Diamond Blackjack Rules & Considerations

How to play Blackjack Diamond (and why you really shouldn’t!)

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend!” While this may be true when it comes to jewelry, the Blackjack Diamond (a.k.a. Diamond Blackjack) games found at a variety of online casinos are no hidden gems.

In the following text, we’re going to cover the ins and outs of this RNG-based online blackjack game. We’ll discuss the rules in play, optional side bets, and discernible values within its pay table. By the time I’m done, you’ll discover why you really shouldn’t be playing this particular blackjack variant at all.

You can take my word for it now and hit the “back” button on your browser to return to whatever you were doing before that led you to this page. Or, if you’re curious enough, keep reading to find out what makes this one of the worst games on the universal blackjack circuit.

Blackjack Diamond Rules

For the most part, this is a very basic game with very standard rules; many of which follow the typical American Blackjack procedures. However (and also in true American style), they managed to kill the player’s return rate with one unique but dastardly definition in the way natural blackjacks are paid.

When a player receives a blackjack in all diamonds, they receive a higher payout of 2 to 1. Nothing wrong with that! Except the trade-off. Any other type of blackjack is only paid even money. How badly does this effect your return? Let’s think about the consequences for a moment…

There are 4 suits in the deck, and two cards required to make a blackjack. Therefore only 1 out of 8 card combinations that make a blackjack can pay the higher 2 to 1 rate. That means in 7 out of 8 blackjacks, you’re getting ripped off with a 1 to 1 payout. The end result is a house edge of 1.24% (98.75% RTP).

How to Play Blackjack Diamond

Below you’ll find the full list of rules for Diamond Blackjack, as introduced by iGaming software developer Gamesys.

• Decks: 6
• Soft 17: Dealer Stands
• Doubling: Yes, on any total or number of cards
• Splitting: Yes, up to 3x
• Resplit Aces: Yes
• Double after Split: Yes
• Surrender: Yes, early and late (Double Down Rescue)
• Dealer Checks for Blackjack: No
• Blackjack in Diamonds Pays: 2 to 1
• Any Other Blackjack Pays: 1 to 1
• Tie for Blackjack: Dealer wins
• Dealer Blackjack: Player loses total bet

Diamond Blackjack Side Bets

This game offers two optional side bets. One is a bet on whether the player will be dealt a blackjack. The other is a bet on the player being dealt sevens. The pay tables and edge for these bets are shown below.

“Player Blackjack” Side Bet

“Sevens Side” Bet

In order to win this bet with one, two, or threes 7s, those cards must be dealt consecutively to the player, starting with the first and second cards received. Note that splitting will negate this side bet. Therefore the house edge assumes that, if dealt a pair of 7s to start, the player will always hit, rather than following basic strategy which calls for splitting the sevens against a dealer’s 2 to 7 (see below).

Diamond 21 Strategy and Tips

As for tips, my advice would be not to play this game at all. You’d need to earn a much payout for a blackjack in diamonds for it to be worth it. Compared to almost any other blackjack variant, that 1.24% house edge is abysmal!

As for strategy, however, I did promise to provide one, so here it is… If you simply must play, use the following charts to determine how to act in any and all situation, categorized by Hard hands, Soft hands and Pairs. Also, remember that a dealer blackjack results in the loss of all bets, and he won’t peek to see if he has one, resulting in a far greater need to surrender against the dealer’s Ace.

How to Decide Hard Hands

A hard hand is one that does not contain an Ace acting as 11 points. Any hard total of 12 or more can bust if hit. Base your decisions on the hard total of your hand, and the dealer’s up-card, as follows:

How to Decide Soft Total Hands

Soft hands are totals where an Ace acts as an 11. Because an Ace can be 11 or 1, soft totals cannot bust when hit.

Conditions for Splitting Pairs

Splitting pairs can be a tricky situation. The following guide will tell you how to play Diamond Blackjack when splitting is an option.