Casino gambling exists in every hemisphere – from Italy to Brazil, New Zealand to Canada. Every culture has its own perception of gambling activities, just as every gambler has their own predilection of what constitutes a pleasurable gambling experience. Here in Canada, one form of gambling is viewed far superior to all others. I’m talking, of course, about the game of blackjack, (“le blackjack” au Quebec).
Canadian blackjack is hardly any different from the games played in other regions of the world. Its our perception, our approach, our cognition of sustainability that sets so many of us apart from gamblers in other parts of the world. We play it for fun; we play it for money; we play it to win; most of all, we seek to gain a premium understanding of the game’s complexities so that we can accomplish all of these goals at once.
Before we continue – because believe me, there’s a lot to cover! – here’s a quick Table of Contents. If you’re looking for something in particular, this will help guide you to it. Note that the table only includes main pages of interest. The more you dig, the more you will find! If you’re looking for something specific, please use the Search bar in the top left corner.
Table of Contents
| Rules and Betting
Live Dealer Blackjack Mobile (Android & iOS) Payments – Deposit & Withdrawal |
Blackjack Strategies
Historical Interests |
Prevalence of Blackjack
The prevalence of blackjack in the Great White North is made visible in several ways; the most notable being an impressive reduction in gambling losses compared to other major countries of the world. According to years worth of data mining, researchers found that Canada ranks 6 among the top in gaming nations in terms of overall losses, and 7th in losses per adult. That may sound bad, but compared to the higher ups on the list, it’s not.
The United States of America ranks #1 in overall gambling losses, totaling over $115 billion in 2016. Canadians came in at #6, losing significantly less money; about $11 billion total the same year. Losses per capita painted a similar picture, this time pushing Australians into the #1 spot with $1,000 lost per person, per adult. Canadians came in #7 with just over $400.
What this tells me and other logically minded thinkers is that more Canadians are responsible with their gambling bankroll, and that they make better decisions when choosing games and invoking worthwhile strategies. In layman’s terms, we know the value of a good blackjack game, and the inherent equity of proper decision making at the tables.
Availability of Blackjack in Canada
There are more ways to play blackjack in Canada than you may realize. The local casino is the most obvious. From B.C. to Nova Scotia, more than 100 casinos sprinkle the map of Canada. I’m talking about real Canadian casinos with gaudy carpets sprawling across capacious gaming floors. Not slots parlors or charitable bingo halls, but expansive gambling houses that supply all the usual casino games, from slots and video poker machines to multifarious table games.
We’ve been hitting up establishments like these for more than three decades, and they are the first place we tend to think of when it comes to seeking out a good game of blackjack. But in today’s modern technological age, you don’t even have to leave your house to enjoy real money blackjack.
Interested parties can enjoy online blackjack from anywhere in Canada with an internet connection. You can play from home on a desktop or laptop, relax on the sofa with a tablet, or partake in your favorite games from anywhere on a mobile device. Thanks to this globally transcending technology, a game of blackjack is, quite literally, at your fingertips, any time, anywhere. Technology is so advanced these days that some online casinos deliver live dealer blackjack games – real cards, real dealers, playable in real time via HD-quality live stream.
For those who pay close enough attention to local media outlets, a good blackjack tournament can often be found in charitable destinations. Church organizations are known to host bingo games to raise funds, but every once in a while, some will mix things up with a charity blackjack event. These are especially popular for major fund raising activities. A local parish might supplement its weekly coffers with bingo, but turn to blackjack when the structure is in need of repairs.
Professional Blackjack Players from Canada
Based on all of the evidence above, you can surely imagine just how many blackjack pros Canada has produced over the last century. Oddly enough, there aren’t that many who became famous for it. It’s not because they weren’t good at their craft. Quite the contrary, they were so good at concealing their abilities, they became equally clandestine about their identities.
While professional blackjack players from other countries have a tendency to brag about their aptitude, chronicling their experiences on blogs or in auto-biographical books in hopes of making some extra cash, most Canadians are prone to secrecy.
