Card Games 2008 Manual

Ou Official Rulebook & User Guide TABLE OF CONTENTS System Requirements 0.002.000. 00e ccc ecee cece eee eect eeeeeeeees 2 Installation Introduction Signing In ... Making a Face Starting a Game . HOYLE® Bucks . Blackjack ....... Blackjack Variations . Video Blackjack... . Customising HOYLE? . Playing Games in Full Screen . HOYLE® Computer Players . Setting Game Rules and Options Tutorial Mode Quitting the Games. Bridge Canasta .. Gin Rummy. Memory Match Old Maid Pinochle Pitch . Poker. Rummy 500 Solitaire . . Space Race Spades . . HOYLE® Card Games Spite & Malice Tarot . Tuxedo . 111 . 123 .125 126 sea bl 130 131 132 References . Credits : Legal Information . Technical Support Limited Warranty . Remedies. Glossary 135, SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS HOYLE? Card Games 2008 Windows® 2000 SP4/XP (Home & Pro) SP2/Vista™', Pentium® 266 MHz processor or faster (800 MHz processor for Vista), 16 MB RAM (64 MB for Windows XP, 512 MB RAM for Vista), 1 GB Hard Disk Space, DVD-ROM drive, 800x600 @ 16 bit colour. Macintosh® OS X 10.4.10, G3, G4, GS oF Intel Core Duo processor, 600 MHz or higher, 256 MB RAM, DVD-ROM drive, 32MB VRAM (ATI Rage cards not supported), 1 GB hard drive space. ‘Administrator privileges are required to properly install the program on Windows 2000, Windows XP and Vista. INSTALL Windows: 1. Exit all programs and insert the HOYLE Card Games 2008 DVD into the DVD-ROM drive. The Installation window opens automatically if Autorun is enabled on your system. Note: If you have disabled Autorun on your computer, choose Run from the Start menu to open the Run dialog box. Type \HoyleCardGames2008.msl (If your DVD drive is something other than ‘D’, substitute the correct drive letter.) System Requirements / Install 2. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation. Macintosh: 1. Insert the Hoyle Card Games 2008 DVD into your DVD-ROM drive. 2. Drag the Hoyle Card Games 2008 folder into your Applications folder (or wherever you'd like it to be) on your hard drive. The Hoyle Card Games 2008 folder will now copy from the DVD to your computer's hard drive. Uninstalling HOYLE’ Card Games Windows: 1. Choose Settings from the Start menu. 2. Choose Control Panel from Settings. 3. Double-click on Add/Remove Programs. 4. Select the name of the program you want to uninstall and click on the Add or Remove button. 5. Click Yes to confirm file deletion. Macintosh: 1. Delete the Hoyle Card Games 2008 program folder from the Applications directory of your hard drive. Running the Game Windows: To run the game click Start, Programs, and select the HOYLE game folder. Click on the game's icon to run the game. Macintosh: 1. Double-click on the game icon in the Hoyle Card Games 2008 folder to run the program. Once you have installed Hoyle Card Games 2008, you may eject the DVD. (Please keep the DVD in a safe place in case you ever need to re-install the game.) 2. Enter the Registration Code (found on the last page of the game manual) and click the Register button to proceed to the game. (Macintosh users only) HOYLE® Card Games INTRODUCTION Welcome to HOYLE® Card Games, a collection of classic card games for all ages. HOYLE® Card Games includes popular trick-taking games like Spades, Bridge, Pinochle and Hearts, challenging melding games like Gin and Canasta, popular favorites Poker and Solitaire (fifty different single- deck, double-deck and arcade games), family favorites like Old Maid and Go Fish, and more. This guide is a standalone card game rule book and strategy guide. For help using HOYLE® Card Games, refer to the in-game help by clicking the Help button at the bottom of the game screen and selecting the desired topic. You can play most of the games found in HOYLE® Card Games with friends and family members at your computer, or with the witty and personable HOYLE® computer characters. Each character has a unique personality, and you can set characters’ skills levels to control how well they play. You can customise your game environment by setting the game speed, turning on music and sound effects, and specifying how often the HOYLE® characters talk. Set the backgrounds and card backs you like, and within each game, set options to make the game easier or more challenging or to use different rules variations. Statistics are kept for all games, so you can try to beat your best times or beat others’ high scores. Plus, you can earn HOYLE® Bucks to spend on additional game items, just by playing your favorite games! We hope you have as much fun playing the games as we did making them! —The HOYLE® Team Introduction / Signing In Signing In When you start HOYLE® Card Games, you must first sign in, choosing a name and a picture to represent yourself. You must create at least one player to play the games, and you can create additional players for yourself, your friends, and your family members. One reason for creating multiple players is that some games allow more than one player on the same computer. Another reason is that your statistics are tracked based on your player name. The first time you sign in, you are asked to create a new player. After that, you can sign in as an existing player. You can create new players at any time, and you can change your character face at any time. To create a new player: 1. Click the New button. 2. Type a name for the new player, and click OK. A setup screen will guide you through some character settings, or you can accept the default setting by clicking Done. Your name will then appear on the front of the credit card on the screen. 3. To create your own unique face, click the Face Creator button. OR Select Face Creator to show Face Creator pictures (ones you have made and a selection of premade faces), or select select Non-talking to show non-talking pictures provided to you. Then, select the face you want to use by moving the horizontal bar. 4. Click OK to assign the image in the character to the new player, and start playing! To sign in a player created during a previous session: 1. Click the player's name in the list. If necessary, scroll through the list using the vertical scroll bar. To change the face for this player, see step 3, above. 2. Click OK to start playing games as this player. HOYLE® Card Games Notes: You can remove a player from the list of players by selecting the player name and clicking the Delete button. The player (and all of his or her statistics) is removed permanently. You can sign in as a different player after you've started HOYLE® Card Games. You might do this if someone else wants to play games and you don't want to exit. From the Main Screen, click Sign In on the File menu to sign in as a different player. If you are in a game, click Main Screen on the Go To menu to get to the Main Screen. MAKING A FACE IN FACE CREATOR You can use Face Creator to create a unique picture to represent yourself while you're playing games. This picture is shown on the screen when you play games on your computer or over the Internet. You can make just one face to represent yourself, or you can make several different faces and choose a different face each time you play! Starting Face Creator There are several different ways to start Face Creator. To start Face Creator: In the Sign In dialog box, click the Face Creator button. OR From the Main Screen, click the Face Creator picture on the screen, or click Face Creator on the Go To menu. OR In the Players dialog box, click the Face button next to your face. You will be taken to a Settings screen; click the Face Creator button to start Face Creator. Note: If you start Face Creator from the Sign In screen, the face you make is automatically assigned to the currently selected player. And if you make a face when you're already signed in, it is automatically assigned to you. To change an existing Face Creator face: In Face Creator, click the Load button, select the face you want to change, and then click OK to load that face into Face Creator. Face Creator Using Face Creator You can create a unique picture for yourself using Face Creator. You can start with a new face, or load a previously created face by clicking the Load button. To make a face in Face Creator: 1. Click a feature (head, eyes, nose, and so on) on the Face Creator screen. The feature will be selected, and pictures you can use for the feature appear in the 12 feature boxes at the top of the screen. You can select features in any order, and you don't have to specify every feature (your face can have no nose, for example). 2. Select the picture you want to use for that feature. To see additional screens of pictures, click on the numbered buttons or on the left and right arrows under the two rows of pictures. Note: For eyes and eyebrows, you can select matching pairs, or you can select different left and right eyes and eyebrows, if you like. When you click on eyes or eyebrows, a selection box pops up with the choices left only, right only, and both. Click on which side or sides you wish to change (both is the default choice), then select the new feature. 3. You can move features around on the face by clicking the arrow buttons surrounding the sample face or by clicking the arrow keys on your keyboard. Alll features except the body, head, and clothes can be moved. If you move a feature and want it moved back where it was originally, click the Center button. 4. Add any other features you want. 5. Select one of the four skin tones for your face. 6. Choose a voice for your character. There are five male voices, and five female voices. Click on the Voice Selection Menu right below your character to select a voice. You can preview the selected voice by clicking on the speaker icon. 7. Click Exit to exit Face Creator. Your face is saved automatically. If you want to make multiple faces before exiting, you can click save to save your current face before making a different one. HOYLE® Card Games If you loaded a different face earlier and made changes to that face, you are asked if you want to save the new face you created over the old face. Click OK to save the face over the old face, or click Cancel to save the face as a new face. Assign faces you have made to players using the Sign In screen. To change an existing face: 1. Click the load button. 2. Make any desired changes to the face. 3. Click save. A dialog wil appear: you can either save over the face you changed by then clicking Update, or save the changes as a new face without deleting the old one by clicking Add. To remove a feature from the face: 1. Select the feature you want to remove. 