Section 3: Setup & Deal
Player positions and wagers
Schedule 2, section 7 ordinarily permits only one player to control each betting box. Under section 8, however, a casino operator may allow as many as three players to place blackjack wagers on one box.
When several players wager on one box, Schedule 2, section 9 requires the dealer to designate the controlling player. Only that player makes decisions about cards dealt to the box, while the other wagers are positioned immediately behind the controlling wager in a straight line.
Schedule 2, section 10 permits a casino operator to allow one player to wager on more than one box, subject to surrendering boxes to accommodate other players. The player must make at least the table minimum wager on every hand played.
Schedule 2, section 14(1) requires every participating player to make an original wager against the dealer before the first card of the round is dealt. Section 18 requires every wager to remain between the displayed table minimum and maximum.
Under Schedule 2, section 16, a player must not handle, remove, or alter the original wager after the first card has been exposed. Confirmed insurance, double-down, and split wagers likewise remain untouched until their outcomes have taken effect.
Initial deal
Schedule 2, section 21(1) requires the dealer to begin on the dealer’s left and proceed around the table. One face-up card is dealt to every box containing an original wager, followed by one face-up card to the dealer and then a second face-up card to each active player box.
Under Schedule 2, section 21(2), each player therefore begins with two face-up cards while the dealer initially has one face-up card. The dealer’s second card is not dealt until all players have completed their decisions, as required by section 21(5).
Schedule 2, section 21(2) requires the dealer to announce each player’s point total after the initial cards have been dealt. Beginning from the dealer’s left, each player then indicates whether to double down, split, stand, or draw.
Schedule 2, section 21(3) requires an additional wager to signal a double down or split. A player communicates a stand or draw decision by hand signal.
Schedule 2, section 11 prohibits players and spectators from handling, removing, or altering cards used in the game. Cards remain under the dealer’s control throughout the round.