Once a blackjack pro labels himself (or herself) such, the casinos will do anything and everything in their power to keep them off their tables. Intentional or not, authoring professional blackjack books is nothing short of a declaration of retirement. I’ll continue digging deep to find more Canadian blackjack pros. Until then, see the following available profiles for more information:
Tips and Strategies for Winning Blackjack
No casino game in the history of gambling has ever evoked as much strategic forethought as blackjack. While most of us are familiar with at least the concept of employing a basic decision-making strategy, the majority of players – all but the most seasoned veterans – fail to realize that the slightest variation in rules can change the dynamics of a basic strategy chart.
Players must choose the game to be played before choosing the chart to incorporate for that game. For this reason, serious players should get to know the impact of each variable rule on the house edge before they come to understand which ones are considered player-friendly blackjack rules, and which ones are not. A perfect strategy chart can then be drawn up once all the rules for a specific table have been verified.
No matter how inclusive a chart is, the one thing it cannot do is turn the edge into the player’s favor. In decades past, maybe, but never for long. Once the pros began exploiting the rules, and the casino realized its error, the game would be changed to turn the tides back into the casino’s favor. And now that technology is so advanced, any alteration in the rules is tested by computers to ensure a house edge – no matter how big or small – always exists.
The only way a professional blackjack player can outwit the casino at this point is to employ one of many masterful card counting techniques. As you’ll quickly learn on this website, there are multifarious methods of card counting that players can employ. Some are extremely simple, others far more complex, but none so complicated as to require anything beyond a grade school education and modicum powers of memorization.
Types of Blackjack Games in Canada
In the early days, blackjack was blackjack. The dealer hit anything up to soft 17, players could double on 9, 10 or 11, splitting pairs was a given, and a natural blackjack paid 3 to 2. That’s the way 21 was introduced, and that’s how every casino offered it.
It didn’t take long for casinos to realize they could alter the odds by mixing up the rules. Decades later, we have all sorts of blackjack games on the market. The largest casinos offer a wide variety, but none so much as online casinos, where there’s no lack of space to house virtual tables.
My goal with this page is to build the most comprehensive list of variant blackjack rules and side bets on the web. I’ve already complied more than 50 variations here, and will continue to add more as I find them. Each comes with a quick description of the rules and the relative house edge. I’m also working to build a complete rules page for each game on the list, so please bear with me as I get those pages published and linked.
Choose a game from the following alphabetical list to jump to its rudimentary description below, or simply keep scrolling to learn about all the different variations of 21 on this page, including their basic rules and any associated side bets and/or bonus payouts.
Blackjack Variants – A to Z
2 Face Blackjack
The idea behind 2 Face Blackjack is similar to Double Exposure, but with exceptions. If the dealer has a face card showing, the player will get to see the dealer’s hole card as well. If the dealer has any other up-card, the game plays out as normal. This is a fairly nice advantage for the player, resulting in a few rule changes to ensure the casino gets its edge.
The two main alterations to the rules are:
- All 10s (not face cards, just 10s) are removed, resulting in a 48-card deck.
- A winning Blackjack pays 1 to 1 even money.
Overall, the following rules apply:
- Decks: 6 (48 cards per deck, no 10s)
- Dealer Hole Card: Revealed when dealer has face card up
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: Yes
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Blackjack Pays: 1 to 1
- House Edge: 0.41%
See our Complete Rules of 2 Face Blackjack for more information. [Coming Soon!]
21+3 Blackjack
The name of this alternate blackjack game refers to a special side bet that can be placed. “21” is the game itself, and “3” refers to three specific cards dealt – 2 to the player, and the face-up card of the dealer. The side bet pays off if these three cards happen to fall in line with any of the hand ranks on the +3 pay table.
The problem with this game is that the rules and side bet pay table can fluctuate wildly. I’ve seen it played as Classic Blackjack, European Blackjack and others. I’ve also seen an array of side bet pay tables with RTPs ranging anywhere from 2.6% to over 13%.
See our Complete Rules of 21+3 Blackjack for more information.
21 Bet (Live)
21 Bet (a.k.a. Ochko and Russian Blackjack) is an interesting card game that combines the logistics of blackjack with the fixed drawing rules of baccarat. Exactly two hands are dealt, but instead of Player vs Dealer or Banker hands, it is considered Player 1 vs Player 2.
To make it all the more interesting, all cards rank 2-5 are removed, resulting in a 36-card deck. The object is for a hand to achieve a Golden Point (pair of Aces, automatic win), or the closest hand to 21 without going over. To exceed 21 is to bust, resulting in an automatic loss.
