Stravaganza is a card game, played with 5 decks. The object of the game is to have a point total higher than the dealer. Card values are similar to Blackjack: number cards count at face value, picture cards are worth 10 points, and the Ace is worth 1 point. However, unlike Blackjack, you cannot bust. The more points you have, the better.

To play the game:

• Click on chips to increase your bet. Every click on a chip increases your bet by the chip value, and every right-click decreases the bet. Your bet will appear on the table, in the area marked PLAY.
• Click the Deal button. You will be dealt two cards face up, and the dealer will be dealt three cards face down.
• Depending on your point total, you have the following options:
  • Money back – get your full bet back, and end the round. You can do this if your point total is 5 or less.
  • Rescue bet – get half of your bet back, and end the round. You can do this if your point total is between 6 and 9.
  • Sit – keep playing with two cards and your original bet. You can do this if your point total is 10 or more.
  • Play on – place a second bet (same size as the first), get a third card, and keep playing. You can always do this.
• The dealer reveals his hand.
  • If the dealer’s point total is higher than yours, you lose both bets.
  • If your point total is higher than the dealer’s, you win 1:1 on both bets.
  • If the dealer’s hand includes a red ace as the first card, you lose your first bet. If you’ve placed a second bet, you get that back. The point totals are irrelevant.
  • If the dealer’s hand includes a red ace as the second or third card, you lose both bets. This overrides the previous rule.The point totals are irrelevant.
    
• Please note that you will need an additional bet to Play On. If your balance does not have enough money to place this bet, the button will be disabled.
• If you want to play another round, press New Game. Then place a bet as described above and click the Deal button, or click Rebet to place the same bet as in the previous round.

Bonus payouts:

It is possible to get a bonus win on your three-card hand. Please note that bonus wins pay only on your first bet, although you have to Play On and place the second bet to get a third card!

• If your hand makes up Three of a Kind (three cards of the same rank), you get a payout of 3x the Play bet.
• If your hand contains three face cards (of any rank), you get a payout of 1.5x the Play bet.

  Progressive Jackpot Side Bet:
  In this game, you have the option of making an additional bet to try and win a jackpot. Click on the coin slit above the bet areas to place the side bet. The blinking light above the slit will turn green. The cost of the side bet is $1 (or equivalent in your currency), out of which a certain percentage goes to the progressive jackpot pool. If you get a winning card combination as described in the Progressive paytable, you get an additional payout. The highest progressive payout is the progressive jackpot and is won upon receiving 3 Kings of Hearts. Progressive wins are awarded at the end of the game round.

  The Progressive paytable is displayed when you click on Show Paytable on the left side of the screen, just under the ticker that shows the current size of the jackpot.

  Jackpot

  One of the possible wins in this game is the progressive Jackpot. A small percentage of each bet, by every person playing this game in each of many online casinos, is added to a common pot. When a player gets the right result, that player wins the entire Jackpot (in some games you can also win part of it).

  After a Jackpot has been won, a new pot is started, with the casinos contributing a base amount of money (called a seed). This ensures that even if you get a Jackpot result in a game right after someone else has won the Jackpot, you will still get a large win.

  Each game has its own Jackpot, built up by all the casinos that offer the game.

  Please note:

  • In some games you have to make a specific bet to be eligible for the Jackpot.
  • If you get disconnected in the middle of a game round, your game does not change the value of the Jackpot. The state of the game up to that point is remembered by the casino; the next time you log in you can finish your game round with the same odds and without placing a new bet.
  • If a Jackpot is being discontinued (a game is closed and removed from the casino client), you will be notified of it by the casino.

  The Jackpot for this game works like this:

  Seed (how much money the Jackpot starts out with):	10 000 x your jackpot bet size.
  Contribution rate (what percentage of each bet goes into the Jackpot):	15%
  Win condition (the result you have to get to win the Jackpot):	3 Kings of Hearts in the player’s hand.
  Win requirements (what you need to do to be eligible for the Jackpot):	Place the jackpot bet.

  Buttons:

  Deal	Deal the cards.
  Money back	Get your first bet back. This is possible if you have 5 points or less.
  Rescue bet	Get half of your first bet back. This is possible if you have 6 – 9 points.
  Sit	Keep playing with your two cards. This is possible if you have 10 points or more.
  Play On	Place a second bet, the same size as your first bet, and get a third card. Then play against the dealer’s hand.
  New Game	Start a new game round.
  Rebet	Place the same bet as in the previous round and deal the cards.

Chat

The lower edge of the game window holds the casino toolbar. It contains the following:

• Current balance

Your account balance. This is the money you can use to play the casino games.

• Cashier

Clicking this button opens the Cashier window, where you can make deposits and withdrawals, see your transaction history, etc.

• Play for Real Money

This button appears only in Fun or Offline Mode. Clicking it will take you to the Real Money account creation page. If you already have a Real Money account, it will take you to the Play for Real Money login screen.

• Chat

Clicking this button will activate the black strip to the left of it, turning it into a text box. Enter a message and click Chat again. A separate chat window will open. Please note: You can only talk to other players in multiplayer games.

• Menu

Three popular functions are united under the Menu. Clicking History (unavailable in Offline mode) will open the game history window, where you can see the details of recent game rounds.
Options allows you to change audio quality and various gameplay settings, and Help opens the help article that you are reading right now.
Online Support lets you contact a customer support specialist, if one is online.

• Close/Lobby

Clicking this button closes the game window and takes you back to the Lobby. If you have Multiwindow support enabled (games are opened in new windows), the button will say Close. If Multiwindow support is disabled (games are opened in the same window as the Lobby), the button will say Lobby. You can enable or disable this feature in the Options window.

Shortcut keys

If you wish, you can press the following keys on your keyboard instead of clicking the buttons on the screen.

Note on large wins: Winning amounts of $10,000 or more are considered large wins. Large wins need to be verified by a live operator.

Note on disconnections: If you are disconnected from the Internet in the middle of a game while playing for Real Money, please re-establish your Internet connection and log back into the casino. You will be automatically directed to the game that was interrupted so you can continue playing.

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