Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/6065
receive their cards as a "player hand," but rather a "dealer hand." If the player acting as dealer wins, they receive the winnings, but if they lose they must pay each other player. However the most interesting twist of No-Bust Blackjack is just that, you can't bust! Instead of the hand automatically being dead once a player goes over 21, the bet is marked as having gone over and the game resumes. If the dealer busts and has a higher hand total than the players who went over 21, then it counts as a push and the player gets the original wager back. However if the dealer busts over 21 but has a lower or even hand value than the busted player then the player loses. One final twist on California Blackjack is the introduction of the Joker card. In LA Casino Blackjack, Jokers are wild. When played in a combination with any other card the player's hand is a hard 21, and the player is not dealt any more cards. The Joker will always be considered whatever number is needed to reach 21 in combination with the player's other card. For example, if a player gets a 6 then the joker will count as 15. Now that we've established that Blackjack is legal in California, in a different form, let's move onto the game of Three Card Poker. Three Card Poker is also completely legal in California. The version played at the LA Casinos is virtually the same as the original casino staple with a few variations, most notably being one of the dealer's cards must be dealt face up, and if the dealer doesn't qualify, then the player must still beat or tie the dealer to win the ante. Other then those differences the rules are as follows. A single 52-card deck is used as is the traditional hand scoring system according to poker rules. Straight flush is the highest followed by Three of a kind and then a regular Straight. Below that is a Flush followed by a Pair and finally Ace high or less. The game begins when all players make an ante wager. The player and dealer then each receive three cards. One of the dealer's cards is dealt face up and two face down whereas the player's cards are all dealt face down, which the player may examine. The player then decides to either fold or raise. If the player folds, then he forfeits his cards and ante wager. If the player raises however, then he must make a raise wager equal to his ante wager. Once this is done the dealer turns over their cards needing at least a queen high to qualify. If the dealer does not qualify and the player's hand beats or ties the dealer's hand, then the player's ante will pay 1 to 1 and the raise will push. However if the dealer does not qualify and the dealer's hand beats the player's hand, then the player's ante and raise will push. In addition if the dealer's hand does qualify and the player's hand beats the dealer's hand, then the player's ante and raise will pay 1 to 1, but if the dealer's hand does qualify, and the dealer's hand beats the player's hand, then the player's ante and raise will be lost. Now that you're in the know you gain an edge on all those who still think they have to drive to Vegas to play Blackjack or make a trek out to the Indian Casinos for a game of Three Card Poker. With all the extra money you save on gas and traveling expenses combined with the knowledge of the games we've just given you, collecting on your bets at the LA Casinos in 2010 seems like a New Years resolution that shouldn't be hard to keep. 7 Writer>>DaNIEl albERT