Blackjack Game Variations

Blackjack Variations

So you’ve been to the casinos, seen the many different variations of blackjack from classic to multi-hand games, Vegas, Atlantic City, and European versions but don’t really know what the difference is apart from the names?

Well, in short it comes down to the rules. Below we give you an overview of the most popular blackjack variations you may find online as well as how they differ from one another:

Classic

Classic Blackjack is the simplest form of the game upon which all other variants are based. The Classic version is played with one standard 52 card deck as detailed in our Rules Section as it is the starting point for playing all other games and once you’ve mastered this version you will find it very easy to pick up on the rest out there.

European

This variation carries a house edge of 0.39% and has the following rules:

Played with two standard 52 card decks
There is one bet position at the table
The dealer will stand on soft 17
One may only Double on Nine (9) and Eleven (11)
No doubling after splitting is permitted
Player may draw to split aces
No re-splitting is allowed
No surrender exists within this game
There is no hole card, this means that you lose your total bet if the dealer holds blackjack

Spanish 21

This variation is similar to the basic game in many ways, but gets its name from the deck of cards it is played with. It features some quite favourable rules but a variable house edge of between 0.40% to 0.76% depending on whether the dealer hits or stands on soft 17.

Played with 6-8, 48 card “Spanish” decks
Face cards count as 10 but no numerical 10 cards are present
Dealer may hit or stand on soft 17
You may Double on any number of cards
You may hit or double after splitting aces
Player blackjack beats dealer blackjack
Late surrender is permitted on the initial two cards

Vegas Strip

This game gets its name from its origin and the house edge is on average around 0.34% it is preferable to play Vegas Strip blackjack rather than its counterpart Vegas Downtown blackjack due to the fact that it carries a lower house edge in comparison to Downtown having a 0.38% advantage. The rules in Vegas Strip Blackjack are as follows:

Played with 4 standard 52 card decks
There is one bet position at the table
The dealer will stand on soft 17
The dealer peeks for blackjack
You may Double on any of first two cards
Doubling after splitting is allowed
Re-splitting into three hands is permitted

Atlantic City

Named after the city of its birth, Atlantic City Blackjack differs slightly from the Vegas Strip version in that it offers the late surrender option and has a slightly higher house edge of 0.35%. It is played as follows:

Played with 8 decks of standard cards
There is one bet position on the table
The dealer will stand on soft 17
The dealer peeks for blackjack
You may Double on the first two cards
Doubling after a split is permitted
Re-splitting into three hands is possible
Late surrender is allowed

Blackjack Switch

Fancy cheating a bit? Well, blackjack switch offers you a few moves that would usually be classified as cheating in a standard game by trading cards between two hands, hence the name. The rules of this game will vary from casino to casino so it is advisable to check them out first before playing, but here is a general outline of what to expect:

6-8 decks of standard playing cards
Player has 2 bets of equal size
Cards are dealt facing upwards
Player may switch cards dealt to each hand
Dealer hits on soft 17
Dealer peeks for blackjack on Ace or ten
You may Double on any 2 cards
Splitting after Doubling is permitted
Re-splitting into a maximum of 4 hands is allowed

Double Exposure

Double Exposure Blackjack carries one of the highest house edges (0.69%) and so it’s not really advisable to play this game when there are so many others to choose from, but if you just can’t help yourself, here’s how it goes:

Played with 8 decks of standard cards
Both of the dealers cards are dealt face upwards
The Dealer will hit on soft 17
The player may re-split cards into a maximum of four hands
You may only Double on hard Nine (9) to Eleven (11)
One card is dealt to split aces
A Double after splitting is permitted
The dealer wins all ties except on blackjack
Blackjack tie pays 1 to 1
All player wins, including blackjack pay 1 to 1.

Multi-Hand

Multi-hand Blackjack is most often featured at Microgaming powered casinos online and has proved to be quite popular for those who are looking for a quicker pace and more excitement (although it does get expensive and a few bad hands will eat into your bankroll quite quickly). It also has a strong house advantage of 0.63% or so, so it’s not as wise to play this as it is the standard games.

Played with 5 decks of standard cards
Features 5 bet positions on the table(Hence the name)
The dealer will stand on soft 17
You may only Double on nine (9) to eleven (11)
No doubling after splitting is allowed
No re-splitting is permitted
A Player may draw a card to split aces
No surrender option is available
No hole card exists, this means that you lose your total bet if the dealer has blackjack

Always bear in mind that blackjack is a game that requires a great deal of practice, and the more you play the better you will get!

So play at Roxy Palace or Spin Palace regularly to improve your game!