How to Play Spreadsheet Blackjack

Spreadsheet Blackjack uses standard blackjack rules. The goal is to have a hand total closer to 21 than the dealer without going over. Click [New Game] to open the settings dialog, where most rules can be configured.

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Card Values

• Number cards (2–10) are worth their face value.
• Face cards (J, Q, K) are worth 10.
• Aces are worth 11 or 1, whichever is more favorable.

Game Flow

1. Set your bet using the adjustment buttons (j/k) or by clicking the Min/−/+/Max cells on the control row.
2. Press Deal (n or Space) to receive your cards.
3. Choose an action: Hit, Stand, Double, or Split (if enabled).
4. The dealer reveals their hand and draws to 17 or higher.
5. Winners are paid, losers are collected, and a new round begins.

Configurable Options

Click [New Game] to open the settings dialog. All options below can be changed before starting a new session.

• Decks: 1–12 decks in the shoe. Shoe reshuffles when less than 30% remains.
• Split: Toggle splitting pairs on/off. When off, DAS and split-related options are disabled.
• Double: Toggle double down on/off.
• DAS: Double After Split — toggle doubling on split hands on/off (requires Split enabled).
• Max Split: Maximum number of split hands (2–8).
• Re-split Aces: Allow re-splitting aces after the initial split.
• Ace Split 1 Card: When splitting aces, each ace gets exactly one card and automatically stands.
• Double Down Madness: See variant rules below. Enabling DDM disables split/double toggles (DDM has its own rules).

Actions

• Hit (a or Space) — Take another card.
• Stand (s or Enter) — Keep your current hand.
• Double (d) — Double your bet and receive exactly one more card. (May be restricted by settings or DDM rules.)
• Split (p) — If your first two cards are of equal value, split them into two separate hands. May be limited by max split hands, re-split aces, and ace one-card-only settings.

Dealer Rules

• Dealer hits on soft 17.
• Dealer stands on 17 or higher (hard or soft 18+).
• Dealer does not check for blackjack until after all player actions are complete (standard mode). In DDM mode, the dealer peeks for blackjack immediately.

Payouts

• Blackjack: 3:2 (natural 21 on first two cards in standard mode; 2-card 21 in DDM mode).
• Win: 1:1 (even money).
• Push: Bet returned, no win or loss.
• Loss: Bet is forfeited.

Double Down Madness (DDM) Variant

DDM is a blackjack variant that can be enabled in the settings dialog. It changes several core rules:

• One-card deal: The player starts with 1 card instead of 2.
• Double at any time: Double down with no card-count restriction — even on your first (and only) card.
• Hit after double: After doubling, you may continue to hit (you are not forced to stand).
• Ace first-card rule: If your first card is an ace, you receive one card on hit/double and must stand.
• No split: Splitting is not available in DDM mode.
• Dealer peeks for BJ: The dealer checks for blackjack immediately after dealing. If the dealer has BJ, the player loses their bet.
• Push on 22: If the dealer ends with a total of exactly 22, all non-busted wagers push (except player blackjacks, which are paid at 3:2).
• Blackjack pays 3:2: If the player reaches 21 with exactly 2 cards (starting from 1 card, hitting/doubling to 21), it pays 3:2.

Card Counting Training

Select a counting system from the [New Game] dialog to train your card counting skills during play. Seven systems are supported plus “None” to disable:

¶ Red 7 counts black sevens as 0 and red sevens (hearts, diamonds) as +1.

• Running Count (RC) — Displayed on the info row during play. Persists across rounds; resets on reshuffle or new game.
• True Count (TC) — RC divided by estimated decks remaining. Shown for balanced systems; unbalanced systems show “TC --”.
• Count Hint (i) — Press i during your turn to see an RC/TC summary with bet and insurance advice. Auto-clears on your next action.
• Starting Count — Balanced systems start at 0. Unbalanced systems (KO: 4 − 4×decks; Red 7: −2×decks) adjust the IRC to track the shoe without TC conversion.
• Insurance — The hint suggests insurance when TC ≥ +3 (balanced) or the equivalent running count threshold (unbalanced).

Card counting cheat sheet (download)

Want the tables offline? Download the free card counting cheat sheet (.xlsx) — a real spreadsheet with all seven systems’ count values, starting counts, bet guidance, and a built-in running count drill you can recalculate for endless reps. Learn the values from the sheet, then practice them in the game.

Keyboard Controls

• Arrow keys — Navigate the grid.
• Space — Activate cell / Hit.
• Enter — Stand.
• a — Hit.
• s — Stand.
• d — Double Down.
• p — Split.
• i — Count hint (see Card Counting Training above).
• n — Deal / New round.
• j — Bet down.
• k — Bet up.
• h — Boss key (hide the game; also auto-hides on tab switch with a disguised tab title).
• Tab — Cycle through interactive cells.
• c — Toggle the help and settings panel.

Touch Controls

• Tap — Activate a cell (same as Space).
• Double-tap — Stand.
• Long press — Stand.
• Skinny columns — On phones and other touch devices the gameplay area (columns A–M) auto-fills the screen in portrait or landscape; the empty right columns are hidden. Tap targets stay the same cells as desktop.
• Streamlined cells — On touch devices the keyboard-shortcut prefixes are dropped from the action cells (e.g. Hit, Deal, New instead of [a]Hit, [n]Deal, [n]New). The help and settings panel stays visible: it floats over the sheet below the game instead of occupying grid cells, so it costs no board room. Tap a cell to play, and press c on a virtual keyboard to hide or show the panel.

Basic Strategy Reference

These charts apply to the default rules: dealer hits on soft 17, 6 decks, double after split allowed, no surrender, no insurance. Adjust your play if you change the settings.

Hard Totals

S = Stand   H = Hit   D = Double

Soft Totals

S = Stand   H = Hit   D = Double

Pairs

P = Split   S = Stand   H = Hit   D = Double

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