2. Click the Clear button. To clear the entire face: Click the New button to start a new face from scratch. Your current face will be cleared. To delete a Face Creator face: You can remove any Face Creator faces that you no longer want in the Sign In dialog box. Select the face you want to delete using the scroll bar below the face window, then click the Delete button to the right of the face. (You can do this when you sign in to start the game, or you can open the Sign In dialog box by clicking Sign In on the File menu from the Main Screen.) Face Creator Notes and Tips: * Moving eyebrows to different heights is a good subtle way to add personality to your face. Moving a nose downward can create an impression of a longer nose; moving it upward can make a shorter nose. Be creative! Many items can be moved anywhere on the face. Clothing is specific to the body you select. If you select an article of clothing and then change your body, you may need to select new clothes for your new body. To quickly create a unique new face, click the Random button. (This is good if you're not feeling creative, but still want a change.) You can still make changes to the random face, if you want. Be careful when using this button as this will erase the face currently on the screen. HOYLE® Card Games STARTING A GAME You can start a game from the Main Screen or from the Go To menu. To start a game using the menu: From the Main Screen, click the game you want to play, or click the name of the game on the Go To menu. From within a game, click the name of the game on the Go To menu. To get to the Main Screen from within a game, click Main Screen on the Go To menu. To switch from one game to another: Click the Go To menu, and then click the name of the game you want to switch to. If you're in the middle of a game, you are asked if you are sure you want to exit the current game. Starting Game / HOYLE” Bucks HOYLE’ BUCKS HOYLE® Bucks are frequent flier miles for gamers. When you accomplish certain feats while playing HOYLE® Card Games, you automatically earn HOYLE® Bucks. The more you play, the more you'll earn! Spend your bucks on new card decks, backgrounds, music tracks, and décor items. Your current HOYLE® Bucks balance and any feats you've accomplished recently are shown in the HOYLE® Bucks display in the lower-right corner of every game screen. Rolling over the display will show you the four most recent feats you accomplished in that game. Accessing the HOYLE® Bucks Area: To spend your HOYLE® Bucks, view your account ledger (for a complete list of the feats you've accomplished for this game), or learn which feats will earn HOYLE® Bucks, go to the HOYLE® Bucks area of HOYLE® Card Games. There are three ways to get there: click on HOYLE® Bucks from the Main Screen, select HOYLE® Bucks from the Go To menu, or click on your current HOYLE® Bucks balance on the HOYLE® Bucks display in the game screen. Navigating in the HOYLE® Bucks Area: When you first enter the HOYLE® Bucks area, you are presented with a desktop with several items on it: the catalog, the guide, and your ledger. Click on any of these desktop items to use them, or navigate using the control bar at the bottom of the screen. HOYLE® Card Games BLACKJACK Blackjack is a card-gambling game with a history that stretches back several centuries in Europe, where it was called Twenty-One. It apparently originated in France, where it is still known today as Vingt-Et-Un (21). Eventually it migrated to America and, like the pioneers, wandered westward. Poker and Craps were the games of choice in the gambling clubs of the Old West. Twenty-One did not fare well against them, until a fateful rule change prompted more interest. The clubs offered an exorbitant 10 to 1 payout to any player that was deallt the ace of spades and a jack in a black suit, and re-dubbed the game Blackjack. This was enough enticement to sway the gamblers from their Poker seats, and Blackjack survived, although the 10 to 1 payout for the original Blackjack did not. In the United States, casino Blackjack now boasts a legion of devoted followers and fortune-hunters. This trend first began in the 1960s after the discovery by mathematicians and computer experts that the house advantage could be reduced and potentially eliminated through proper play. Learning basic strategies of when to hit or stand will come close to evening the odds that normally favor the house. Mastering a card-counting strategy will actually tip the odds in your favor. How the Game Is Played Blackjack is played between a dealer and group of players. The object of the game is to beat the dealer (not the other players) with a hand of cards that does not go over a total of 21. Blackjack can be played with a single deck or multiple decks. The value of the hand is the sum of its cards: 1. Face cards count as 10. 2. Aces count as either one or 11, player's choice. 3. All other cards count as their face value. Blackjack Play begins with each player placing a bet. In games using three or more decks, the dealer pulls cards from a plastic or wooden box called a shoe. Otherwise, he deals from his hand. Each player and the dealer receive two cards. The first two player cards are dealt face down for single-deck games and face up for multiple-deck games. In all games, the dealer receives one card face down and the rest face up. The dealer's first face-up card is called the upcard. The dealer's face-down card is known as the hole card. After the initial deal, each player can hit (draw cards) until they want to stand (stop drawing), or until the hand busts (goes over 21). Players can hit or stand on any card total of 21 or below. After the players have completed their turns, the dealer must draw cards as long as his or her total is less than 16 and must stand when the total is 17 or more, unless the game setting requiring the dealer to hit on a soft 17 (an ace and a 6) is turned on. Winning and Losing You win at Blackjack by beating the dealer's hand. You must hold a hand equal to or less than 21 that also beats the dealer’s hand. If the first two cards you receive are Blackjack (total 21), and the dealer does not have Blackjack, you win immediately. If you bust (go over 21) or the dealer has a hand of 21 or under that is greater than yours , then you lose your bet. If you stand with any total under 21 and the dealer busts, then you win your bet. If you tie the dealer, it is called a push, and neither side wins. Beating the dealer pays even money, except for Blackjack. If the player has Blackjack and the dealer dos not, it pays 3 to 2. Doubling Down When you double down, you place a matching bet next to your original bet and receive one and only one additional card, which completes your hand. This option makes it possible for you to double your bet under favorable conditions. When your hand is strong and the dealer's is weak, you should take advantage of the situation by doubling down. It is a vital method of offsetting the house advantage. For example, when you're dealt a 5 and 6 (totaling 11), it is usually desirable to double down, since your odds of getting a 21 (by receiving a 10 or face card) are very good. The strength shown by the dealer is also a factor in the decision to double down. When dealer is weak (a 4 to 6 upcard), doubling down will be more advantageous. Splitting Pairs Splitting pairs is another key strategy for the Blackjack player. You can split 13 HOYLE® Card Games when dealt a pair of any kind (e.g., two aces). To split your pairs, you separate the identical cards, leaving them face up, and place an amount of chips equal to your original bet in front of your new hand. You then proceed to play each hand independently, requesting hits or standing, as desired. You can win, lose, or bust with either or both hands. Surrender If the dealer does not have Blackjack, players have the option to surrender, and lose only half their original bets. Surrendering is only an option before a player has opted for a hit, and it is an optional setting in HOYLE® Blackjack. When you surrender, the dealer will take your cards and half your original bet. Although it's not generally to your advantage to surrender, it can be useful when your hand is weak (e.g., a 16), and the dealer is showing a powerful upcard (e.g., an ace) Insurance When the dealer's upcard is an ace, he or she will ask the players if they want to buy insurance. Insurance is actually a type of secondary bet; you are betting that th dealer has a Blackjack. To take out insurance, place up to half your original bet in the “insurance” area marked on the board. The dealer will then check the hole card to see if it's a Blackjack. If the dealer does indeed have a Blackjack, your are paid off at 2 to 1, however, you also lose your original bet. If the dealer does not have a Blackjack, you lose the insurance bet. Play continues as normal. Do not take insurance unless you are counting cards and know exactly when it is favorable to do so. Strategies for Winning Blackjack Success at Blackjack is not the result of intuition, but of mathematics. Julian Braun, an IBM computer expert, ran nine billion Blackjack card combinations based on one- to eight-deck Blackjack games. The fundamental system strategy tables are based on the data unearthed by Mr. Braun when four decks are in play. Making decisions based on these findings is the foundation for good Blackjack play. Players who apply the information found in these tables can reduce the house advantage down to between one percent and two percent. Additionally, a simplified card-counting method can actually give you the advantage over the house. Using these methods properly only requires you remember a single number, rather than an exact list of cards that have 14 Blackjack already been played. Hitting or Standing You may be tempted to hit or stand solely on the basis of the cards totals you are holding, but you must always consider the dealer's upcard when deciding to hit, double down, split, or surrender. For example, it may seem obvious to hit a hand of 12. If the dealer is showing a 4, 5, or 6, though, your odds of winning are better if you stand, because the dealer must hit on 16, and has a good chance of busting. You can use this rule to your advantage by knowing when to stand, even if your hand total is not close to 21. Winning at Blackjack is all about gauging your hand's potential versus the degree of threat posed by the dealer’s upcard. Your strategy for hitting should depend upon these factors. The degree of threat posed by the dealer's upcard is described here: Dealer's Upcard Potential Threat Ace Extreme danger, a loss is likely. 10 to king Big trouble. You'll be lucky to push. 9 You'te a little uptight and maybe in trouble. 7 to 8 Breathe a little easier. The dealer is beatable. 4 to 6 Looking good. You are in the driver's seat. 2 to 3 Wait and see. Be cautious. The threat posed by the dealer's upcard is arrived at by simple arithmetic. The prevalence of 10s and face cards (accounting for 16 out of every 52 cards) makes the dealer highly vulnerable when showing an upcard of 4, 5, or 6. His hole card is likely to put him in the 12 to 16 range, forcing a hit, probably resulting in a bust. You need to know the degree of threat the dealer's upcard represents, and it should impact your decision whether to hit. Hard Hand Strategy A hand without an ace, or with an ace that counts as one, is called a hard hand. However, the strategy for doubling down on a hard hand takes precedence over hitting a hard hand. Always draw a card with any hard total of 11 or less, since there is no risk of busting. Conversely, always stand with a hard hand when your cards total 17 or higher. HOYLE® Card Games If your hand totals 13 to 16, only hit if the dealer is strong (9 upcard or better) or showing the 7 or 8. The 7 or 8 forces you to hit, because it is possible that the dealer will end up with a low hand (totaling 17 or 18), which still beats your 13 to 16. If your hand totals 12, you should always hit unless the dealer is very weak (showing a 4 to 6), and therefore likely to bust. Soft Hand Strategy The decision to hit also depends on whether you're holding an ace or not. A hand with an ace (used as value 11) is called a soft hand, because the ace can be changed from an 11 to a one if necessary. Taking hits with a soft hand is often less risky. Always stand when you have an ace and an 8 or better (.e., any hand totaling 19 to 21). An ace and a 7 (totaling 18) is relatively weak if the dealer is showing strength (9 or better), and you should hit. Always hit when holding an ace and a 6 or less. Normally you wouldn’t hit on 17 or 18. However, the flexibility of the ace in ‘soft hands allows you to hit when you wouldn't with a hard hand of the same value. Doubling Down Doubling down is a powerful play, because it allows you to increase your bet after seeing favorable cards. It is one of the primary means of offsetting the house advantage, but you must know when to do it When you can double down varies depending upon the game settings. You can set the game to allow doubling down only on 11s, on 10s and 11s, or on any two-card combination. Hard Hand Doubling Strategy Doubling an 11: The best hand to double down with is an 11, and you should do so unless the dealer shows an ace. Doubling a 10: If the dealer shows a 9 or less, double down. A dealer 9 is strong, but you still have the statistical advantage. Doubling a 9: You should double down a 9 only if the dealer is weak (3 to 6). Doubling otherwise is a poor bet, because the dealer is not as likely to bust. Blackjack Soft-Hand Doubling Strategy The main strategy here is to take advantage of a weak dealer upcard (4-6). When the dealer is weak, it's time to pounce! However, you don't want to double down if you have a hand totaling 19 or 20, because you may ruin your already strong hand. Doubling an Ace, 8-9: Never hit on a hand this strong! Doubling an Ace, 6-7: Double the bet and whenever the dealer is weak (4 to 6). Additionally, doubling down against the dealer's 3 is recommended. Although the dealer is not as likely to bust with a 3 as with a 4 to 6, the odds are still in your