[Image]Ken_Uston[Image] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ColecoVision Cartridge Instructions for Ken Uston Blackjack/Poker by Coleco ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ KEN USTON "Mr. Blackjack" Ken Uston gave up his position as Senior Vice President of the Pacific Stock Exchange and went off to beat the casinos of the world. Once, he made $27,000 at a Vegas table in less than an hour. GAME DESCRIPTION Bring the excitement of a casino night to your own home with KEN USTON BLACKJACK/POKER. In BLACKJACK, pit your card skills against Max, the casino dealer. A special HELP feature allows you to call for assistance. In POKER, play one-on-one Five-Card Stud. But don't let Max's poker face fool you. Who knows what's in the cards? GETTING READY TO PLAY Make sure the COLECOVISION console is connected to your TV Make sure power supply is plugged into the console. Then plug power supply into a 110/120 volt AC outlet. TV should be on and tuned to same channel as the Channel Select switch on the console. ALWAYS MAKE SURE COLECOVISION UNIT IS OFF BEFORE INSERTING OR REMOVING A CARTRIDGE. Turn Off/On switch to On after cartridge has been inserted. USING YOUR CONTROLLERS Before playing BLACKJACK, insert the overlays as shown above. Store overlay in space provided in rear of your COLECOVISION Game Cartridge when not in use. Number of Players In a one-player game, the player uses the hand controller from Port One. In two-player games, the first player uses the controller from Port One. The second player uses the controller from Port Two. In three- or four-player games, the Port One hand controller is used for Players A and B and passed from player to player. The Port Two hand controller is used for Players C and D and passed from player to player. Player A plays first, then Player B, and so forth. HERE'S HOW TO PLAY Choose a Game Option. After inserting the cartridge, turn the On/Off switch to On. The Title screen will appear on your TV After a moment, the Game Option screen appears. Choose whether you want to play Blackjack or Poker by pressing Keypad Button 1 or 2. From the next screen, choose the number of players by pressing Keypad Button 1, 2, 3 or 4. To play Blackjack, follow the BLACKJACK instructions. To play Five-Card Stud Poker, turn to the POKER instructions in this booklet. ColecoVision Home Casino Blackjack Rules The object is to get a hand that's closer to 21 than Max's hand. Be careful, though. If your total goes over 21, you lose! Decks: Max uses four decks of cards. His cards are shown in the upper-left corner of your screen. Max can deal himself as many as seven cards. Cards: All number cards are counted at their face value. Aces are counted either as a 1 or as an 11, whichever suits your advantage. Face cards (Kings, Queens and Jacks) count as 1O's. Shuffling: Max shuffles the deck of cards together before game play begins and again when Max has gone through half the cards. Betting Limits: The house rules set the limits for Blackjack at a minimum bet of $1 and a maximum of $499. Natural Blackjacks: Get 21 with just two cards--an Ace and a face card or a 10-- and you win at 3:2 odds. Never good with loose change, Max rounds the payoff up to the next highest dollar figure if your bet was an odd number Hits: Max's question "HIT?" asks if you want another card. You can get as many as three new cards per hand . Better timid than bold though--if any card puts you over 21, you bust! Busts: If you get more than 21, you lose and are out of your wager! Ties: If you and the dealer have the same total, you tie and it's a "push!" Neither of you wins. Your bet is returned to you, and a new hand is started. Doubling-Down: You can double your bet after looking at your first two cards. You then receive just one additional card. Splitting: If your first two cards are a pair or both equal to 10, you can split; then each card in the pair will be treated as a separate hand. You play the first hand to completion before you play the second hand. You may split only once on any hand. If you are splitting a pair of Aces, you get only one more card on each. Insurance: If the dealer has an Ace showing, you can make a side bet, equal to half your present wager, that Max has Blackjack. If the dealer gets Blackjack, you get paid double your side bet and the dealer pays you your original wager If he doesn't get Blackjack, you lose the insurance bet. Five-Card Charlie: As in some casinos abroad and certain regional and promotional Vegas games, ColecoVision's Home Casino pays to Five-Card Charlie-- when you have five cards and are still under 21. How to Use the Keypad for BLACKJACK 1. Keypad: The keypad allows you to select a pot, take or refuse cards or return to the Game Option screen. HIT: If you want another card, press the HIT (4) or YES (1) button. STAND: If you don't want another card, press STAND (6) or NO (3). DOUBLE: After looking at your first cards, you might decide to double your bet. Press the DOUBLE (7)button to receive one more card. TOTAL: If you want to see what your hand adds up to, press TOTAL (5). The sum total appears beneath your cards. HELP: Unsure of your gambler's instinct? Press HELP (8) for assistance on when to HIT SPLIT DOUBLE or STAND. Suggestions appear in the screen's upper-right corner SPLIT: If you have a pair and you want to play it as two hands, press the SPLIT (9) button. ENTER: Enter a bet by pressing ENTER (*). CLEAR: Clear a bet by pressing CLEAR (#). BETS: Make bets by pressing the numbered buttons on the keypad and then pressing ENTER (*). The game ends when all players go bankrupt. Pressing * after a game allows you to replay the same Game Option with the same pot. Pressing # after a game allows you to return to the Game Option screen. 