Тематический сборник текстов для чтения (английский язык). Соснина Е.П - 70 стр.

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In blackjack, the players bet against the house dealer rather than against each other. The
goal of each player is to have a higher point total than the dealer without going over 21. The
values of the cards in each hand are added with 2 through 10 having face value, Ace having
value 1 or 11 (player's choice), and King, Jack, and Queen cards having the value 10. If the
player's and the dealer's hands have the same point value, this is known as a "push", and
neither player wins the hand.
After initial bets are placed, the dealer deals the cards (either from one or two hand-
held decks of cards, or more commonly from a shoe containing four or more decks): two
cards to each player, including himself. One of the dealer's two cards is visible, the other
hidden (the hidden card is known as the "hole card"; in European blackjack, the hole card is
not actually dealt until the players all play their hands). The cards of the players are dealt
either face up or face down, depending on local casino practice; face up is the most
common. At this point, if any player has a "natural" 21 (an Ace with any 10-count card),
often called a "Blackjack", he is immediately paid 3:2 (most of the time: see Basic Strategy
below) for his bet, unless the dealer also has a natural, which is a push. If the dealer has a
natural, all players without a natural lose immediately; they do not get a chance to further
improve their hands.
If the dealer does not have a natural, then one by one the dealer gives each player the
option of as king for more cards (called " taking a hit") or s taying with his current total (called
"standing" or "holding"). The player may continue to ask for more cards, one by one, until he
has either gone over 21 ("a bust"), or he is satis fied with the cards that he has (a total of 21
always stands ). In addition, depending on what cards the player holds, and depending on the
rules in effect at the table, the player may have the option of performing certain special plays
(described below). If the player busts (takes a hit that put him over 21), he immediately loses
the bet. After all the players have finished making their decisions, the dealer then reveals the
hidden "hole" card and may or may not draw additional cards. The decision of whether to draw
more cards is not up to the dealer; it depends only on the point total that the dealer holds. If the
dealer has fewer than 17, he draws another card, and continues to draw more cards until
reaching a value equal to or greater than 17. If the dealer busts , then all remaining players win.
Bets are normally paid out at the odds of 1:1. Casino rules vary on whether the dealer takes a hit
when holding a "soft" 17 (that is, a hand such as an Ace with a six, which can be counted as
either 7 or 17). In Atlantic City, all dealers will s tand on a soft 17. In other areas , this is up to
the individual casino.