Stravaganza is a card game. The game is played with five decks of cards. The object of the game is simple - have a point total higher than the dealer at the end of the game.

Stravaganza is a card game. The game is played with five decks of cards. The object of the game is simple - have a point total higher than the dealer at the end of the game. Card values are similar to Blackjack: number cards count at face value, picture cards are worth 10 points, and the Ace is worth one point. The main difference to Blackjack however is that you can't bust. Simply put - The more points you have, the better.

To play the game:

• Click on chips to increase your bet. Every time you click on a chip it increases your bet by the value of the chip clicked. Every right-click will decrease the bet. Your bet will appear on the table, in the area marked PLAY.

• Click the Deal button when you are ready for the dealer to deal the hands. You will be dealt two cards face up. The dealer will be dealt three cards face down.

• Depending on your point total, you will have the following options:

  • Money back - by doing this you'll get your full bet back, and end the round. You can do this if your point total is five or less.

  • Rescue bet - do this and you'll get half of your bet back, and end the round. You can do this if your point total is between six and nine.

  • Sit - choosing this option will allow you to keep playing with two cards and your original bet. You can do this if your point total is ten or more.

  • Play on - this is where you can 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.

Please note: These buttons are not included in the timer mode.

Towards the bottom of the game window you'll find the Betfair Casino toolbar. This contains the following:

• Current balance

Your account balance. The Betfair Casino keeps you u to date with the amount of money you have in your account at all times.

• Cashier

Clicking on this button opens the Cashier window. In here you can make deposits and withdrawls from your account as well as checking out your transaction history et al.

• Chat

Clicking on the chat facility will allow you to talk to others. A black strip next to the chat button will turn into a text box and in here you can type your message and to send simply press chat again. Doing this opens a new chat window.. Please note: You can only chat to other uses when you are playing multi-player games at the Betfair Casino.

• Menu

Under the Menu function you'll find three important functions of the Betfair Casino

Viewing the games history is easy. Just click on the History button (this is available in both online and offline mode) This opens a window where you can read the latest results from the game which you are currently playing.

Clicking on Options gives you several ways to enhance your Betfair Casino experience including audio setting and various gameplay settings. Help opens the help article that accompanies the game which you are reading right now.

Online Support lets you contact a Betfair Casino customer support specialist, as long as one is available.

• Close/Lobby

Clicking this button will return to the Betfair Casino Lobby and close your current gaming window. If you have Multiwindow support setup and enabled (this is where games are opened in new windows), the button will say Close. If Multiwindow support is not setup or disabled (your games are opened in the same window as the Lobby), then the button will say Lobby. You can easily enable or disable this feature in the options menu discussed in the previous paragraph.

Shortcut keys

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

Press this key	To do this
TAB	Tab between the buttons on the screen.
ENTER	Click the button that is currently highlighted.
SPACEBAR	Place your previous bet, press again to spin the wheel as well.
Number keys	Select a chip. Different number keys select different chips. The number of functioning keys depends on the chips allowed for the current player and can be subject to change.
ESC	Exit the game and go back to the lobby.

Note on large wins: If you are lucky (or skillful) enough to win more than £10,000 then this will need to be varified by a live operator as the Betfair Casino regards this as a high win.

Note on malfunctions: A malfunction voids all pays and plays.

Note on disconnections: If your internet connection fails on you and you are disconnected from the Internet in the middle of a game while playing for Real Money then don't panic. Just re-establish your Internet connection and log back into the Betfair Casino lobby. Then click History and you'll see the result of your previous round and if you've won then your winning will be added to your account.