Blackjack can be played by one to three players. All players start with 200 chips and can bet 1 to 25 chips each round. Each player is dealt two cards face-up, while the dealer is given two cards face down. Each card has a point value assigned. Number cards have their face value, such as a five card being worth five points. Face cards are worth ten points, and an ace can either be 1 or 11 points. The object of each round is to get 21 points or as close to 21 points without exceeding it. If a player is satisfied with their hand dealt to them, they can choose to stay. If they want to add more points, they can request a hit and receive another card from the dealer. A player can continue to hit until they choose to stay or until they exceed 21 points and lose the round. The player wins the round if their hand has more points than the dealer's hand without exceeding 21 or if the dealer's hand exceeds 21 points. If the player wins with a "Blackjack" (an ace along with a face card or a 10 card), they earn one and a half times their bet. A player's bet is either added or subtracted from their total score depending on if they won or lost the round. The game ends when one player earns 1000 chips, thus "breaking the bank", or if the player has no remaining chips.
The difficulty switches on the Atari 2600 can affect the gameplay. If the left difficulty switch is set to position B, the dealer shuffles the deck after every hand. If set to position A, the computer shuffles after dealing 34 cards. If the right difficulty switch is set to A, the dealer must hit a soft 17 or less and will stay on a hard 17. If a player's hand equals 10 or 11 points, the player must double their bet before the first hit. On position B, the dealer will stay on 17 or more points, all ties default to a win for the dealer, and a player can win the game when they hit four times without going over 21 points.
Blackjack is abandonware and no longer sold or supported by its publishers. Files are archived here for these platforms:
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