This game has both a 2-player electromechanical version and a 4-player solid state version. This guide was written with a focus on the solid state version since it is much more prevalently seen on location. Differences in the electromechanical version are discussed at the end of the guide.
If the current Player Hand is greater than the current Dealer Hand: from the left flipper, shoot the right lane and saucer, and from the right flipper, transfer the ball to the left to do the same.
If the current Player Hand is NOT greater than the current Dealer Hand: from the left flipper, shoot a red or yellow standup target to change the player or dealer hand respectively, and from the right flipper, shoot the spinner to get back to the top of the table and effectively randomize the dealer hand.
If extra balls and specials are set to points, continue to shoot the right saucer when you have a winning hand to score a repeatable 50,000 points after reaching 5x bonus. Otherwise, once you get to 5x bonus, get back to the top of the table until you've completed the top lanes, then enjoy the lit spinner for 1,000 points per spin.
All top lanes score 500 points and a bonus advance, as well as increasing the Player Hand one step. Roll through a lit lane to collect that playing card suit. The Club lights the left green bumper for 100 points. The Spade does the same to the right green bumper. Collecting both the Heart and the Diamond lights the yellow bumper for 1,000 points. Unlit bumpers score 1/10 of the displayed value (10 points for green, 100 for yellow). Collecting all four suits lights the spinner for 1,000 points per spin and lights both out lanes for 50,000 points.
The top lanes and corresponding awards can be set to three difficulties: on Easy, all top lanes and awards persist throughout the game; on Medium, top lane progress is held until you complete the lanes, then reset for the next ball; on Hard, all lane progress is always reset between each ball.
Both the Player and the Dealer start with a blackjack "hand" of between 17 and 21 inclusive. The player's hand increases by 1 each time a red standup target is hit or the ball goes through a top lane. The dealer's hand increases by 1 each time a yellow standup target is hit or with each spin of the spinner. Increasing a hand that is currently at 21 will reset it to 17.
If the Player's hand beats the Dealer's, the right saucer will score the Beat the Dealer value. Try to beat the dealer as many times on a ball as possible. The first win scores 2x bonus; the second, 3x bonus; the third, 5x bonus; the fourth, extra ball; thereafter, a repeatable special.
On easy settings, the player will still be considered to have beaten the dealer if the two hand scores are tied, but on the harder (default) setting, the player's hand must be strictly greater than the dealer's to get credit for the win.
How far the Beat the Dealer sequence should be pursued is guided by how the game is set to deal with extra balls and specials. In competition/novelty play, all extra balls and specials score 50,000 points. This is the most valuable feature in the game and should be your only focus for getting a high score. In extra ball only mode, collecting an extra ball when Same Player Shoots Again is already lit (only possible by collecting the saucer extra ball and reaching a replay score in the same ball) scores 20,000 points; specials still always score 50,000. On standard settings, extra ball and special give an extra ball and a free game respectively; while you can use this feature to rack up a lot of free games, it may be best from a scoring perspective to focus on the top lanes and left spinner after reaching 5x bonus or earning the extra ball.
If the right saucer is entered when the player hand does not currently beat the dealer hand, the 5,000 points for the saucer is still scored, but nothing further. The rollover switch below the saucer also always gives its 1,000 points and bonus advance even if the player is not currently beating the dealer.
When not lit, the spinner scores 10 points per spin. Collecting all four suits from the top lanes lights the spinner for 1,000 points per spin. Also, whether lit or not, every 5th spin of the spinner scores a bonus advance. After reaching 5x bonus, the lit spinner is the strongest feature in the game if, and only if, the right saucer is not giving out 50,000 points for extra balls and specials.
Red standup targets score 500 points and a bonus advance, and increase the Player's Hand. Yellow targets score 1,000 points and increase the Dealer's Hand, but do not give a bonus advance.
Black Jack has a conventional in/out lane setup. There is no center peg or other geometry between/below the flippers. In lanes score 1,000 points and a bonus advance. Out lanes score 1,000 points when not lit, or 50,000 points when lit by collecting all four suits from the top lanes.
Bonus is advanced by any top lane, either in lane, every 5th spin of the spinner, any red standup target, the rollover switch below the right saucer, and the right saucer itself. Max base bonus is 29,000 points. Bonus multipliers are awarded in the sequence 2x-3x-5x by Beating the Dealer at the right saucer. Max bonus is 5x 29,000 = 145,000 points, which is quite a hefty sum in this game, especially if extra balls and specials are set not to give 50,000 a pop. Take care not to tilt on a good or even mediocre ball. There is no way to hold base bonus or multiplier over from ball to ball, and there is no mid-ball bonus collect.
For a game of this complexity, there are remarkably few differences between the two models of the game. Here is a list of what I could find or observe: