potentially net us more bang for our buck.
She is a Beauty
We here at blackjack.com.au like to personify the Ace. Whenever we see that first letter of the alphabet appear on a card, we get excited, and more often than not, we reap the rewards of being dealt an Ace. So it’s only fair we pay tribute to her beauty. Her value is unique, akin to no other card, and in the game of blackjack, if we are ever so lucky to be dealt a pair of Aces, split them apart so they don’t get jealous of one another. Naturally, there is an increased risk when splitting, as we need to double our bet to create two hands, but she’s worth every penny.
Origins of the Ace
The term Ace first began in dice games rather than card games, and was used to refer to the side of the dice with only one dot. Ironically, in the earliest forms of card games and card gambling, the Ace was considered useless. It had the lowest value of all cards and was the worst one to draw. This is a far cry from its high value today.
When the French game of Vingt-et-Un (meaning twenty-one), came to America via French colonists, it helped to change the way Aces were perceived and used in blackjack, by shifting the previous perception of royal cards as being the best cards, especially following the beheading of King Louis XVI.
French gamblers, who felt it was politically incorrect for the royal cards to continue being considered high-value, replaced their crowns with personified representations of the ideals of democracy, liberty and honesty, while raising the Ace – considered now to be the personification of the common man – to the highest value. It has retained its status until this very day.