Charity Event: Blackjack Irregularities

I am slated to be the Pit Supervisor at an upcoming charity event's Blackjack area. I will be supplied with the game rules soon, which will give a heavy -EV to the player, mostly due to the "Dealer takes ties" rule that many area churches implement. We'll get into that in another post.

Right now, I want to propose a list of Blackjack Irregularities, along with what solutions should be used to resolve them. As I was a dealer for a portion of last year's event, I saw other dealers doing whatever they wanted to fix problems, causing inconsistencies and breaking rules. I will present this list to the Event Planners for approval.

I would appreciate if you all would kindly read through my proposed rules and rulings. I gleaned them from various casino websites, picking and choosing the ones that I believe would serve best for this event. I also have an addendum of items to ensure I have final say in any disputes, while trying to keep things balanced.

Are any of them out of line? Unfair? Just plain wrong? Thanks in advance for your time and comments.

Quote: Blackjack Irregularities

1. A card found face upwards in the shoe shall not be used and shall be immediately burned.
2. A card drawn in error without its face being exposed shall be used as though it were the next card from the shoe.
3. A card drawn in error and exposed shall be dealt to the players or Dealer as though it were the next card from the shoe. Any player refusing to accept the card shall not have any additional cards dealt to him during that round. If the card is refused by the players and the dealer cannot use the card, the card shall be burned.
4. If the dealer has a hard 17 or a higher value hand and accidentally draws a card, the card must be burned.
5. If the dealer accidentally fails to deal a player’s second card to a player who should have received a card, but deals a card to the next player, the dealt card shall play where dealt. The player who did not receive a card shall be dealt a replacement card after all other players have received their cards. The dealer shall never back up the position of a card which has been dealt in order to give it to a preceding player. If no cards are dealt to the player's hand, the hand is dead and the player shall be included in the next deal.
6. When the dealer has acted on a player’s hand in a manner other than in the manner reasonably indicated by the player’s hand signal, the pit supervisor may direct the hand to be played as dealt, or may require the player to choose between the options of:
   
   • Standing and playing the hand as dealt;
   • Taking a push; or
   • Taking additional cards after all other players have acted on their hands. The decision must be made by the player before the dealer’s hand is exposed.
   If after receiving the first two cards and the dealer fails to deal an additional card(s) to a player who has requested such a card, then, at the player's option, the dealer shall either deal the additional card(s) after all other players have received their additional cards but prior to the dealer revealing his or her hole card, or call the player's hand dead and return the player's original wager.
7. If the dealer’s hole card is accidentally exposed to one or more players, the card shall be turned face up and exposed to all players and the game shall continue in the same manner as if the card had not been exposed.
8. If the dealer misses dealing the first or second card to the dealer, the dealer must continue dealing the first two cards to each player, and then deal the correct number of cards to the dealer.
9. If there are insufficient cards remaining in the shoe or deck to complete a round of play, the cards in the discard rack must be shuffled and cut; and the dealer must complete the round of play.

Addendum –

• At the discretion of the pit supervisor, a hand or hands affected by a dealer error or player challenge may be given the option of playing the hand out, exclusively with options of WIN or PUSH, i.e. the player will be guaranteed not to lose their wager
• The pit supervisor has the power to make decisions in fairness to all players, and in the best interest of the game.
• Dealers that are unsure of how to rule in a specific situation should defer to the pit supervisor; the pit supervisor has the final say in all outcomes.

My only comment is be consistent with your wording on the rules.

"Dealer takes ties" is a base rule of your game.

Rule 3. I can refuse to take the card. What happens to my bet? It is not specified, but on other rules you do specify what happens to the bet. I assume it is returned to the player.

Rule 5. Again, it is assumed the bet is returned to the player

Rule 6. Player may "take a push", but the rules of the game says house wins ties. Do I take a push, and then lose the bet? ;-) Later in the same rule you specify the player's original wager is returned to them. Is that different than accepting a push?

I would suggest using "player's original wager is returned" wording every time. It leaves no doubt as to what action is taken. One caveat though, is there a situation where a player could have a 'double' in play, and you mean to return the whole bet, not just the 'original'?

I know this sounds like nit picking, but 3 decades of running sports leagues has taught me that no rule is too basic to write down. If it is not there, you are sure to get an argument and one party is never satisfied with the outcome.

Quote: RaleighCraps

My only comment is be consistent with your wording on the rules.

"Dealer takes ties" is a base rule of your game.

Rule 3. I can refuse to take the card. What happens to my bet? It is not specified, but on other rules you do specify what happens to the bet. I assume it is returned to the player.

Rule 5. Again, it is assumed the bet is returned to the player

Rule 6. Player may "take a push", but the rules of the game says house wins ties. Do I take a push, and then lose the bet? ;-) Later in the same rule you specify the player's original wager is returned to them. Is that different than accepting a push?

I would suggest using "player's original wager is returned" wording every time. It leaves no doubt as to what action is taken. One caveat though, is there a situation where a player could have a 'double' in play, and you mean to return the whole bet, not just the 'original'?

