How to play Blackjack in RUST
Facepunch Studios debuted blackjack in their game RUST in the November 2022 update, over a year and a half after introducing poker to the Bandit Camp monument. While similarities exist, with particular emphasis on your fortune in scrap being up for grabs, blackjack is a different monster entirely. Instead of competing against other players, players will compete directly against a computerized, bowtied dealer. Let’s get into the details of how to play blackjack in RUST.
Where do you find the blackjack tables in RUST?
Unlike the static location of poker tables, finding some blackjack action is more of a journeyman proposition – meaning you will have to journey across the map to find them! With the implementation of the Lucky Caboose Casino train car type to the above-ground Train Rail Network, there are now (quite literally) gambling games on wheels.
Players wishing to try out these new tables will be required to track down and enter (at their own risk) said caboose for a chance at gaming glory.
Procedurally generated maps of size lower than 4250 will not have an above-ground rail network, ergo, will not have blackjack tables. In addition to the blackjack table, there is also a Poker Table and Slot Machines in the car.
How to start a blackjack game in RUST
Unlike poker, there isn’t a minimum number of required players to begin a game. Choose any terminal available at the table and look down at the laptop in front of you.
You must put a minimum of 5 scrap into the card game storage port to join the game. Once you’ve placed your scrap in the slot, look up towards the bowtied dealing computer and press ‘E’ to ‘Play Game.’
Once a player initiates the Play Game function, the hand will begin. You can join an ongoing game if you like, but you can’t join during an active hand. Joining is the same as starting a game, but you’ll have to wait patiently for the current hand to finish.
You can also walk away at any point so long as you don’t have an active bet on the table. If you do choose to leave a game, you will fold and forfeit any sitting bet.
Any winnings or whatever meager scraps you have left are in the pouch, but you’ll automatically put it in your inventory when you stand up to leave.
The blackjack interface in RUST
Once you sit down at a table, there are several changes to the standard RUST interface. First, you will lose access to the Global chat and enter a private cards chat for the table. Secondly, a notification band has now appeared above your health bar, alerting you that you can hold ‘Space’ to leave the table. Alternatively, the escape key will also allow for a quick exit.
The player list and your cards
You will have a list of the players on the left side of the screen. This list will show their name, current bet, and total scrap pile.
To the right, upon pressing ‘Play Game,’ a 30-second countdown timer will start. This is the actionable time that players have to get bets in before the start of the hand and cards being dealt. Players may increase or decrease their bet with the Up and Down arrow keys. Once the desired bet is locked in, players may press the B key to submit that bet, locking it in as their wager with the Dealer.
At any point during the 30-second wager placing period, players may press “M” to bet the maximum of 500 scrap, or whatever they have left, or press Space to exit the game. Players that don’t submit a bet will not be penalized but will have to wait until the next round to resume play.
The basics of blackjack in RUST
Blackjack in RUST is very close in principle to the real-world game; the object is to use any number of card combinations to possess a hand with a numerical representation closest to 21 (blackjack) without going over.
Cards 2 – 10 carry a face value consistent with their number, while any face card (jack, queen, king) is valued at 10, and the Ace is either 1 or 11, depending on how the player represents it.
Suits have no relevance in blackjack. Exceeding 21 results in BUST status, terminating further play for the player for that hand and awarding the win to the Dealer.
The Dealer
The Dealer is the only opponent of the player, being the sole target to beat. There are minor differences from the real-world game regarding this computerized bowtie bad guy.
- The Dealer must stand on 17.
- Unlike real casinos, a draw (both player and Dealer ending with the same numerical value) results in the player’s original wager being returned to them in full and the hand being a wash.
- At current, Insurance, despite being advertised on screen, does not exist.
- Blackjack’s payout at a rate of 3:2, meaning a bet of 10 scrap would result in a win of the original 10, plus an additional 2.5 (rounded down).
Your turn
You can see the options you have this turn and how long you have left to decide at the bottom right of your screen. You get 30 seconds to make a decision based on the options presented per hand.
- Space
- Hold to take your scrap and leave the table. Esc also works.
- S
- Stand-player indicates that they don’t require additional cards to achieve Blackjack or the winning hand.
- H
- Hit-player indicates that they require an additional card to improve their hand in order to win the hand. Players may ‘hit’ multiple times during a single hand, so long as their cards’ numerical values do not add up to a number higher than 21.
- P
- Split – When dealt two identical cards, players are given the option of splitting the hand. By doubling their initial bet and indicating their desire to proceed by pressing P, players then split their hand into two, each with an identical card and a freshly dealt card. These act as independent hands and payout accordingly.
- D
- Double Down – Available only directly after your first two cards are dealt, ‘doubling down’ is a process by which a player indicates they believe that they can win. They choose to double their original bet, being dealt only a single additional card afterward. This is most commonly done when dealt two original cards equalling 10 or 11, as a face card (valued at 10) or Ace (value 11) would result in a blackjack and instant win. The payout would reflect the doubling of their bet, paying out twice as much.
Uncertainty on top of Uncertainty
Gambling is a two-faced monster and should be approached with caution. You could potentially lose all of your scrap at the table, and RUST blackjack isn’t done within the confines of a safe zone like poker is.
Players may be killed while participating in this venture by other players. Be mindful of your surroundings; remember, it’s just a game. Build a turret fortress by the tracks and pull the caboose car right in front of your house for greater odds of making it home alive! The better you know how to play blackjack in RUST, the more likely you’ll make the best use of your time at the tables!