favor. Doubling an Ace, 4-5: Double down only if the dealer's upcard is a 4 to 6. If the dealer's card is lower than 4, chances are they will not bust. Doubling an Ace, 2-3: Double down only when the dealer has the highest probability of busting, with a very weak upcard (5 to 6). Splitting Pairs Strategy Splitting pairs is critically important to your success at the Blackjack table. If you don't split when the cards warrant doing so, the house advantage rises dramatically. In HOYLE® Blackjack, you can split pairs as desired, but split aces can only be hit once. What pairs should you split? For starters, never split 10s and face cards! The rules allow you to split any cards with a 10 value, such as a jack and a queen, even though they're not technically a pair. This is because breaking up your 20 is a bad move, so the house is happy to let you split all the 10s you want. All pairs are discussed below. Splitting Aces: Always split! Your odds of getting two very high hands (maybe two 21s) are tremendous. Splitting 10s: Never split! Splitting 10s is always a no-no, unless you really want to lose your bankroll to the house. Splitting 9s: It is best to split 9s when the dealer is relatively weak(2 to 6 upcard) so that you can leverage the dealer's vulnerability with an additional bet. If the dealer has an 8 upcard, then you split 9s, because you might catch 10s which would give you winners (19s over the dealer's 18). If the dealer has a 9 upcard, then you split 9s because the dealer likely has 19, which beats your 18 if you stand. Splitting against the dealer’s upcard of 7 is inadvisable because, statistically, he or she is liable to end up standing pat with a 17, which you already have beat with an 18. HOYLE® Card Games Splitting 8s: Always split! With two 8s, it's acceptable to split against the dealer no matter what the dealer shows, even if the dealer shows an ace. Split 8s against the dealer's ace? Lose twice the money? At first this seems like a bitter pill to swallow. The fact is, however, keeping the 8s leaves you with a lousy 16, virtually a guaranteed loser hand. Splitting the 8s increases your chances of winning just enough to make splitting it worthwhile. Splitting 7s: You should split 7s if the dealer's upcard is 7 or less. A total of 14 is weak. Starting two new hands with 7s is likely to result in two 17s. If the dealer has an 8 to ace upcard, then you want to stand because you're better off losing one bet (against the dealer's likely 18 to 21 vs. your 14) than two bets (dealer's 18 to 21 vs. your likely two 17s). Splitting 6s: Split these hands if the dealer's upcard is 6 or less. Splitting 6s is risky, because you are likely to get two 16s. Therefore, you only do it when it looks like the dealer will bust (dealer's upcard a 2 to 6). Splitting 5s: Never split! A pair of 5s combine for a strong 10. Separately, they wil likely catch a 10 and form two miserable hands and one or two probable busts. Consider the 5s inseparable. Splitting 4s: It is unwise to split 4s unless the dealer is showing a 5 or 6. Splitting the 4s results in two weak hands (catching 10s will make them 14s). Therefore, you only want to split the 4s if the dealer is in an even more precarious situation than you are (i.e. he or she is holding a 5 or 6). Splitting 2s and 3s: Split these hands when the dealer is relatively weak (showing a 7 or less). Against a 7, your long-term winnings will be marginal. However, against the other, weaker hands, consider a split mandatory. Re-splitting The same strategies apply for re-splitting hands as for splitting hands. For example, if you split a pair of aces, and are dealt a third ace, of course you should re-split again. After all, if you had confidence enough to split the first time around, why change your mind now? Don't waffle, or you may end up confused. Re-splitting is a powerful tool for evening the odds that normally favor the house. Doubling After a Split Depending on game settings, you may have the option of doubling down on one or both hands following a split. All recommendations for doubling also apply following a split. Blackjack Surrendering Strategy In a late surrender, the dealer first checks his or her hole card for Blackjack. In an early surrender, you can turn in your hand before the dealer checks the hole card. Early surrender is not an option in HOYLE® Blackjack. Surrender is only advisable when your chances of busting are very high, and the dealer has a very strong upcard. Surrender on a 16: If the dealer upcard is a 9 to ace, save half your bet and surrender. The dealer likely has a strong hand (19 to 21) and you will likely bust if you hit. Surrender on a 15: If you're holding a 15, only surrender if the dealer's upcard is a 10. If the dealer's upcard is an ace, it's better to hang in there and not surrender. The dealer must reveal Blackjack (if they have it) before you surrender. Therefore, if the dealer has an ace showing and they do not reveal Blackjack, you already know they do not have a 10-value hole card. You can beat many of the dealer's possible hole cards, so don't surrender. Surrender on a 14: Avoid this. Despite the prevalence of 10- value cards, your chances of drawing an 7 to ace are not bad. Buying Insurance When you buy insurance, you bet on the probability of the dealer having Blackjack. You can only make this bet when the dealer's upcard is an ace. You bet half of your original bet that the dealer has Blackjack. If they do, the bet pays 2 to 1. If an ace is the dealer's first upcard, the dealer must ask each player if he or she wants to buy insurance. After all insurance bets are made, the dealer checks the hole card. If the hole card is a 10-value card, the dealer shows the Blackjack to all players and pays off winning insurance bets. If the hole card does not make Blackjack, the dealer collects losing insurance bets and continues play without showing the hole card. Unless you have been counting cards (see section on counting cards) and know the deck is extremely rich in 10-value cards, the odds are against you and you should not make this bet. HOYLE® Card Games Card-Counting Strategy The strategies outlined so far assume a balanced deck. Cardcounting is used to make decisions based on the cards remaining in the deck or shoe. Card-counters keep track of the cards as they are dealt, but they pay more attention to the ratios of important cards rather than knowing exactly which cards are left in the deck. Cards are usually counted in ratios of large cards to small cards. One common system, developed by a mathematician named Dr. Edward Thorpe, assigns the following values to each card that is removed from play: 2,3,4,5,6=41 7, 8, 9 = 0 (neutral cards) 10, J, Q, K, A=-1 For example, after one hand in which a 10, 10, J, Q, A, Ais played, the count will be -6. This is called the running count. This count reflects the balance of 10-value cards (and aces) to low cards (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) as they are dealt. To accurately apply the running count, you must also factor in the number of card decks being used. The result of this calculation is called the true count. The true count is obtained by dividing the running count by the number of half decks (26 cards per half deck) remaining to be dealt. The true count is often a more accurate indicator than the running count, because it accounts for the number of decks used in a game. The true count can be calculated at any time. For this reason, the running count is the number you must remember each hand. True Count Example A single deck of cards is used for this example. The low cards to be counted are 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, and 6s. The high cards to be counted are aces, 10s, and face cards. The deck starts with sixteen (16) 10- value cards and sixteen low cards. In a game with two players (and the dealer of course), at the end of the first round of play, assume the running count is +2. The dealer has a 3, 4, and 10 (+1), the first player has a 2, 6, and Q (+1), and the second player has a 7 and 9 (0). This adds up to +2. This count indicates there are two more high cards than low cards left in the deck. 20 Blackjack Eight cards were dealt, which means that four small cards and two 10-value cards were played. The deck now holds 14 high cards and 12 smalll cards. The running count (+2) indicates a favorable count, but the deck still holds a high number of small cards. Now assume 30 cards have been dealt and the running count is still +2. The deck now holds 10 high cards and eight low cards. Though the running count is the same, the deck is actually much more favorable to the player than when only eight cards had been dealt. The true count is determined by dividing the running count by the number of half decks remaining to be dealt. After eight cards have been dealt, almost two half decks remain. The running count divided by two equals +1. The running count after eight cards is +2; the true count is +1. The true count is already slightly more accurate in weighing the higher number of small cards remaining in the deck. After 30 cards have been dealt, the running count (+2) is divided by 0.5 (half of a half deck). The running count after 30 cards is +2; the true count is now +4. In this game, where the running count stays at +2, as more cards are dealt from the deck, the true count shifts in favor of the player. How to Read the Count A higher count (any count with a plus [+] sign) means more low cards than high cards have been dealt, so the deck is loaded with high cards, which is more favorable to the player. A deck rich in high cards favors the player, because the player has a better chance of drawing Blackjack. This is important because Blackjack pays better to the player (3 to 2) than for the dealer. Also, when the count is high the dealer is more likely to bust, because they must draw on any hand below 17. Conversely, a lower count means more high cards than low cards have been dealt, so the deck is more favorable to the dealer. The dealer will bust less often with a lower count. A neutral count is neither favorable or unfavorable. 21 HOYLE® Card Games Using the Count When Betting You can use the true count to determine how much to raise or lower your bet. Obviously, you want to be betting more when the count is higher to take advantage of your increased probability of winning. Use the following table as a guideline for betting based on the true count. Multiply the unit number by the amount of your minimum bet. If the true count is: Bet this amoun’ .-1 unit 1 unit ...2 units .3 units .3 units 4 units .6 units .. 6 units .8 units .10 units 12 units +9 and above... (or maximum bet) Counting Aces Itis also important to know whether the deck is ace-rich, acepoor, or neutral. The running count and true count include aces in the high-card count. However, it is also useful to keep track of the number of aces left in the deck. A deck that is full of high cards but also ace-poor yields few Blackjacks. Because a deck holds four aces, normal distribution is two aces per half deck. If one ace or zero aces are dealt in a half deck (on average), the remaining half deck is ace-rich. If two or more aces are dealt in a half deck (on average), the deck is ace-poor. When the true count is positive and the deck is ace-rich, you may want to add an extra unit to your bet. Conversely, if the deck is ace-poor, you may want to subtract a unit from the bet. Counting cards is an effective way to get an edge while playing Blackjack, however, real casinos frown upon card counting, and will eject any card counters they catch. 