Blackjack was one of the nine launch titles available when the Atari 2600 went on sale in September 1977. As the name suggests, it’s a simulation of the card game blackjack. I figure most people would know how to play the game, but here’s a quick summary for anyone that doesn’t:
Each player firstly decides how much they want to bet on the upcoming hand. There is usually a minimum and maximum amount that can be betted. The dealer then deals out two cards to each player and himself/herself. One of the dealer’s cards is face down, whereas all player cards are face up. This means the dealer can see what you have, but you can only see one of the cards the dealer has. The aim is the get as close to 21 as you can without going over it, with the ultimate goal being that you get closer than the dealer (the other players don’t effect the result of your bet). Jacks, Queens and Kings are worth 10 each, while an Ace can represent either a 1 or an 11, depending on your needs at the time. The highest you can get from the original two cards you’ve been dealt is 21 (an Ace and another card of value 10). This is called blackjack, and it’s an instant win if the dealer can’t match it. Any other total, and you will need to decide whether to “hit” to get another card, or to “stay”, at which point your total is set for the remainder of the hand. Once everyone has “stayed” (or gone “bust” by going over 21), the dealer reveals his second card. If the dealer doesn’t have at least 17, they will continue to “hit” until they reach it or go bust. As soon as their cards total 17 or more, the dealer must “stay”. At some point during this process, each player will either win or lose their bet.
Casino rules you say? I don’t think so!
Image Credit: Original box via Atari Age
The Atari 2600 Blackjack video game was programmed by Bob Whitehead, an important figure in the gaming industry as a whole. He not only played a pioneering role in expanding the capability of the VCS technology, he was also a co-founder of two big industry players, being Activision (along with Alan Miller, David Crane, Jim Levy and Larry Kaplan) and Accolade (along with Alan Miller). Some of the other games that Whitehead programmed for the 2600 were Star Ship, Video Chess (which many programmers thought would be impossible to achieve on the platform) and Stampede. He also made what is considered the first sequel to be released on the console, with Casino following Blackjack in 1978.
Bob Whitehead: I’m yet to come across anyone involved in seventies gaming that didn’t have a huge beard / moustache.
Image Credit: Giant Bomb
From top to bottom the game displays a) the dealer’s cards, b) my money balance, c) the amount I’ve bet on this hand, d) my options (and the word bust if that’s how things end up), and finally e) the cards currently in my hand.
The game does a decent enough job of simulating blackjack I guess, but there are some flaws that bring it down considerably. The biggest issue is that the rules of the game have been changed in favour of the dealer (aka the computer opponent), so much so that it’s pretty much impossible to have any medium to long term success. In a real casino, if the player ties with the dealer, their bet is returned to them. Not so in this game, which I believe gives the house an increased advantage of 10% (the game is already swayed in the dealer’s favour, so that’s significant). This rule variation makes it entirely possible to get a blackjack and still lose your money! The second flaw I noticed was more of an irritation than a game breaker. I wanted to keep betting 25 each hand (the maximum), but found myself having to manually adjust it nearly every time. I’ve since discovered that this is indeed a bug, and that what’s actually happening is that the game is behind the scenes adjusting the amount based on your movements during the prior hand. For example, if I bet 25, then turn my paddle controller knob a few times to “hit” and “stay” over the course of my hand, unbeknownst to me, the betting amount for the next hand is being adjusted based on my movements. Check out my video below to witness a) how bad at blackjack I am and b) how the game plays. This game continued on for fifteen minutes until I finally ran out of money, but I never reached 300.
An ad for Blackjack in an early Atari catalogue.
Image Credit: Atari Age
Here’s a video I made of the game. The music is a snippet from Klaus Schulze’s Crystal Lake, also released in 1977. Note how similar the in-game music from Mass Effect is. It has to have been an influence.
The Blackjack (1977) RetroCard has now been added to the RetroCard Shop. It’s a rare card, so therefore costs 60 smacks and has a limited release of 20.
Featured Image Credit: Original box via Atari Age
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