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BLACKJACK

 

Introduction

Blackjack is the most popular casino table game. The game is available at nearly all online casinos. Blackjack's low house edge and acceptable variance make it an excellent choice for playing through bonuses when allowed.

 

Rules and Play

Blackjack hands are scored according to the sum of card values. For example, a hand composed of a 4, 5, and 6 is scored as 4+5+6=15. Face cards each have a value of 10. Aces can be valued as either 1 or 11, so an ace and 7 could be scored as either a 8 or a 18. The objective in blackjack is to have the highest card sum that does not exceed 21. A sum of greater than 21 is called a bust. If the player busts, he loses his bet, regardless of the dealer hand. A 2-card 21 is known as a "blackjack" and is the highest ranking hand. The player receives a bonus for having a blackjack. Blackjacks pay 3:2, while other wins pay 1:1.

After placing a bet, the player and dealer are each given two cards. One of the dealer's two cards is face up and visible to the player. Under standard rules, if the dealer has an ace or 10-point card showing, he will peek for a possible blackjack. If the dealer has an ace showing, the player has the opportunity to buy "insurance" against the blackjack. Insurance pays 2:1 if the dealer's remaining card is a 10 or face card to form a blackjack. With single-hand play, the house edge on the insurance bet of is 2-15%, depending on decks and cards played. So it is not to the player's advantage to buy insurance, excluding special situations in which the deck is known to be tens rich (multi-hand with 1-2 decks and few tens drawn, or card counting). See the insurance exceptions page for more detail. If the dealer does have a blackjack, the hand will end. If the dealer does not have a blackjack, then the player must decide how to play his hand. Possible options are listed below:

Stand -- The player can keep his cards and end the hand.

Hit -- The player can take another card. The player can continue hitting until reaching 21 or busting.

Double -- The player can double his bet and take another card. The hand ends after this 3rd card is drawn. The player is not able to hit after a double and may only double on a 2-card hand.

Split -- If the player has two cards of equal value, he can split the cards into two separate hands. The player's bet is doubled to make one bet for each of the two hands. After the split, the player is given another card in each hand to form two 2-card hands. If the player splits a pair of aces, the hand ends after the 2nd card is drawn. If the player splits any other card, he can choose to hit, stand, or double on each of the remaining hands. A 2nd split may be allowed as well (see rule variations below).

 

Side Bets

Many blackjack games offer an optional side bet, which pays if the player's hand contains a unique combination of cards. As a general rule, avoid side bets. Nearly all online blackjack side bets have a much higher house edge than standard blackjack. One of the only exceptions to this generalization is games with an abnormally high progressive jackpot. See the blackjack side bets page for a list of specific bets and the corresponding house edge.

 

Rule Variations

Blackjack has many possible rule variations. Rule variations used in online casinos are listed below:

Number of Decks -- The number of decks used in online play generally varies from 1 to 8. A lower number of decks reduces the house edge.

Hit or Stand on Soft 17 -- Some casinos require the dealer to stand on all 17s. Other casinos require the dealer to stand on a "hard" 17 that does not include an ace, but hit a "soft" 17 with an ace. Hitting a soft 17 increases the house edge.

Peek for Blackjack -- Under standard rules, the dealer peeks for blackjack when an ace or 10-point card is showing. Under "European blackjack" rules, the dealer does not peek for blackjack, so the player may lose 2x his bet if he doubles or splits and a blackjack is drawn. Peeking for blackjack favors the player.

Double on... -- Most online blackjack games allow you to double on any set of 2 cards. Some games limit that you may only double on hard sums of 9 to 11, and not on soft sums including an ace.

Double after Split -- Most online blackjack games allow you to double after splitting your cards into two hands. Some games do not allow a double after a split.

Resplits -- After splitting your cards to form two hands, you may draw a matching card and wish to split again. Some blackjack games allow this, others do not.

Resplit Aces -- Blackjack games may have different rules for resplits with aces than with other cards.

Hit Split Aces -- Most blackjack games only allow you to draw a single card to split aces. Some games allow you to draw multiple cards to split aces.

Surrender -- Some blackjack games give you the option to surrender and lose half of your bet at the start of the hand. The surrender option is typically given after the dealer checks for blackjack, a "late surrender." A few casinos offer an "early surrender" before the dealer checks for blackjack.

n-Card Charlie -- A 7-card Charlie is a hand composed of 7 cards. Some Grand Virtual games make a 7-card Charlie an automatic winner. Wagerworks Hot Streak Blackjack has a 6-card Charlie rule. Some Playtech games have a 10-card Charlie rule.

Game Variations -- Some casinos offer game variations with many rule differences. Blackjack variations include Pontoon, Blackjack Switch, Super Fun 21, Spanish Blackjack, Double Attack Blackjack, Double Exposure, Power Blackjack, 21 Duel Blackjack, and Ties Win Blackjack.

 

The table below lists rule variations with common softwares and the corresponding house edge. House edge values assume basic strategy without composition depedent exceptions and shuffling after each hand. For strategy, click on the game links or enter the listed rules in the strategy calculator. Use the house edge calculator to check house edge and standard deviation with other rule sets. Click on a column to sort by that measure.