22 Blackjack Blackjack Strategy Highlights * Learn the fundamentals of hitting, standing, doubling down and splitting. You can use the chart on page 24 as a reference while you play. * General rule: be conservative about hitting when the dealer has a weak upcard (3, 4, 5 or 6). * General rule: be aggressive about hitting when the dealer has a strong upcard (A, 10, 9 or 8). * Raise your bet if you know the deck contains a high percentage of 10s and aces, since the dealer will be more likely to bust. 23 HOYLE® Card Games BLACKJACK VARIATIONS With Blackjack’s success, casinos around the world continue creating variations of this game. Among the most popular variations, there is Atlantic City Blackjack, and European Blackjack. Below, are the most common variations and sample strategy tables. Legend: H=Hit S = Stand D = Double P or SP = Split Atlantic City Blackjack Atlantic City Blackjack is played with eight decks One bet position The Dealer will stand on soft 17 The Dealer peeks for blackjack Double after split, late surrender allowed Resplit to three hands Strategy table for Atlantic City Blackjack Atlantic City Blackjack Strategy Table Player's Hand | Dealer's Up Card | Hard totais # [2/34 {slel7[s[o|a 17 (+) 16 a 3 8(-) Soft Totals # Ace & 8 (+) ATT Be Seeqsqqess Be Sasesssee8 rele) =Tel=l=lelelelelol>] elell =[el=[olllelelolo] Bo Seagqccqead 86 See0seeseq Se Sengsceesq Bo SSSeee6ee0 | Ace &7 [=l*lel=/=lelel=l=l=]=l=]+]e] j=1*18)=l=|=T°l=[=]=l=]=]¢/8) 24 Blackjack Variations PEGE BEBE EEE ele tele belle [* [l= [= Lele l= (=| [== l= [= (ell [ala] = [= [>1=1= [=| Baga DOGREeOEee BEGe DOOMUEOROL lelelel= (lal [aa [alal [a [ala] BGO) GOGO RREEE jelelol= (lalla [a/alal[=[a [a] [el (= [= al [a a [ala [= [= (a Bee DOOR ORE or v LIB] Blo $/S/Sla{%) <[Sle/e|alele/elola olala|alm| s/c] sl aslalala| al aoa Hl 2/8/28] sla) g/e}o|@|s|e|s) =| o)s European Blackjack Strategy Table | Bee fel [= [=| m GEE {BC EE! 3 [mi [= [=| get [| IBeeT) Gi ca a Lisle lel Player's Hand Hard Totals § European Blackjack is played with two decks, One bet position Strategy table for European Blackjack The Dealer will stand on soft 17 Double on 9 to 11 only The player may draw split aces No resplitting, doubling, or surrender Insurance not resolved until end of hand European Blackjack 25 HOYLE® Card Games FEEEEEEBCEEEEE EEC EEEEEEE BEEREEE DEEERE BDOEEGREeo fete t= [o[=]= [= (Bil [= 1= [= [=]= (ellal* [ala] = [= 1° 1= |= [= eed Gaal dC) ad ddd) C1 dd dd BEERORE OOREEE FOORUEORoE QOGRGRE OOREEE BOSS5oaeoo QEGRO0E OOEEGR FOOR0ORRuE feleleleLe [ols lle = [= l= i= lal (a [a [ala [= ala fete t= fof= fe t= fail [l= [= [= l= fella l [aa [ala ° f= [= [= QOEBORE DORE GOOD00RReEo TE rf? 4 ) e Ace & 8 (+ Ace & 7 Ace & 6 Ace & 5 Ace & 4 Ace & 3 ( Pairs # Ace & Ac 10 & 10 9&9 8&8 7&7 6&6 5&5 484 3&3 282 Soft Totals Vegas Strip Blackjack Vegas Strip Blackjack is played with four decks, One bet position The Dealer will stand on soft 17 Resplit to three hands 26 Blackjack Variations The Dealer peeks for blackjack Strategy table for Vegas Strip Blackjack Double on any first two cards Double after split allowed | BEBEEEREEE DREERE OODUBEEE | BEEREEOREE BERBER DOUEREE pad C= C= P= = ef D> a = = === d= [= LoL SOB = [= f= l= [= Le 2 [= [= i = [= = = ea f= [= [2 | q GGEEEEOEE GOREEe SOO ueoe 4 EOGOGGRREE Goneos Beso ooao Y BQGGR0RE0R BEGR0O PeO00RLi SERROGOREGe BOGE Re SERGE SEROGGEREOE: EGER OOo RoooE E QOOQ008G08R GOBER DOUuLUOd T/S/ S/S) Ss] Spas Ace & 8 (+) Ace & Ace 10 & 10 989 8&8 7&7 6&6 5&5 494 Player's Hand Hard Totals + (+) 6 5 4 3 2 A to) 9 8(-) Soft Totals # 27 HOYLE® Card Games 3&3 [5p | se] sP|sP|sP|se| HH | 4 | A [aes — [a [rm [a [se [ae [w [ww Vegas Downtown Blackjack Vegas Downtown Blackjack is played with two decks, One bet position The Dealer will hit on soft 17 Resplit to three hands Double on any first two cards Double after split allowed The Dealer peeks for blackjack Strategy table for Vegas Downtown Blackjack Vegas Downtown Blackjack Strategy Table Player's Hand | Dealer's Up Card Hard Totals # |2 (34/5 [67/8 [9/10 17 (+) 16 15 14 13 12 tt 10 8(-) Soft Totals + Ace & 8 (+) Ace &7 Ace & 6 Ace & 5 ae Hn Ace & 4 [=[=]2]=]=)+]e]=]=]2]=]=]2]=]=]2]]5I [=l=l=lelele|el=|olelol=|ojolo| ola] felelelelelo[sl=lelele]olo[ololulal felelelele|oal=lelele|ololulalulal felelelele|elel=le}ele)oolololuja] f=[=|=|=|«]o|s]=|=]e]°]=]=]=/=| =| 4] [=[=|=|=|4]o]e]=|=)°]°]=|=|=|=| =| 4] HGSee0 Seeeeesoae BBGEE0 Besceeeeee Ace &3 28 Blackjack Variations 29 (=e [eet [= [=F | BEBE fae) (Eee I felal> [a (8/8[= [= =[=[= 2) Slelel=[=[=1=[= [= (R[a[“[~[a[a[s[e[=|a[e F)-EPEEEEE BORGEOOOOELG dy SSESEe a Re a a a 2S ieee [=[*[%[°|%|&|a[alol=|a[a) 2 Bie) le (@|4[9 (=| l=(ml&[[a[a[alale(=[e[s}) 2 45 LBerereereE [= [s[&["|%[&/&[%[o[=|5 [5 & z Be e]8 lola fel slelzlslsls/els|slelg ee as a2 5|° (g\e/l2)2/212)5 HOYLE® Card Games [to [e[o[o[o 9 [elo folo[o[nlw EX Nc nn VIDEO BLACKJACK Video Blackjack is a machine-based version of the classic table game. It offers lower stakes, faster play, a sense of solitude, and, even in an actual casino, the freedom to count cards openly. Whether these factors are a reason to play Blackjack video-style or a reason to head back to the table game depend upon what you are looking for in your Blackjack experience, but there is certainly an argument to be made for playing against the machine. Video Blackjack follows the same basic structure of its table-game forefather, so if you are familiar with the rules and strategies of Blackjack, you will be right at home in front of a Video Blackjack machine. If you are new to Blackjack, you should review the Blackjack Help section. Video Blackjack machines all follow the same basic principles of standard Blackjack play, but there are usually subtle differences in the rules of Video Blackjack that can raise or lower the house advantage. Picking a favorable machine is the first and most important step in winning at Video Blackjack. Once you have picked a machine, you place your bets and communicate your actions to the dealer-in-the-machine through pressing the appropriate ‘on-screen buttons, or using the shortcut keys. How to Play Video Blackjack To play a Video Blackjack machine, click the bill slot on the machine, and choose how many credits you want to play with. You can bet anywhere from one to five credits at a time. You have two options in betting: * Click the Bet One button once for each credit you wish to bet. * Click the Bet Max button to bet five credits. When you bet five credits, the machine automatically deals the cards. When you bet less than five credits, you must click the Deal button to start the hand. After you click the Deal button, you will be dealt two cards face up, and the dealer will be dealt one card face down and one card face up. At this point you must choose from the actions available to you. Your options will be lit up at the bottom of the screen. 30 Video Blackjack If you win, you then accumulate credits. To collect your credit(s), click the Cash Out button. Summary of Video Blackjack Actions Bet One Bets one credit. Use this option to specify the exact number of credits, without making a maximum bet. To quickly make the maximum bet, click Bet Max. You can only use this option if you have credits on the machine. You can bet one from credit during play by: * Clicking Bet One. * Pressing the letter B on the keyboard. * Choosing Bet One from the Actions menu. Bet Max Bets the maximum number of credits. To specify the exact number of credits, without making a maximum bet, click Bet One for each play. You can only use this option if you have enough credits on the machine. You can make a maximum coin bet during play by: * Clicking Bet Max. * Pressing the letter M on the keyboard. * Choosing Max Bet from the Actions menu. Deal Starts game play by dealing the cards. You start the deal by clicking Deal when the button is lit. Hit Deals another card to your hand. You can hit during play by clicking Hit when the button is lit. Stand Indicates that you do not want to perform any more actions on the current hand. You can stand by clicking Stand when the button is lit. Split Separates an opening pair of same-value cards into two new hands, and places a second bet equal to your initial bet on the second hand. Each hand is played out separately, and each hand will automatically receive a second card. When you split aces, only one more card will be dealt to each hand. To split your pair, click Split when the button is lit. at HOYLE® Card Games Double Doubles your bet and adds one more card to your hand, after which you must stand. This can only be done on hands with two cards. You can double by clicking Double when the button is lit. * Pressing the letter M on the keyboard. * Choosing Max Bet from the Actions menu. Insurance Yes/No Insurance is offered when the dealer's upcard is an ace. Choosing Yes places a side bet equal to half your original wager that the dealer has blackjack. If the dealer does have blackjack, you win 2:1 on your insurance bet. Accept or reject insurance by clicking Yes or No button when you are offered the choice. Cash Out Pays out all credits in the Video Blackjack machine. The credits include any winnings on the machine to that point. You can cash out during play by: * Clicking Cash Out when it is lit. * Pressing the letter C on the keyboard. * Choosing Cash Out from the Actions menu. Choosing a Video Blackjack Machine The first step for maximizing your return at Video Blackjack happens before you ever place a bet: picking the right machine. Traditional Blackjack games have many rule variations, and Video Blackjack is no different. Some rules improve the odds for the player while some improve the odds for the house, and it is important to know how the most common variations affect your expectation. HOYLE® Blackjack offers two Video Blackjack machines. The rules for each machine are listed below, as well as information on the impact of these rules ‘on your expectation. Classic Blackjack Rules * Single-deck * Blackjack pays 3:2 * All other wins pay 1:1 * Split on any pair 32 Blackjack Variations Split aces get one more card each only Double down on any two cards Insurance offered on dealer ace Player wins on six cards totaling 21 or less, except when dealer has blackjack Dealer hits on 16 or less Dealer stands on 17 or more, and on six cards totaling less than 21 Bet returned on all pushes This is a machine with rules reflecting the typical Las Vegas Strip table game, but it is a single-deck game, and is therefore a fairly even expectation game. The only departure from the standard rules is the fact that the player wins on six cards totaling less than 21, and that the dealer must stand on six cards totaling less than 21. These rules are in place to limit the number of cards in any hand to six, since there is limited space on a video screen. The six-card limitation on the dealer and the six-card win for the player is an advantage for the player. It won't help you often, but it will help often enough that it makes this machine a slightly better than even game (about 100.1%) if played correctly. Special 21’s Rules Single-deck Alll blackjacks pay 3:2 Special 21's pay 2:1 All other wins pay 1:1 No splitting pairs Double down on any two cards Insurance offered on dealer ace Player wins on six cards totaling 21 or less, except when dealer has blackjack Dealer hits on 16 or less Dealer stands on 17 or more, and on six cards totaling less than 21 Bet returned on all pushes Special 21's Five-Card Charlie: 21 with exactly five cards pays 2:1 777: 21 with three sevens pays 2:1 Straight Flush: 21 with 6-7-8 of the same suit pays 2:1 33 HOYLE® Card Games This machine offers a trade-off: you cannot split pairs, which brings your expectation down, but it also offers a nice 2:1 payout when you get one of the three “Special 21's” 777 and the Straight Flush are hard to come by, but Five-Card Charlie happens often enough to offset the edge the house gains from your inability to split pairs. In the end, it works out about even, but don’t chase the Special 21's. Play a basic Blackjack strategy, and let Five-Card Charlie come to you. Placing a Bet in Video Blackjack To place a bet in Video Blackjack, click the bill slot on the machine, and choose how many credits you want to play with. You can bet anywhere from one to five credits at a time. You have two options in betting: * Click the Bet One button once for each credit you wish to bet. * Click the Bet Max button to bet five credits. When you bet five credits, the machine automatically deals the cards. When you bet less than five credits, you must click the Deal button to receive your cards. 