INSTRUCTIONS FOR VIDEOCART-3 CARTRIDGE GAMES Exclusively for use with the Fairchild Video Entertainment System ========= FAIRCHILD ========= VIDEOCART is a trademark of Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation THE BASIC RULES OF BLACKJACK Blackjack is a card game played against "The House" or a "dealer." The object is to get cards totaling as close to 21 as possible without going over 21. Card values are: 2 through 9 -- each card counts face value 10 through King -- each counts 10 points Ace -- counts 1 or 11 points, whichever gives the best hand PLAY -- Play begins by placing bets against the house. After all bets are in, the "dealer" deals each player and the house two cards. The dealer's second card is face down. The dealer will then ask if you want a "hit," or another card. You can take as many hits as yo uwant to try to get as close to 21 as possible without going over. If you go over 21 on a hit, you have "busted" and lose your bet. If you do not want another card, you "stay," and the next player gets asked for hits. After asking all players for hits, the dealer will take hits depending on his card count. The dealer will "hit" until his point total is over 16. The dealer has to take a hit on 16 or a "soft 17" (a 17 made with an Ace valued at 11 points). The dealer has to stay on a "hard 17." After the dealer has taken enough cards, a comparison is made of the point total of the dealer's hand and of the players that stood. If the dealer busts or if the standing player has more points than the dealer, the player wins. If the dealer has not busted and he has more points than the player, the player loses his bet. If both the dealer's and player's point total is the same, the hand is a tie. If a player busted earlier when taking hits and then later the dealer busts, the player still loses. If you get a "blackjack" (two cards totaling 21 points -- an Ace and a 10 point card) and the dealer does not, you automatically win 1 1/2 times the amount of your bet. If the dealer gets a blackjack and neither player does, the players automatically lose. If both the dealer and a player get a blackjack, it is a tie. On Your Mark Think your system's unbeatable? Wait'll you see ours! Deal yourself into Video Blackjack for some fast action before you hit the big time. Take the Videocart(TM)* cartridge and, with edge label facing you and top label facing up, insert it in the chute marked INSERT CARTRIDGE until it "clicks" into place. To remove the cartridge, press the PRESS TO EJECT bar, then slide the cartridge out of the game console. Get Set Once the cartridge is in place, press the RESET button. The screen will show a G?. The cartridge is asking you if you want to play a game. Always press the RESET button before selecting a game. Go Press button 1 for Video Blackjack. Playing Video Blackjack After selecting Video Blackjack from the console, the game defaults to 2-player blackjack. To manually select the number of players, press the MODE button (button 2) and an M? will appear on the screen. Note that in Video Blackjack the MODE option is used to select the number of blackjack players. After the M? appears on the screen, the options are: Button 1 -- left player only Button 2 -- both players Button 3 -- right player only *VIDEOCART is a trademark of Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation Video Blackjack Game Rules in a Nutshell -------------------------------------------------------- Screen Says: You Can: -------------------------------------------------------- G? Push button 1 to select Video Blackjack. -------------------------------------------------------- M? Push button 1 for left player only. Push button 2 for both players. Push button 3 for right player only, or Reinstate a broke player with a new stake of 0100, or Force the dealer to reshuffle. -------------------------------------------------------- CUT? Pull up on either hand controller to cut the shuffled deck. -------------------------------------------------------- BET? Rotate the hand controller right to change the units digit (number on the right). Rotate the hand controller left to change the 10's digit (number on the left). Push hand controller down to place your bet. -------------------------------------------------------- HIT? Push the hand controller down to take another card. Pull the hand controller up to stay. Rotate the hand controller left or right to double (only if you have 2 cards). -------------------------------------------------------- Symbols Used in Video Blackjack -------------------------------------------------------- --- Bet placed or stand M? Mode change W Won the hand L Lost the hand T Tied -- same as dealer B Busted -- over 21 X You have doubled + You got a blackjack Note: To get the M? on the screen, push button 2 while the CUT? or BET? messages appear on the screen. -------------------------------------------------------- Winning and Losing. After both players are finished, the dealer's hidden card is turned over. If both players have busted or have blackjack, the hand is over. If not, the dealer must take cards until his point total is over 16. The dealer must hit on a soft 17 and stay on a hard 17. After the dealer has taken enough cards, a comparison is made of the point total of the dealer's hand and the players that stood. Winners get a W by their bet, losers get an L and tied players get a T. The totals are then adjusted. Notice that if a player busted earlier and then later the dealer busts, the player still loses. If you go broke, you are out of the game (see Borrowing from the House). After the totals are adjusted, the hand is over. A CUT? message may appear if the deck needs to be shuffled before the next hand. The BET? message will be displayed and you can begin placing bets for the next hand. For the benefit of us who add slow or don't trust the dealer, the old cards will not be picked up until after the new betting session is over. Entering and Leaving the Game. During the betting session, or while the CUT? message is being displayed, a player may leave or enter the game. The dealer will proceed to play the next hand with the remaining player only. If you would like to re-enter the game with a new stake of 0100, press the MODE button (button 2) during a betting session or when the CUT? message is being displayed. An M? will appear on the screen and you can re-enter players as explained in the section Entering and Leaving the Game. The player who went broke will be reinstated with a new stake of 0100. The other player's total will not be affected. Shuffling the Cards. The Video Blackjack dealer uses a truly random deck of 52 cards with 13 sets of 4 cards each -- Ace through King. The dealer will reshuffle the cards and ask for a CUT? if he senses there are 16 or less cards left to deal. You can force the dealer to shuffle any time during a betting session by pressing the MODE button (button 2). After an M? appears on the screen, select the left player, both players, right player options explained in the section Entering and Leaving the Game. The CUT? message will then appear indicating that the dealer is now reshuffling the cards. Pulling up on either hand controller stops the shuffle and the game proceeds with a newly shuffled deck. Neither your point total nor your bet is affected when you force the dealer to reshuffle. Have Fun If you have any questions about this Videocart(TM)* cartridge or your Video Entertainment System, call the Toll Free numbers on the back of your console instruction booklet. Other exciting Videocart(TM)* cartridges are available from Fairchild Consumer Products. See them at your Fairchild dealer's or, for more information, write: Fairchild Consumer Products 4001 Miranda Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94304 *VIDEOCART is a trademark of Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation Copyright (C)1976 Printed in U.S.A.