Variants of blackjack game
As the game is now so popular worldwide, casinos have chosen to adopt a set of playing rules that can be commonly applied everywhere. If one wishes to play blackjack seriously, it would be wise to investigate individual casino rule variations.
European
European blackjack is normally played with only two packs of cards, does not offer surrender and only permits doubling on hands of 9, 10 or 11.
While you can split your cards, you will not be permitted to re-split them and nor can you double down on cards that have already been split.
Like charity casinos, most European do not permit the dealer to draw their hole card until all players are either bust or have opted to stand.
If a dealer ends up with a Blackjack, this means the remaining players will lose their original bet as well as any split wagers they may have placed.
At the few Las Vegas casinos that operate with this policy, if the dealer gets a 21, the player would keep any split wagers and lose only their original bet. Online casinos vary in their application of this rule, but the chances are that you would lose the bet.
Las Vegas Strip
Las Vegas Strip variant is a very popular and shares many of the same rules.
Gameplay is almost the same but with a few important variations. After the initial decision on what to do with your hand is made, it plays just like every other form of blackjack out there. However, the early hand decisions determine if you will make a profit or if you will just bleed away money.
First, like most forms of poker, the dealer deals all the player cards face up, and the dealer's hand adds one card down and one up. He immediately checks his hand for blackjack. If he has 21, the round is over. If not, the play continues.
You have three options on what to do with your hand. You can play it normally and take another card, you can double down and take one more card, or you can split your hand and play multiple hands at the same time. Any hand is eligible to double down but unlike many other forms of poker, you can only split a hand that contains a card with a value of 10. For example, if your hand contained a queen and jack, you could split this hand.
You can only split your hand a maximum of 3 times, which gives you a total of four simultaneous hands. If you split a hand with an ace, you can only take one extra card for that hand. If you split a hand with an ace in it, you cannot split it again. As you may have noticed, splitting hands is very common.
After the initial action is made, Las Vegas Strip blackjack plays just like any other form. The object is to get as close to 21 as possible without going over. If the dealer has 21, he wins. If an outcome is a tie, the bet is returned to the player. The dealer will continue to hit their hand until they reach 17. If the dealer holds card that is an ace, you can buy insurance, which can minimise your loss if he does have 21, if you double down or split your hand, you lose your insurance money.
Since this variation is played with a reasonable amount of decks in the shoe, card counting strategies can become quite profitable. Unlike Super Fun 21, the deck is not shuffled every hand, so if you can keep a count going in your head, you can turn quite a large profit. Even if you don't follow any of these kinds of strategies, you still have a pretty good chance of coming out ahead when playing it. The house edge is so small that all it takes is a simple edge and the odds are in your favour to win. Formulate a basic strategy, stick to it, and you will win a lot of money.
Progressive
Are you looking to add a slightly more excitement to your game?
Do you want to increase your winnings without increasing your play time? If so, don't hesitate and consider playing progressive blackjack!
It is played the same way as traditional one, but there is a side bet for each hand. If you receive one of the predetermined hand combinations for the progressive jackpot, you win your side bet! Aside from the side bet, each round is played just like a normal round.
To play, you place your standard bet, along with an extra bet in the jackpot circle. The dealer deals the cards just like in a regular game. This is where the fun begins.
Winning hand combinations include anything from your first card to your final hand. For example, if your first card is an 8, you might double your jackpot bet. If your hand contains two eights of the same suit, you may win ten times your bet. If your winning hand had three sevens, you might win the whole jackpot.
It is a great way to add more excitement and escalate your winnings!
Super Fun 21
If you love playing regular variant, but sometimes you are getting a little bored of the monotony of it, maybe you should consider playing Super Fun 21 which is an up and coming fast-paced variation that promises many thrills.
If you know how to play any of the other variations, you will find Super Fun 21 easy to learn. If you don't know the rules to the regular game, learn those first, as it will be almost impossible to learn this one effectively, as it is based heavily on the traditional.
A round starts off just like any other game. Each player makes a bet and is subsequently dealt two cards, face up. The dealer also gets dealt cards but one of his is face down. He immediately checks to see if he has 21. If he does, the round is over. If he doesn't, play continues.
It has many of the same early play rules that other forms of blackjack have. If your hand contains a card with a value of 10, you can split your hand. The cards don't have to match. You can split your hand three times, resulting in 4 different hands being played at the same time. Also, aces can be re-split, or split again after an initial split. This is contrary to most other variations.
If you get six cards and have still not achieved a value of 21 or higher, you automatically win. If you get 21 with a five-card combination, your payout will be doubled. If you get a blackjack and your hand is made up of only diamonds, your payout is also doubled. Also, unlike in other variations, if you get 21 and the dealer also get it, you win. It is not considered a push.
That's really all there is to Super Fun 21. It is very similar to most other forms of blackjack but these slight rule variations make it a lot more exciting.
One fact that is also worth mentioning is that it is played with only one deck of cards. Unlike Pontoon or regular, which is played with multiple decks of cards, Super Fun 21 only uses one deck all the time. Now, before you go looking for a card counting strategy, remember that after every hand the deck is shuffled and counting strategies are not that useful. You may be able to get a small edge each round by counting the cards on the live blackjack table, but this will not make you a significant favourite.
Multiple action
This option allows a player to place up to three separate bets on an upcoming hand and was introduced by Atlantic City's Tropicana casino in the mid-1990s.
The player retains the same cards throughout all three of the dealer's hands. The dealer plays the same up-card against all three of the players bets but takes up a different second card for each round.
Depending on what he draws for each round, your initial hand could win all three bets, lose all three, or win or lose two out of three. In some cases, a hand may end up a tie when the player and dealer's total are identical.
Hands are played out in a typical manner and if a player goes bust they lose all three of their bets.
However, there are few small variations in the betting. You also have the option of doubling own on one, two, or all three of your bets. Therefore, if you bet three £1 chips, you could double down on say a two card hand totalling 11 and place additional red chips next to one, two or all three of the original chips.
You can also split cards if you are dealt two identical but in to do so you must double all three of your original bets. When the dealer up card is an ace you can make the insurance bet on one, two, or all three of your original bets.
This variation can often give counters a significant advantage.
Double Exposure
Double exposure was introduced by Bob Stupak's Vegas World Casino in Las Vegas and can still be found in varying forms today. It is another variation where the rules are the same as in regular one except that both dealer cards are exposed in the initial round of dealing.
Pontoon
It is very similar to normal blackjack, but variations in the amount of decks included in the shoe, and the dealers face down cards, make online pontoon an exciting variation to play. Also, different terminology, like twist, stick and pontoon make this a fun game to play.
No house
This variation is usually played from home. It has no fixed dealer and "no house" to eat up a share of the spoils. Rule variations are:
The dealer wins all pushes.
Blackjacks pay 2 to 1.
Insurance is not available.
Splitting and doubling are allowed, but only one card on split Aces.
Any hand below or equal to 21 that consists of five cards is and automatic winner.
If a player receives a 21, they become the dealer. If a dealer gets a 21, they keep the deal. If both dealer and player get 21, the dealer keeps the deal. If two or more players receive it, the holder of the natural wins dealership.
If any player does not wish to deal the cards, they may sell the dealership to the highest bidder.