The point values per card are as follows:
- Ace = 1
- Jack = 2
- Queen = 3
- King = 4
- 6-10 = Face Value
Like blackjack, each hand begins with two cards. The fixed drawing rules dictate which hand wins. Unlike traditional blackjack, players cannot make any decisions that would impact the hand.
To start, both hands are dealt two cards. If either is dealt a Golden Point (A+A), that hand automatically wins and the game is over. If both have a Golden Point, it’s a push. If neiother has a Golden Point, the following rules come into play:
#1 – If the total of Hand 1 is under 17, it will receive 1 more card. If the hand then busts, Hand 2 wins. Otherwise, go to Rule #2.
#2 – If the total of Hand 2 is less than 17, it will receive 1 more card. If that hand then busts, Hand 1 wins. Otherwise, go to Rule #3.
#3 – If any hand has less than 17 points, with four or less cards, go back to Rule #1.
Repeat until one hand emerges victor.
Betting, Payouts and Odds
There are three basic wagers in 21 Bet, plus a few proposition bets to choose from. Base game wagers allow you to back Hand 1, Hand 2, or a Tie. Props include picking the total of the winning hand, number of cards in the winning hand, and whether any hand will bust. Like baccarat, one hand has a slight advantage over the other, resulting in skewed payouts.
21 Bet Pay Table w/ Odds & RTP
| Bets on Winner | Payout | Odds | RTP |
| Hand 1 to Win | 2.184 for 1 | 43.81% | 95.68% |
| Hand 2 to Win | 2.043 for 1 | 46.20% | 94.38% |
| Hands Tie | 9.5 for 1 | 9.99% | 94.95% |
Proposition Bets |
|||
| Winning Hand Total is… | Payout | Odds | RTP |
| Golden Point | 50 for 1 | 1.90% | 95.10% |
| 21 Points | 6.885 for 1 | 13.75% | 94.65% |
| 20 Points | 6.048 for 1 | 15.69% | 94.87% |
| 19 Points | 6.012 for 1 | 15.74% | 94.65% |
| 18 Points | 7.469 for 1 | 12.68% | 94.70% |
| 17 Points | 11 for 1 | 8.10% | 89.07% |
| Winning Hand Consists of… | Payout | Odds | RTP |
| 2 Cards | 4.332 for 1 | 2.20% | 95.15% |
| 3 Cards | 2.215 for 1 | 4.28% | 94.86% |
| 4 Cards | 4.563 for 1 | 2.01% | 91.67% |
| 5 Cards | 18 for 1 | 5.13% | 92.30% |
| One Hand Will Bust | Payout | Odds | RTP |
| Yes | 2.069 for 1 | 45.86% | 94.89% |
| No | 1.756 for 1 | 54.14% | 95.07% |
UPDATE: In 2021, TvBET revised the rules of Live 21 Bet to include a full 52-card deck. The new rules and pay table are listed under the title TVBet Blackjack.
21 Burn (Betsoft)
21 Burn is a unique blackjack variant exclusive to the Betsoft-built suite of online casino games. Its namesake “Burn” feature is represented by the player’s ability to burn (discard and replace) the second card dealt to their hand; not the first card, nor third or any card thereafter – only the second card may be burned and replaced with a new card. Taking advantage of the burn feature will require the placement of a special “Burn Bet“, equal to half the original bet.
The burn bet has its own pay table, awarding a payout only if the new burn card is an Ace (see Burn Bet Pay Table below) The trade-off for the circumstantially beneficial Burn option is a 1-to-1 payout for any natural blackjack. Fortunately, an Ace+10 resulting from a burn will count as a blackjack.
Betsoft applies the following rules to its online Burn 21:
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: Yes
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Blackjack Pays: 1 to 1
- House Edge: 0.54%
Burn Bet Pay Table
| Burn Card Is… | Payout |
| Ace of Spades | 7 : 1 |
| Any other Ace | 2 : 1 |
| Any other card (non-Ace) | Lose |
See the Complete Rules of Burn 21 (Betsoft)
3 Hand Blackjack
3 Hand Blackjack is a multi-hand variant of 21 developed by the UK and Canadian based games studio, HungryBear Gaming. It’s most alluring feature is in the name – the ability to play up to three hands against the dealer at once. This is optional, of course. Players can choose to play one, two, or three hands at a time. Otherwise, there are no special rules or side bets, leading to an RTP of 0.58%.