34 Customising HOYLE® Blackjack CUSTOMISING HOYLE® CARD GAMES In HOYLE® Card Games, you can change certain environment settings like speed of play, background music, animations, and character speech. Alll of these settings are changed using options on the Options menu. These settings can be changed from anywhere in HOYLE® Card Games and affect all the games. To change the game environment: Click Environment on the Options menu and change settings as. described below. Character Speech Sets whether computer players talk while you play. Animations Sets whether computer players and game elements animate. Background Audio Sets whether you hear background sounds like casino noise while you play the games. Sound Effects Sets whether you hear sound effects during games, such as dealing cards. Attitude Sets how talkative and animated computer players are during the game. Move the Character Attitude slider to the left towards Serious for less attitude or to the right towards Talkative for more attitude. Note: The attitude is set for all computer players in the game. You cannot set each player's attitude individually. Speed Sets the overall speed of all the games. You might want to slow down the games if they don't perform well on your computer. Move the Game Speed slider to the left (Slow) or right (Fast) to adjust the speed. Show Bet Amounts Shows bet amounts for table games when you roll over players’ chips (or bets on the table). Play Alone Prevents HOYLE® computer characters from playing games with you. This must be selected before entering a game to take effect 38 HOYLE® Card Games PLAYING GAMES IN FULL SCREEN MODE You can make HOYLE® Blackjack fill your entire computer screen so that the games are easier to see. To play in full screen mode: Click Full Screen on the Options menu. The program resizes to fill the screen. To return to a windowed mode: Click Window on the Options menu. The program fits in a window again. Notes: + Maximizing the game window will not make the screen bigger; you must go to full screen mode. This may not work on all computers. * Windows users: If you open the online help while in full screen mode, the full screen mode is turned off. * You can press ALT+ENTER (ALT+RETURN for Macintosh) to quickly switch between viewing the program in full screen or in a window. Changing Player Settings When you sign in to HOYLE® Blackjack, you are the “host.” Up to three other people can play games with you on your computer; this is called “head-to- head” play. All the games except for Video Blackjack allow head-to-head play. In addition, HOYLE® computer players can play along with you. When you start a game, all of the actively signed-in people are seated in the game, if possible, along with one or more computer players to fill any empty seats. You can add or remove players only before you enter a game. However, you can substitute one computer player for another at any time, and you can change your player picture at any time. To change player settings: 1. Within a game, click Players on the Options menu. 2. Change player settings as described below. Some settings can only be changed before a game starts. * To replace a player, click the Replace button next to that player. To replace a player with someone who will play with you on your computer, select Real Person; otherwise, select a computer player. You can’t change the host of a game within a game; to change the host, you must go to the Main Screen and use the Sign In command on the File menu. 36 Playing Games in Full Screen Note: Tip: You can quickly replace players within a game by clicking on the player's picture in the game, and then selecting a new player on the pop-up menu that appears. To remove a player, click the Clear button next to that player. In games that require a certain number of players, you won't be able to clear players if you won't have enough players to play. To add another player to a game, click the Add button in an empty position in the Players dialog box. To add someone who will play with you on your computer, select Real Person; otherwise, select a computer player. To see a description of a computer player, click the Bio button next to that player. To change the face of a human player, click the Face button next to that player. Other settings for players in a game, such as player colour, are shown underneath each player. If you prefer playing without computer players, check the Play Alone box in the Environment dialog. This must be checked before entering a game for it to take effect. When you start a game that includes computer players, random players are chosen for you. If you want to play with a certain player, you can set that players to be “preferred” so he or she plays with you in every game. To do this, check the Preferred Player box under that player. You can set a few players as preferred, or set all players as preferred but one or two (if there are players you don’t ever want to play games with). The current game always uses the environment and game settings for the host player (the player who signed in when HOYLE® Blackjack started). To change the host player, click Main Screen on the Go To menu, and then click Sign In on the File menu to sign in a new player. 37 HOYLE® Card Games HOYLE’ COMPUTER PLAYERS HOYLE? Blackjack offers an array of computer players for you to interact with as you play. Anne Anne is a competitive skeet shooter from Texas; she’s in town for the Sportsman's Convention. She's divorced, owns a ranch, and doesn't take any guff. Anne is determined to beat the odds at the casino, but she'll have a good time no matter what. Eddie Eddie is a tough Vegas cab driver who knows everything there is to know about Sin City. He's sick of hearing about all of his customers’ winnings, so he's trying to cash in himself. Eddie is sometimes rude, and often crude, but you can count on him to always call ‘em like he sees ‘em. Jessica Jessica is a popular lounge singer in the casino. She's lived in town for several years, and likes to gamble a little in between sets or after a show. It gives her a chance to meet new people, and she’s hoping to eventually hit the jackpot, Joe Joe was an up-and-coming football player when an injury sidelined his career. He moved west to get a fresh start, and now he works as bartender at one of the casinos. He's heard it all — in a town of big winners and big losers, everybody has a story. Joe will always lend a sympathetic ear if you have a streak of bad luck. Kelly Kelly just got married in a small Vegas chapel, but quickly lost her new husband in the crowded casino. She figures that if she stays in one place long enough, he is bound to come by. While she's here, she's trying to make enough money to take her honeymoon in Hawaii. Marcus Marcus is a successful sports agent. He's got all the right clients and knows all the right people. In the casino, Marcus plans to show you the money, and then take it away from you. Michele Michele is a film student from NYU, in town for her first visit. She would love to shoot a student film at the casino, but security won't let her use a camera. Michele is gambling for research purposes only, since a casino is the perfect place to observe human drama unfolding. 38 HOYLE® Computer Players Nigel Nigel's band 'The Wombats’ had a brief brush with fame in the late seventies, but worldwide fame has eluded them. The band’s decline sent Nigel to rehab, but now he's clean and sober.When he's not performing in local nightclubs, Nigel is in the casino, trying to earn money to record his comeback album. Tommy Tommy has been coming to this casino since the 60's; he knows the games, he knows the odds, and he’s here to play. Stay close to Tommy and you'll find out why “the good old days” were so good. Years of gambling have taught him when to go for the big win, and when to go home. Yvonne Yvonne is an award-winning actress who once starred in classic films like “Yellow Is The Sun" and "Misery’s Child." She's bitter that all of the good roles are going to flavor-of-the month actresses, while she ends up playing their mothers. She spends time in the casino hoping to get free publicity. 39 HOYLE® Card Games SETTING GAME RULES AND OPTIONS You can set game rules and options for many games, such as the house rules for the game and whether the dealer speaks. Video Blackjack does not have any settings. Once the game has begun, some changes to settings may not take effect until the next hand, spin, or roll. To set game rules and options: 1. While in the game, click the Blackjack Settings menu item on the Options menu. 2. Make the changes you want. 3. Click OK to change the settings. Notes: Some types of games and tournaments have fixed game settings that cannot be changed. Tournament Play In HOYLE® Blackjack, you can enter tournaments and compete against other players for cash prizes in the games listed below. Winning tournaments is a great way to overcome the house edge and increase your bankroll. Blackjack All players enter a tournament with the same amount of money. This money—called the tournament bankroll—is taken from each players bankroll and is not a separate stake. Tournaments end after a certain number of hands, turns, or spins, depending on the game: 25 hands in Blackjack, for example. Play ends even earlier if there are no longer at least two players with enough money to bet. When play is over, the player with the highest bankroll wins the tournament prize. The prize is equal to the tournament bankroll. If two or more players tie for the bankroll, the tournament continues until the tie is broken. There are five levels of tournament play (from $1,000 to $500,000). Each level has its own bankroll, its own prize, and its own requirements for the size of wagers. You can play only at the levels you can afford. If your overall HOYLE? Blackjack bankroll stands at $1,350, for example, you cannot participate above the $1,000 level. 40 Setting Game Rules and Options The following table lists the tournament bankroll, tournament prize, minimum wager, and maximum wager for each of the five tournament levels: Tournament Tournament Minimum Maximum bankroll prize wager wager $1,000 $1,000 $10 $1,000 $5,000 $5,000 $25 $5,000 $25,000 $25,000 $250 $25,000 $100,000 $100,000 $1,000 $100,000 $500,000 $500,000 $5,000 $500,000 To enter a tournament: 1. On the Go To menu, point to the name of the game in which you want to play a tournament. 2. Click Tournament. 3. Click the level at which you want to play and click OK. If you cannot choose one or more of the levels of play, choose a lower level. A level becomes unavailable to you when you lack sufficient bankroll to play at that level. Fun Features HOYLE® Blackjack has some additional features to further enhance your playing experience: the Hall of Fame and Talking Face Creator. The Hall of Fame The Hall of Fame shines the spotlight on players who have set various records in HOYLE® Blackjack, and can be viewed by clicking File on the menu bar, and selecting Hall of Fame. The HOYLE® Computer Players can compete along with you in all categories but “Biggest Kahuna.” There are five categories. Biggest Kahuna This record is strictly bottom line: who's got the most dough? If you have the highest current bankroll of any player, you will be immortalized in the top spot of the Hall of Fame....for as long as you can stay on top, that is. Note: If you increase your bankroll to $1 billion or more, you will become the Biggest Kahuna until someone else reaches $1 billion, and your bankroll will be reset to $1 million. a HOYLE® Card Games Best Single Session You ever have one of those days where the winning seems easy? You know, those rare occasions where the casino is paying you off so often you feel like a politician. It never lasts, unfortunately, but if you win more money in one session than anyone has before, your name will show up here. A “session” starts when you choose a game, and ends when you exit that game. Tournaments do not count as sessions. Biggest Comeback Vegas is full of comeback stories...you played for a while, lost your shirt, and then slowly won it all back again. This record is for the best comeback story in HOYLE® Blackjack. It shows the most money lost and then recouped during a single gambling session. A “session” starts when you choose a game, and ends when you exit the game. Tournaments do not count as sessions. Longest Win Streak There’s nothing like a win streak to put a smile on your face. The fates smile upon you for that brief stretch where you simply cannot lose. The holder of this record made the most consecutive wagers in which they at least doubled their money (before house commission). “Push” wagers do not count towards the streak, nor do they end it. They are treated like they never happened. Best Tournament Tournaments pit player against player in a race to build the highest bankroll in a limited number of wagers. If you can finish a tournament with a higher bankroll than anyone has before, you will see your name and face on the pretty plaque. Talking Face Creator If you've played HOYLE® games before, you know that the HOYLE® Characters are a bit chatty. Now, you finally get to talk back! Each character plaque, including yours, has a happy and sad face button on it. If you click on a HOYLE® character's happy face icon, you will say something congratulatory to them. If you click on their sad face icon, you will say something consoling to them. You can use these any time, but they will respond more often if the situation is appropriate for congratulating or consoling them. 42 Setting Game Rules and Options As for yourself, if you are feeling good or feeling bad, you can say so by clicking the appropriate icon on your plaque. The HOYLE® characters may have something to say about the way you feel. Shortcut Keys The following shortcut keys are available to you during game play: In most games you can use the T key to activate the Hint item in the Help menu: Help Shortcut Hint T The following shortcut keys access the items in the Actions menu in the various games Loans Actions Shortcut Loan L Blackjack Actions Shortcut Hit H Stand s Double Down D Split P Surrender R Continue Enter Video Blackjack Actions Shortcut Bet One B Bet Max M Cash Out c Viewing Bet Result and Statistics As you win or lose money, HOYLE® Blackjack keeps track of how you are doing. There are two ways you can review your results. 