I know this sounds like nit picking, but 3 decades of running sports leagues has taught me that no rule is too basic to write down. If it is not there, you are sure to get an argument and one party is never satisfied with the outcome.

Nitpicking is exactly what I want you to do.

For rules 3 & 5, it is not guaranteed by the Addendum that the players will be given the Win/Push only scenario. For example, if a card is exposed, and no player decides to take it (because they would bust, let's say), then their hand plays out just as normal. They were given that slight advantage of knowing what the next card dealt to them would be. If a player argues, I may give them the option of backing out with their wager intact (return original wager). In other words, no returned bet, play out the hand. At worst, they may also be given the Win/Push scenario (see ahead).

For rule 6, instead of saying "Take a push", you're right; saying that they may have their original wager returned is better wording. I will look into changing that, and reposting the changes.

In the Addendum, where it says a player may be given the option of playing out with the only results being a Win or a Push, I mean that they are in no danger of losing their bet, whether they tie, lose, or bust. I will change the language to make that clearer. Also, I do not expect this to happen often, if at all during the event. The minimum bet is $2, max is $25. For the small bets, it's no big deal. For larger, I may be more discretionary of using it. I don't want someone to think they can call foul on a $25 hand, and be given a chance to split, double, or otherwise go crazy, knowing they can't lose. That is also why I added the "final say" clause as well.

If a discrepancy occurs on a Double or a Split, all wagers would be returned, as the Double/Split would be invalid, and not a legal wager. Do you then suppose the wording of "return the player's original wager" is enough to cover that?

Also, I realized a new Irregularity Rule should be added, regarding betting under the min or over the max... look for that on my next post, too.

Thanks for the insight.

Here is the updated list of Blackjack Irregularities. I have done my best to highlight any changes in red.

Comments? Mistakes? Additions? Questions? Nit pick away!

Quote: Blackjack Irregularities

1. A card found face upwards in the shoe shall not be used and shall be immediately burned.
2. A card drawn in error without its face being exposed shall be used as though it were the next card from the shoe.
3. A card drawn in error and exposed shall be dealt to the players or Dealer as though it were the next card from the shoe. Any player refusing to accept the card shall not have any additional cards dealt to him during that round. If the card is refused by the players and the dealer cannot use the card, the card shall be burned. A player may elect to back out of the hand, and have their original wager returned to them.
4. If the dealer has a hard 17 or a higher value hand and accidentally draws a card, the card must be burned.
5. If the dealer accidentally fails to deal a player’s second card to a player who should have received a card, but deals a card to the next player, the dealt card shall play where dealt. The player who did not receive a card may choose between the options of:
   • Being dealt a replacement card after all other players have received their cards; or
   • Backing out of the hand, and having their original wager returned.
   The dealer shall never back up the position of a card which has been dealt in order to give it to a preceding player. If no cards are dealt to the player's hand, the hand is dead and the player shall be included in the next deal.
6. When the dealer has acted on a player’s hand in a manner other than in the manner reasonably indicated by the player’s hand signal, the pit supervisor may direct the hand to be played as dealt, or may require the player to choose between the options of:
   
   • Standing and playing the hand as dealt;
   • Backing out of the hand, and having their original wager returned; or
   • Taking additional cards after all other players have acted on their hands. The decision must be made by the player before the dealer’s hand is exposed.
   If after receiving the first two cards and the dealer fails to deal an additional card(s) to a player who has requested such a card, then, at the player's option, the dealer shall either deal the additional card(s) after all other players have received their additional cards but prior to the dealer revealing his or her hole card, or call the player's hand dead and return the player's original wager.
7. If the dealer’s hole card is accidentally exposed to one or more players, the card shall be turned face up and exposed to all players and the game shall continue in the same manner as if the card had not been exposed.
8. If the dealer misses dealing the first or second card to the dealer, the dealer must continue dealing the first two cards to each player, and then deal the correct number of cards to the dealer.
9. If there are insufficient cards remaining in the shoe or deck to complete a round of play, the cards in the discard rack must be shuffled and cut; and the dealer must complete the round of play.
10. If a player makes a wager less than the posted minimum, they are bound to that wager for that hand. The player may not win more nor lose more than that wager, and must match the wager for doubles or splits, not the posted minimum.
11. If a player makes a wager greater than the posted maximum, they are bound only to the posted maximum for that hand. The player may not win more nor lose more than the posted maximum, and may only match the maximum for doubles and splits. Any overages are returned to the player.

Addendum –

• At the discretion of the pit supervisor, a hand or hands affected by a dealer error or player challenge may be given the option of playing the hand out, exclusively with options of WIN or PUSH, i.e. the player will be guaranteed not to lose their wager. This guarantees the player will not lose their wager, even if they are beaten by the dealer, or if they bust.
• The pit supervisor has the power to make decisions in fairness to all players, and in the best interest of the game.
• Dealers that are unsure of how to rule in a specific situation should defer to the pit supervisor; the pit supervisor has the final say in all outcomes.