Cards · twenty-one
Birchwood Blackjack
Twenty-one the way it's played round a kitchen table up north, with proper casino rules added: four decks, a dealer who draws on soft 17, and blackjack paying 3 to 2. Stakes run from 10 to 100 free Orly Coins, and none of it is worth anything but the fun.
- Four decks
- Dealer hits soft 17
- 10–100 OC
- Double on two cards
How to play
Closer to 21 than the dealer
Pick a stake and press Deal. You and the dealer each get two cards, and one of the dealer's stays face down. Your aim is to finish closer to 21 than the dealer without going over. Press Hit for another card, Stand to stop, or Double on your first two cards to double your stake and take exactly one more card. Once you stand, the dealer turns over the hidden card and draws to 16. The dealer also draws on a soft 17, a 17 that counts an ace as 11, and stands on a hard 17 or more.
How hands are paid
Number cards count their face value, jacks, queens and kings count 10, and an ace counts 11 unless that would take you past 21, when it counts 1. An ace with any ten-value card as your first two cards is blackjack and pays 3 to 2, so a 20 OC stake returns 50 OC. Any other winning hand pays 1 to 1.
Finish level with the dealer and it's a push: your stake comes back. If either of you starts with blackjack, the hand ends there. Going over 21 is a bust, and the hand is lost even if the dealer busts afterwards.
Coins and rounds
The shoe and the purse
Your stake leaves the purse on the deal, and doubling takes the same amount again. Results go straight back to the purse when the hand ends. The four-deck shoe is reshuffled automatically when it runs low. The refill button at the top of the table brings your purse back to 5,000 OC for nothing, whenever you're below that.
Play it gently
Blackjack hands are short, and "just one more" comes easily. If the evening is getting away from you, the responsible play page lets you set reminders or pause all four games for an hour, a day or a week.
Why birchwood
The friendliest tree in the woods
Birch bark peels like paper, and every cabin keeps a few curls of it by the stove for lighting the fire. We wrapped the table rail in it, laid cream cards on a midnight-blue felt and stamped the card backs with a small crescent moon. It's the sort of table you'd find at the back of a lodge after the dishes are done, with someone saying "deal me in" before they've even sat down.
Three quick ones
Birchwood Blackjack questions
Can I split pairs or take insurance?
Not at this table. Birchwood Blackjack keeps things simple: hit, stand, or double on your first two cards.
What if the dealer and I both have blackjack?
It's a push. Your stake is returned and the next hand starts fresh from the shoe.
Is counting cards any use here?
No, and we don't teach it. The shoe reshuffles itself whenever it runs low, and every card is a simulated random draw for entertainment only.
Fancy a change of table? Try Moonrise Reels, the Aurora Wheel or Hearthside Poker.