43 HOYLE® Card Games Reviewing Bets on the Table You can examine bets that you or other players place on the table by moving the mouse over the chips. (This option is only available if you have turned it on in the Environment dialog; see Customising HOYLE® Card Games.) You are not able to view bets until all players have finished betting. Reviewing Bets in the Current Game Session In all games where your player image shows above a nameplate, you can see how you are doing during the current session by clicking on your picture with the left mouse button and holding down the mouse. When you do this, a small window pops up summarizing your current bankroll, how much you wagered in your most recent bet, how much you won or lost in the most recent play, and how much you've won or lost overall in the current session. You can click on any player's picture to see these results. Using the Continue Button Blackjack offers another way to view bet results. In the game settings, you can enable the Continue button. This means that after each hand, the game will pause and let you examine the results on the table. By pointing to the various bets on the table, you can see which bets won or lost. The bets are not cleared until you click the Continue button. (When you do not have the Continue button enabled in these games, there is a short pause after each hand, spin, or roll, and then the table clears automatically.) Reviewing Long-Term Stati To view statistics: 1. Click Statistics on the File menu. 2. Click the name of the player you want statistics for. 3. Select the name of the game you want statistics for. Notes: To clear statistics for the current player and game, click the Clear button. Statistics are permanently cleared for that game for that player. Bankrolls, Credit Cards and Loans Each player has a bankroll, which starts at a certain amount and changes as you win or lose money in the game. Each player also has a credit card. There are various levels of credit cards available. You start with a green credit card and can advance to higher credit cards by winning money in the game. 44 Setting Game Rules and Options Besides being a status symbol, your credit level determines the amount of money you can take as a loan from the game should your luck turn sour and it become necessary for you to borrow money to continue playing. If you run out of money during a game, you are presented with three choices: 1. You can reset your player to the initial $5,000, reverting back to the initial green credit card, and losing any statistical information for your player. 2. You can take a loan, the amount of which is based on the credit level you have reached. In this case, you keep your credit card and your statistics, but you have to pay the loan back before being allowed to advance to the next credit level. 3. You can just sit out and watch, and deal with your money problems later. Reaching One Billion Dollars If your bankroll reaches $1 billion, you will have made more money than HOYLE® Blackjack can count. If you pull this off, you will be named the "Biggest Kahuna" in the Hall of Fame, and your bankroll will be rolled back to $1 million. Repaying a Loan Once you have taken a loan, you will need to repay it at some point. To do this, click Loans on the File menu. The Fine Print There are some situations in which you will not be offered a loan. You can't get a loan if you already have a loan outstanding, if you are playing in a tournament, or if the game decides you already have enough money and don’t need to borrow more. Tutorial Mode HOYLE® Blackjack features a comprehensive, easy-to-use tutorial mode for most of the games. The tutorial mode, along with the associated practice mode, gives you hints, strategic advice, and other information so that you can learn to play the games like a pro. 45 HOYLE® Card Games When you play a game in tutorial mode, a small bar labeled “Tutorial” appears in the upper left corner of the screen. When you roll the mouse over this bar, it pops down into a full window, offering a menu of information topics. Turning Tutorial Mode On and Off You can turn tutorial mode on and off within a game by checking or unchecking Tutorial Mode on the Help menu. To turn off tutorial mode in a game, click the box on the right side of the tutorial bar. To quickly turn tutorials on or off for multiple games, go to the main screen and click Setup Wizard on the Help menu; click Next to get to the tutorials page. Tutorial Topics and When They Are Available When you point the mouse over the Tutorial bar in the upper left corner of the screen, the Tutorial window generally pops down to offer you information. However, when other players are betting or playing, this information is not available. The Tutorial window offers several categories of information. To view a particular category, simply drag the mouse over the category title. The first category in the list varies depending on what you are doing. For instance, in Blackjack, if it is your turn to bet, the first category will be titled “Betting,” and when you roll over it a window will pop up giving you information on how to bet. On the other hand, if it is your turn to decide whether to hit or stand, the first category will be titled “Play,” and when you roll over it a window will pop up explaining your options for play. The second category in the list is always titled “Strategy,” and if offers strategic advice for your current bet or play. Use this strategic advice to learn to play like a pro. In the lower half of the Tutorial window are several other topics which offer basic information on performing functions such as making bets and changing players. The Hint Button At the top of the Tutorial window is the Hint button. (Note: the Hint button is not available in certain situations where HOYLE® Blackjack does not have a 46 Setting Game Rules and Options specific recommendation.) Click the Hint button to see the play recommended by HOYLE® Blackjack. Clicking the Hint button is the same as clicking Hint on the Help menu. Practice Mode In some games, the Tutorial window includes a Practice Mode check box. When this box is checked, HOYLE® Blackjack watches your plays and, when you make a play that is not advisable, automatically pops up the relevant strategic information, and also shows you the hint for the best play. Use this mode to test your knowledge of optimal game strategies. As long as you make the correct decisions, there will be no intervention. But if you take an action that does not align with HOYLE® Blackjack's recommendation, HOYLE® Blackjack will let you know. Quitting Games You can quit a particular game or exit HOYLE® Card Games altogether. To quit a game: * Click Main Screen on the Go To menu. You will return to the Card Games main menu where you can choose a different game to play. Or click a game name on the Go To menu to go directly to that game. To exit the program: * Click Exit on the File menu. 47 HOYLE® Card Games BRIDGE Bridge is the Chess of card games (and with that statement we will enrage millions of devoted Bridge players, who would argue that Chess is the Bridge of board games). Chess has a long history, and, as befits a game of similar depth and complexity, so does Bridge. Bridge begins with a game called Whist, in a country called England, in an era called “The Restoration” How the Game Is Played Contract Bridge is played by four people in two partnerships with a standard 52-card pack. The cards in each suit rank from ace (the highest) to the 2 (the lowest). The suits rank in this order: spades, hearts, diamonds, and then clubs. Cards are dealt one at a time, face down, clockwise until each player has received 13 cards. The bidding or auction stage comes next, beginning with the dealer. The various things you can do are known as calls: Pass: You may pass rather than make a bid. Bid: This is your declaration that you intend to win a certain number of odd tricks (odd meaning more tricks than six; the first six tricks are called the book). You must either name a trump suit or choose no-trump. The lowest possible bid is one, the highest is seven. (There are 13 tricks in all, but remember that the first six don't count in this process.) For example, you might say “one diamond,” “one no-trump,” “four spades,” and so on. Your bid must overcall, or top the preceding bid (if any). This is also called making a sufficient bid. Overcalling a bid means you must name a higher number of odd-tricks and/or a higher-ranking denomination: no-trump (high), spades, hearts, diamonds, and then clubs. One spade will overcall one heart; two clubs will overcall one spade; two diamonds will overcall one no- trump; etc. Double: You can double the last bid, so long as one of your opponents made that bid, and no one has yet called a double. What a double does is to double the value of tricks taken. However, if the bid doubled was for, say, three spades, any player in the rest of the bidding could overcalll it with three no-trumps, four clubs, etc., thereby canceling the double. A particular bid can be doubled only once. 48 Bridge Redouble: A player may in turn redouble the last bid, if a) the bid was made by that player or by that player's partner; b) if the bid has been doubled by an opponent; and c) if the bid hasn't already been redoubled. This further increases the scoring values, but, like the double, it can be canceled by a higher bid. A particular bid can be redoubled only once. The auction begins when any player makes a bid. If all four players pass the first time around, the cards are thrown in and the next dealer in turn deals. When a bid, double, or redouble is followed by three consecutive passes, the auction is closed. The suit named in the final bid is the trump suit for that hand (if the final bid was a no- trump, the hand will be played without trumps). The player who first bid the suit (or the no-trump) is the declarer. The number of odd- tricks named in the final bid is that player's contract. The player to the declarer's left leads the first card. The declarer’s partner then places his or her hand face-up. This hand, and declarer’s partner, are called the “dummy” The declarer’s partner takes no further part in the hand. The declarer selects the cards to play from the dummy hand. The object of play is to win tricks. A player is required to follow suit if possible. A trick is won by the highest trump, of, if no trumps come out, by the highest card of the suit led. The player that wins a trick leads the next. Play continues until all 13 tricks have been taken. Keeping Score Bridge score sheets are halved by a horizontal line. The trick score goes below the line; all other scores (usually called the honor score) go above the line. If the declarer fulfills the contract, winning as many or more odd-tricks than the contract called for, he or she scores below the line for every odd- trick named in the contract. Any trick won by the declarer in excess of his or her contract is called an overtrick and is scored above the line. When a side has scored 100 or more points below the line (trick points), it has won a game. A game may require more than one hand to decide the outcome. The next game begins with both sides back to zero. A side that has won a game is said to be vulnerable. A vulnerable side receives increased bonuses in some cases and is subject to higher penalties if it does not fulfill a contract. Games are played best two out of three. When one side wins two games, they have won the rubber. All points scored by both sides, both above the line and below the line, are then added up. The side that has the greatest number of points wins the difference between its score and its opponents’ score. 