Blackjack Games
As the most popular table game in the world, it’s no surprise that many blackjack variations have sprung up over the years. While many of these variations have come and gone, some blackjack variations have caught on and are now quite common. The blackjack games listed on this page are a few of the most popular.
American Blackjack
This is the basic form of blackjack that you’re probably the most familiar with. In American blackjack, the dealer checks for blackjack before the players make any decisions. This makes the house advantage a little lower than in European blackjack.
European Blackjack
In European blackjack, the dealer only receives one up-card at the beginning of the hand. After all the players have made their decisions, the dealer receives his hole card and checks for blackjack. This gives the house a higher advantage because it gives the players more opportunities to lose money (through doubling and splitting). In American blackjack, the players never have a chance to double or split when the dealer receives a blackjack.
Vegas Rules Blackjack
Vegas Rules blackjack is more advantageous to the player. In this form of blackjack, the casino only uses two decks and the dealer must hit on soft 17 and stand on hard 17 and higher. The players may double on any starting hand and doubles after splits are allowed. Players may re-split for up to three hands.
Blackjack Tournaments
Blackjack tournaments are a great way to play a lot of blackjack for a limited cost. In a blackjack tournament, each player pays a fixed entry fee and receives a set number of play chips in return. For example, each player might pay $50 and receive $1000 in chips.
The tournament is then played in rounds where the players try to earn as many chips as possible. The players with the most chips at the end of each round advance to the next round. This continues on until one player is declared the final winner. Prizes are then divided up among the top finishers.
Blackjack Switch
In this blackjack game, the player is dealt two hands and places one bet on each hand. At the beginning of the round, the player may switch cards between the two hands in order to give him the best possible hands. There are two catches to this great deal:
- The dealer does not bust on totals of 22; instead the bet is considered a tie and no money changes hands. This rule does not apply if the player has a blackjack. In that case, the player wins as normal.
- Blackjacks are paid at 1:1.
Despite those advantages, blackjack switch is still a great game for the player. The house advantage is lower than many other blackjack games.
Spanish 21
Spanish 21 is played with all the four 10s removed from the deck. This would normally increase the house advantage but Spanish 21 makes up for that by offering many player-friendly rules. In the end, Spanish 21 is often a better game for the player than other blackjack games.
- Blackjack pays 3:2 and always wins, even if the dealer has a blackjack
- Players may double after splitting
- Players may split for up to 4 hands in total
- Late surrender is allowed. Players may even surrender after doubling.
- The player may double down at any point in the hand, even after already hitting
- Five card 21s pay 3:2
- Six card 21s pay 2:1
- Seven card 21s pay 3:1
- A 21 made with 678 or 777 pays 3:2. If the cards are of the same suit, the payout increases to 2:1. If all three cards are spades, the payout increases even further to 3:1.
Some casinos also offer a side bet called “Match the Dealer.” This bet offers the player an additional payout if either or both of the player’s cards matches the dealer’s up-card. The payouts are increased if the suits of the player’s cards also match the dealer’s suit.
Double Exposure Blackjack
In this blackjack game, both of the dealer’s cards are dealt face up. This obviously gives the player an advantage but that is made up for with a few rules that bring the advantage back to the casino. The final casino advantage in double exposure blackjack is slightly higher than other blackjack games.
- The dealer wins on all ties except for blackjacks
- Blackjack pays 1:1
- One split is allowed
- Players may not split two different 10 cards. For example, a player may split the hand J-J but would not be able to split J-Q.
If you are interested in additional blackjack information about the general blackjack games found in most casinos, then you may want to check out one of our other blackjack pages.