2. Control Stick and Side Buttons: The Control Stick and Side Buttons are not used for game play. Step-by-step Instructions for Blackjack STEP 1: Getting started. Enter your pot (up to five digits) by pressing the corresponding numbers on the keypad. Then press ENTER (*). If you are playing with other people, each enters a pot after the previous player has finished. STEP 2. Place your bets. Max calls for bets. When your player letter flashes, respond by using the numbers on the keypad. Stay within house limits when betting ($1--$499). STEP 3: Deal'em. Max deals out two cards to every player and to himself. STEP 4: Covering your bets? If Max has an Ace showing, he asks "INSURANCE?" Think carefully, then answer by pressing YES (1) or NO (3). If you press YES (1) and Max gets Black jack, you can still win your bet. STEP 5: Know your odds. Now it's time to try for 21! The first player's letter (A) flashes and Max asks "HIT?" Answer him by pressing keys on your controller (see Using Your Controllers for Blackjack). STEP 6: Bad debts. Max won't let you bet more money than you have and won't allow you to split or double if you can't cover the wager STEP 7: Are you in? After the first player finishes, the next player's letter flashes. When all players are finished, Max plays. House rules are that he must stand pat at 17 (or better), but he must take a hit on 16(or less).At the close of Max's hand, he settles all bets. The fun continues until the players run out of money to wager. NOTE: If a player reaches 21 points in three or more cards, Max deals no more cards to that player. Players are protected from busting on exactly 21 points. ColecoVision Home Casino Poker Rules The name of the game is Five-Card Stud, a variation of poker in which each player plays against the dealer. You play just as if you were playing against the electronic poker machines in Las Vegas. To win, your hand must beat Max the dealer's. In games for two or more players, each plays against Max. Max deals one card down from a single deck of 52 cards for each player. He deals the next one up and the betting begins. House rules set the limits for poker bets. The ante for cards must be between $1 and $100. Ante carefully! Later bets can never be more than twice your ante. Each player bets in turn until all the players have either bet or folded. Then Max deals a new round. The betting continues until the remaining players have five cards, four up and one down. Max then "sees" each player's hand and pays those players whose hands beat his own. Types of Hands Poker hands, in order from highest to lowest, are as follows: 1. ROYAL FLUSH: Ten, Jack, Queen, King, Ace in any one suit. 2. STRAIGHT FLUSH: Five cards in order of the same suit, but not as high as a Royal Flush . 3. FOUR OF A KIND: Four like cards. 4. FULL HOUSE: Three cards of one kind and two of another kind. 5. FLUSH: Five cards of one suit. 6. STRAIGHT: Five cards in sequence of any suits. 7. THREE OF A KIND: Three like cards. 8. TWO PAIR: Two cards of one kind and two of another. 9. PAIR: Two cards of the same kind 10. HIGH CARD: The single highest card on the table. Cards rank, highest to lowest as follows: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9,8, 7,6, 5, 4, 3, and 2. How to Use the Keypad for Poker Keypad: The keypad allows you to select a Game Option before beginning to play. Use the Keypad Buttons to answer Max's questions and to enter your bets. YES: If you get nervous and want to drop out of the hand, press YES(1) when Max asks "FOLD?" NO: Be sure to answer Max's question "FOLD?" with a NO (3) before you enter your bet. Otherwise, you lose your cards. ENTER: Press ENTER (*) to enter your bet. CLEAR: Press CLEAR (#) to clear your bet HOLE: Vegas stakes got you rattled? Press HOLE (0) to get a peek at what you have. After looking at your down card, plan your strategy. BETS: Make bets by pressing the numbered buttons on the keypad and then pressing ENTER (*). The game ends when all players go bankrupt. Pressing * after a game allows you to replay the same Game Option with the same pot. Pressing # after a game allows you to return to the Game Option screen. 2. Control Stick and Side Buttons: The Control Stick and Side Buttons are not used for game play. Step-by-Step Instructions for Poker STEP 1: Setting up. For your night of casino poker, enter your pot and place your bets. Enter your pot (up to five digits) by pressing the corresponding numbers on the keypad. Press ENTER (*) when you finish. Each player enters a pot after the previous player has finished. STEP 2: Gamble on your down card. To get your cards, ante $1--$100. Then, Max deals your first card face down. Your second card is face up. Check your down card by pressing HOLE (0) on your keypad. Remember, you can't check your cards if it's not your bet. STEP 3: Stay or fold? Max asks you "FOLD?" If you're not pleased with the deal, press YES (1) to get out of the hand. If you're the gambling sort, answer Max with a snappy NO (3). (Remember, once you bet, you cannot check your down card again during the round.) Max now asks "BET?'' (You can bet from $1 to two times your ante.) Press ENTER (*) to enter your bet. Max turns to the next player STEP 4: Deal 'em again. Once every player has had a chance to bet, Max deals a new round. He turns to Player A to start. "FOLD?" Max asks. STEP 5: Want to bet? You play against Max and not the other players. Think you have Max's hand beat? Better increase your bet (but not more than double your ante). When all hands have been played, Max shows his cards. Any hand better than the dealer's is paid off according to house odds. Type of Hand Payoff Probabilities 1. High Card(No Pair) 1:1 1:1 2. Pair 1:1 1:1 3. Two Pairs 2:1 20:1 4. Three of a Kind 3:1 46:1 5. Straight 5:1 253:1 6. Flush 8:1 507:1 7. Full House 10:1 693:1 8. Four of a Kind 25:1 8,323:1 9. Straight Flush 50:1 72,192:1 10. Royal Flush 250:1 649,739:1  --------------------------------------------------------------------------- This document obtained from the History of Home Video Games Homepage, ©1997 by Greg Chance