49 HOYLE® Card Games The Contract Bridge Scoring System Trick points (scored below the line by declarer) Each odd-trick bid & made in # or ¥ * Each odd-trick bid & made in @ or # First odd-trick bid & made in NT Subsequent odd-tricks, NT If bid was doubled, multiply trick score by two. If bid was redoubled multiply by four. Overtrick points (scored above the line by declarer) Each trick over contract in # or ¥,undoubled .. Each trick over contract in NT, # , #, undoubled Each trick over contract in any suit: Doubled. Redoubled. -100 (200 if vulnerable) -200 (400 if vulnerable) Undertrick pone (scored above the line by defenders) le Not vulnerabi First undertrick ... First undertrick, doubled .. First undertrick, redoubled .. Second and third undertrick. Second and third undertrick, doubled Second and third undertrick, redoubled. Each subsequent undertrick.. Each subsequent undertrick, doubled. Each subsequent undertrick, redoubled Vulnerable First undertrick.... First undertrick, doubled .. First undertrick, redoubled. Each subsequent undertricl Each subsequent undertrick, doubled. Each subsequent undertrick, redoubled Bonus points (scored above the line by declarer) Making doubled contract.. Making redoubled contract. Small Slam (6 odd-tricks bid & made). Grand Slam (7 odd-tricks bid & made)... Rubber Bonus: If the opponents won 1 game.. if the opponents won no game: Honors points (scored above the line by elther team) Four trump honors in one hand. 00 (750 if vulnerable) ..1,000 (1,500 if vulnerable) 50 Bridge Five trump honors in one hand. Four aces in one hand (NT contract).. Strategies The importance of learning to bid effectively cannot be overemphasized. A proper bid provides substantial information to your partner, as his or her response should to you. Unfortunately, you are also conveying the same information to your opponents, just as their bidding provides some guide to you as to how you should play your hand to make the bid or defend against your opponents’ bid. Effective bidding of necessity is based on an understanding of what “points” are. The two kinds of points are high-card points and distribution points. High ecard points Distribution points Ace Void in a suit =Three points King = Three points Singleton in a suit =Two points Queen = Two points Doubleton in a suit =One point Jack = One point In reaching your total points you cannot count both high-card points and distribution points for the same card Opening Bids The opening bid is a team’s first bid. The general rule in bridge is that if you have 13 points (combined high-card points and distribution points) and you want a happy partner, you should find a bid somewhere, even if it is in a four card minor suit. Opening bids are invariably on your longest suit. If suits are of equal length, bid the highest ranking suit. Generally if it is the first (opening) round and your hand has only 11-12 points (combined high-card and distribution points) and you do not have a fairly strong biddable suit (for example, five or six cards headed by at least two face cards and a singleton or doubleton in the other suits) then the appropriate bid would be a pass. 51 HOYLE® Card Games Response to Opening Bid If you're a beginner, keep it simple. If you have some strength in a suit your partner has bid, always raise. Strength can be defined as at least six points in your hand and three cards in your partner's suit. This hand contains six points (A, J, J) and at least the minimum three cards in spades, hearts, and diamonds. If your partner bid one club, however, your hand is too weak, and you should pass. Any suit of five or more cards is always biddable. Bidding No-trump A bid of no-trump is best when you have 15 high-card points, and your hand's distribution is balanced, meaning a 4-3-3-3, 4-4-3-2, or 5-3-3-2 combination. You should also have all suits stopped, meaning you have the A, the K-Q, the Q-J-10, and/or the J-10-9-8 in each suit. These card combinations will prevent your opponents from taking a run of tricks in one ‘suit. Most of the time, however, you'll have to make do with “probable” stoppers, such as K-x, Q-J- x, Q-10-x, or even Q-x-x. Your 5-3-3-2 suit combination gives you a balanced hand. You have guaranteed stoppers in diamonds and clubs, and probable stoppers in spades and hearts. 52 Bridge Playing If you're the defender and you can’t decide what to lead, here’s an old bit of Bridge lore: when in doubt, lead the fourth-best card from your longest suit. This is called leading from length. It's considered the standard way to lead in a no-trump contract, and it's a safe way to proceed in a suit contract. Typically, an unbalanced hand is more suitable to play a trump contract. A balanced hand is good for a no-trump contract. Whenever a player has a balanced or an unbalanced hand, it is very common for more than one of the other hands to have a similar distribution, and it's something to plan for in the play of the hand. If you are defending (your team lost the bid) and have a six-card suit as shown, even though it contains the ace, there is a good probability that the ace will be trumped on the first round. The preponderance of diamonds in your hand makes it more likely some- one else has a void in diamonds. Likewise, if your hand is balanced, it is probable that other players also have balanced hands. The partnership playing a trump contract should be in command of the trump suit. Decades of Bridge experience have demonstrated that the partners playing the contract should have at least eight trumps between them (the best distributions are 5-3, 4-4, and even 6-2). The best lead is a card from a combination of top cards in any suit. 53 HOYLE® Card Games CANASTA The name Canasta means “basket” in Spanish, which probably derived from the basket holding the draw and discard piles; the discard pile is of paramount importance in this game. Canasta was originally invented in Uruguay in the late 1940s, and soon became popular in Argentina and the rest of Latin America. In the late 1940s/early 1950s, Canasta reached the United States, where it became even more popular than Bridge for a few years; it was probably the most popular card game at any one time. It has since greatly declined in popularity, except for some holdout enthusiasts. How did Canasta get so popular? It may have been because it has elements of Mahjongg, another enormously successful game, and as a partnership game, it is easier to learn than Bridge. (Canasta can be played with two, three, or five people, but the most popular version worldwide is the partnership game.) Derivations of Canasta include Bolivia, Samba, Cuban Canasta and Bolivian Canasta. How the Game Is Played Canasta uses two regular decks of cards, including the jokers (two from each deck). Each player is dealt eleven cards. Players across from each other are partners and play cards to a common area, so each partner can take advantage of the other's play. Canasta is usually played over several hands; the first team to reach 5000 points wins. Jokers and 2s are wild cards and can be used to represent other cards. Black and red 3s have special properties. Rules Summary On your turn, you either draw a card from the draw pile or take the entire discard pile (there are special rules for picking up the discard pile; see “Picking Up the Discard Pile” later in this chapter). You can then play melds and canastas. At the end of your turn, you must discard a card to the discard pile. Either you or your partner must make an initial meld for your team. Once your team has made its initial meld, both of you can play as many melds and canastas as you want on your turns. If your team has made at least one canasta, either you or your partner can go out if you can play alll the cards in your hand 4 Making Melds and Canastas Teams score points by making melds and canastas. A meld is three or more cards of the same rank such as 4-4-4, 6-6-6-6-6, or Q-Q-Q-Q-Q. Wild cards (2s and jokers) can substitute for any card, if needed (the only exception is a meld of black 3s, which can’t include any wild cards). For instance, you could have a meld of 8-8-2. A meld must contain at least two natural cards, and cannot contain more than three wild cards. Black 3s can only be melded as your very last play of a hand before going out. A canasta is a meld which has seven or more cards of the same rank such as 8-8-8-8-8-8-8. Your team must make at least one canasta to win a hand. A canasta can contain up to three wild cards. If the canasta contains only natural cards, it is worth more points. Making the Initial Meld The first play your team must make to the table is your initial meld. Either you or your partner must play to the table, in one turn, one or more melds whose point value is equal to or greater than the initial meld value. Your game score at the end of a hand dictates how many points you need for the initial meld in the next hand. At the beginning of a game, both teams always have an initial meld requirement of 50. Score Meld Requirement 55 HOYLE® Card Games This system gives the losing team a better chance of a comeback, since they can potentially play to the table earlier and “go out” earlier. A team with 1600 points must make an initial meld of 90, while the second-place team, with a score of 1250 points, only needs an initial meld of 50. To figure out whether you can make an initial meld, add up the point values of any cards that you meld: Card Point Value 4, 5, 6, 7, and black 3. 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K. Aand 2. Joker... .5 points 0 points 20 points 50 points Picking Up the Discard Pile At the beginning of your turn, you can pick up the entire discard pile in certain situations. To pick up the discard pile, you must be able to immediately use the upcard (the top card of the pile) in a meld (either adding it to an existing meld or making a new meld with it using cards already in your hand). You do not get to take the other cards in the pile until you use the upcard in a meld. 56 Canasta Normally, you can pick up the discard pile if you can use the upcard in an existing meld or in a new meld; to use the upcard in a new meld you must combine it with at least two natural cards from your hand or with at least one natural card and one wild card from your hand. However, if someone has discarded a 2 or joker to the pile, the pile is considered frozen. When the discard pile is frozen, you can only pick it up if you can use the upcard in a meld using at least two natural cards in your and. A pile stays frozen until someone picks it up. Important: Before your team has made your initial meld, the pile is not shown as frozen, but you can only pick it up with two natural cards. You can never pick up a pile if the top card is a joker, 2, or black 3. Going Out Your team is qualified to go out (ending the current hand) if you have at least one canasta on the table. To go out, either you or your partner must play all of the cards in your hand to the table. The last card in your hand can either be melded or discarded; this is the only time in the game you are not required to discard at the end of your turn. When you are ready to go out, you may, if you wish, ask your partner permission to go out. This gives you a way to find out whether your partner wants you to go out, or whether your partner still has a lot of points in his or her hand (that might be used to make canastas) and wants to continue to play. Asking for permission is optional, but your partner's answer is binding; you can only go out on that turn if your partner gives you permission. Note: It is possible to go out without previously having placed any melds on the table. This is known as going out concealed and is worth extra points. You must be able to immediately play alll of the cards in your hand to the table, making your initial meld and at least one canasta. You can discard one card to the discard pile if necessary. Going out concealed is very difficult to do, because you don't get any help from your partner. 87 HOYLE® Card Games How the Game Is Played At the beginning of the game, one card is flipped to the discard pile. If that card is a 2, joker, or red 3, another card is flipped on top of it and the pile is frozen. Before play begins, any red 3s in players’ hands are automatically played to the 3 pile on the board and replaced with new cards. On your turn, you either draw a card from the draw pile or pick up the discard pile. See “Picking Up the Discard Pile” earlier in this chapter. If you pick up the discard pile, the top card of the pile is automatically played to the appropriate card pile. If the pile was frozen, you must then also play two natural cards to that pile; if you don't, you won't be able to take the pile. Next, meld cards to the table, if you want to. (The first play your team can make is the initial meld.) You may be able to undo melds, if you need to; see the in-game help for details. At the end of your turn, discard a card by dragging it to the discard pile. You must always keep at least one card in your hand at the end of a turn, unless you are going out. Play proceeds with the player on your left. Continue playing until one team goes out or the deck runs out. If you're ready to go out, you can go out by laying down all your cards (one card can be discarded, if desired.) If you wish, you can ask your partner for permission before you go out. You can ask for permission after you draw cards but before you play them. If a player draws the last card in the deck, special conditions apply. If the next player cannot take the discard pile, the hand ends immediately. However, if that player can play the top card of the discard pile to one of his or her team’s melds, the player must take the discard pile and play that card. If the player can take the discard pile with a card in his or her hand, he or she can choose to either take the pile or end the hand. In any of these cases, the hand ends, and neither team gets points for going out. 8 Canas Scoring Each card you play to the table is worth a certain number of points. These points count towards your initial meld requirement, and are scored at the end of the game. (Note: Any red 3s on the table don’t count towards the initial meld points.) Scoring occurs at the end of a hand, after one team has gone out, or if the deck runs out of cards and someone ends the hand. The team that went out gets points for going out, and each team scores points for all the cards they've melded to the table (including the cards in canastas) and any bonus points (points for any red 3s and any mixed or natural canastas). Then, any cards remaining in team members’ hands (including the partner of the person who went out) are subtracted from each team’s score. Card values 4, 5, 6, 7, and black 3 . 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K.. Aand 2 .. Joker .. Red 3* Other scoring Mixed canasta Natural canasta™ .. Going out .. Going out concealed** .. Going out before the other team has melde points each 300 points each 00 points each aries, see below 59 HOYLE® Card Games The other team loses 100 points per red 3 owned by the team, or 800 points if the team owns all four red 3s, * A canasta made with all natural cards (no wild cards) ** (800 if your team has all 4 red 3s) ** Going out without having made an initial meld on a previous turn. Strategies The main reason for making melds is to work with your partner to make canastas. Canastas are worth a lot more points, so focus on making them instead of a number of small melds. Be careful not to meld too many cards. Having a small hand is a big disadvantage, because you are less likely to be able to pick up the discard pile. However, if your partner has already laid down a meld, it is usually a good idea to play any cards you can to it, so that you can get closer to having a canasta. If you can make a canasta, you should always do it. Except when making the initial meld and taking the discard pile, avoid adding wild cards to piles (unless you want to finish a canasta). Wild cards are stronger in your hand, since they can be used to make canastas and freeze the pile. If you have more than three cards you can meld, try just melding three of the cards, holding the others back. This gives your partner a chance to play cards to that meld, but leaves cards in your hand that can potentially pick up the discard pile. It also may let you make a surprise canasta! Keep track of the discarded cards. If the other team takes the pile, you will want to remember what cards were in it so you can discard safely. Keeping track of discards also gives you an indication which cards the other team are short of. If you have no choice but to discard a card that lets the other team take the discard pile, stick to low cards (4, 5, 6, 7) whenever possible, since these give the other team less points, and leave more points in your hand for melds. Strategies for Taking the Discard Pile A key strategy to Canasta is getting the discard pile and preventing your opponents from getting it, whenever possible. But consider how many cards are in the pile. It is often not worth showing the other team what cards you want by taking a small pile with four or less cards. 60 Canas Black 3s are valuable discards, since they protect the discard pile. Hold on to them until the discard pile is large or something you particularly want to defend. When the discard pile is not frozen and is full of cards the other team wants, try making safe discards, such as cards that your team already has a large meld of (since you know the other team probably can’t meld them). Or discard cards you've already seen the other team discard, or discards they have passed up before. If the other team has more melds on the table, consider freezing the discard pile, so that you can safely discard cards that your opponents have large melds of. If the discard pile gets really big, restrain yourself from melding, so that you have more chances to get the pile. If you're holding cards that the opponents can meld (and you can't), try to discard them when the discard pile is frozen, or when it is small. Strategies for Going Out If you're in a weak position—the other team has melded most of the card ranks, so there are no safe discards, for example—consider going out to minimize your losses. Asking your partner to go out is sometimes a good way to find out whether your partner can make more canastas. But don’t forget that your partner's answer is binding! If you ask your partner to go out and your partner tells you no, play as many naturals on your turn as possible, holding on to wild cards and at least one safe discard. This gives your partner more opportunities to play cards and make canastas. Holding on to the wild cards means that you are more likely to be able to go out next turn. If your partner asks you to go out, and you say no (because you have cards left to play), be sure to play as many wild cards as you can on your next turn, and any natural cards that you can use to make canastas (or large melds which your partner could potentially make into canastas). Be sure to keep one card that you can discard safely on your next turn (so that the player to your left can't go out before your partner)! If all other things are equal, and the other team has three red 3s and the fourth red 3 hasn't been drawn, consider going out as soon as possible. If that team gets the last red 3, they'll get 500 more points! Likewise, if your team has three red 3s, and the fourth red 3 hasn't been drawn, consider postponing going out until you get that last red 3. 61 HOYLE® Card Games CRAZY EIGHTS Crazy Eights is also known as Eights and as Swedish Rummy. How it gained a Swedish lineage is uncertain, but Crazy Eights is related to the Rummy family in that players try to rid themselves of their cards by making matches. However, Crazy Eights is classified as a Stops game—games in which players are stopped from discarding when they hit a gap in the sequence they're following How the Game Is Played Crazy Eights can be played by two, three, or four players. The game uses the standard 52-card pack. When two play, each receives seven cards; when three or four play, each receives five cards. The remainder of the pack is placed face-down and becomes the stock. The top card is placed face-up beside the stock and becomes the starter. All of the discards are placed on the starter, forming the talon pile. Play is clockwise. The first player lays on the starter a card of either the same suit or the same rank. The play continues in turn in the same way. Each card played (other than an 8) must match the top card of the talon pile in suit or rank. A player unable to follow suit or rank must draw cards from the top of the stock until he or she can follow. A player may draw from the stock even if able to play without it. After the stock is exhausted, a player unable to play passes, and the turn passes to the left. As the name of the game implies, all 8s are wild. An 8 may be played at any time, even if the player could legally play another card. If you play an 8, you designate a suit, and the next player must play a card of that suit or another 8. Play ends when a player gets rid of his or her last card, if the game is cutthroat (as in HOYLE® Card Games). In partnership play, the game ends when both players on one side have gone out. If the stock is exhausted and no one can play a legal card, the game ends in a block. This is a no-win hand. The player or side that goes out collects points for all cards remaining in the hands of the opponents: 50 for each 8, 10 for each face card, one for each ace, and the regular value for the remaining cards. If two players tie (in three-hand play), they split the winnings. 2 Crazy Eights Strategies Unlike many of the classic American games, in Crazy Eights you want to “avoid a void,” or you'll have to draw more cards from the stock. A balanced hand is best, so you'll generally want to play cards from your longest suit. At the end of the game all cards remaining in the losers’ hands are counted up and added to the victor’s score. For this reason, play your higher cards whenever possible. Your 8s are the only exception. These cards are most useful at the end of the game, when you'll be running out of suits (and therefore options), so don't play them except to avoid drawing from the stock. If you do hang onto your 8s, you will also need to watch the other players. If someone gets down to their last card, make sure you play the 8 immediately to avoid giving away 50 points to the winner. The most devious tactic you can employ in Crazy Eights is to observe opponents who are down to their last few cards. 63 HOYLE® Card Games CRIBBAGE Cribbage pops up in recorded literature early in the 17th century. Frederic Grunfeld in Games of the World traced it to an English card game called Noddy. (No one knows how Noddy was played, but in the 1600s, the word meant a “fumbling, inept person,” so the reader is welcome to draw a conclusion from that.) Noddy was the only card game of that era that used a board for scoring, and, as there are no other contestants for the title, we can say with some assurance that this long-forgotten card game probably inspired Cribbage. How the Game Is Played Cribbage is a game for two to four players; since HOYLE® Card Games uses the two-player version, we'll confine ourselves to that. The game uses the standard 52-card pack. The cards in each suit rank from the king (the highest) down to the ace (the lowest). In counting or numerical value, the king, queen, jack, and 10 each count for 10 (and so are called tenth cards), the ace counts as one, and the other cards are face value. The game operates on the principle of matching combinations of cards: pairs, three or more of a kind, flushes, runs (sequences), and groups