Three Hand Blackjack is played by the following rules::
- Decks: 5
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on 9-11
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.58%
Note: The HungryBear Gaming website currently depicts an inaccurate RTP of 98.94% (house edge 1.06%) for this game. The true RTP is 99.42%, as determined by the British Columbia Lottery Corp (BCLC), which supplies the game on its provincial online casino website. You can learn more about this discrepancy, and the events leading to its discovery, here. See the Complete Rules of 3 Hand Blackjack
American Blackjack
American blackjack is not a specific game, but rather a variable set of certain rules that oppose traditional European blackjack rules. For example, American blackjack allows doubling on any two-card total, whereas European rules only permit doubling on 9, 10 or 11.
A typical game of American Blackjack, as offered by Random Logic and Dragonfish powered online casinos, is played by the following rules:
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Stand
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: Yes
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes, on Ace or 10
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.48%
See the Complete Rules of American Blackjack
Ante Up 21
Ante Up 21 is a trademark variant of blackjack from FYI Gaming, Inc. It’s a rather complicated game as there are actually three parts taking place at once. There’s the traditional blackjack game, and 3-card poker game (requires Ante / Play bets), and an optional side bet bonus game. Those last two are based on the player’s first two cards and the dealer’s face-up card. If the player’s blackjack hand busts, it still qualifies to play for the poker and bonus hands.
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes
- Splitting: Yes
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes, on Ace or 10
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: ~0.73%
See the Complete Rules of Ante Up 21 for additional information about the Ante Up poker game and variable side bet bonus pay tables.
Atlantic City Blackjack
This version earned its name over the years by carrying the most common set of blackjack rules applied in Atlantic City casinos. The only difference between this game and other standard varieties are the rules that determine the player’s and dealer’s actions, which, in turn, result in one of the lowest house edge blackjack games on the market today.
- Decks: 8
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any first two cards, and after split
- Splitting: Yes, up to 3x
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: Yes
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.35%
See the Complete Rules of Atlantic City Blackjack
Australian Blackjack
By Aussie rules, blackjack is very similar to the European version, wherein the dealer takes no hole card. Most of the rules are static, but each casino seems to have its own way of handling situations where the dealer has blackjack. There are four possible things that could happen to the player’s wager, so be sure you know the rules at play.
- Original Bets Only: By OBO rules, the player loses his original bet only. Doubles and splits are returned. RTP is 99.44% (house edge 0.56%).
- Busted Bets + One: By BB+1 rules, only original bets and busted hands are at risk. RTP is 99.41% (house edge 0.59%).
- Original + Busted Bets Only: By OBBO rules, players lose one unit from unbusted hands, plus any busted bets. So doubles are safe, but additional bets on splits are not. RTP is 99.39% (house edge 0.61%).
- No Hole Card: The NHC variant follow European rules. All bets are lost if the dealer has blackjack, including originals, doubles, and splits. RTP is 99.31% (house edge 0.69%).
Static rules are as follows:
- Decks: 8
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on 9 to 11 only
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: No
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.56% – 0.69%
See the Complete Rules of Australian Blackjack (Coming Soon)
Bahama Bonus 21
Same as Spanish 21.
Blackjack Challenge
Blackjack Challenge brings some interesting rules to the tables, not often seen in today’s casino climate. To the player’s benefit is 5 Card Charlie, auto-win on any 21-point total, and a natural blackjack pays anywhere from 2:1 to 5:1. Player blackjack always wins, even if tied with the dealer’s blackjack, but the rank of the ten-point cards in each blackjack will determine the payout.
The trade-off for all these advantages is that player’s lose all other ties, and the dealer does not take a hole card. The game goes by OBBO rules, where one original bet per unbusted hand is lost, and all busted hands lose. As appealing as the advantages look, losing all ties destroys the RTP, resulting in a house edge of 2.53%.
The rules are as rules:
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Stand
- Doubling: Yes, on any 2 or 3 cards
- Splitting: Yes, up to 3 hands
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: Yes
- Draw to Split Aces: Yes
- Blackjack after Split: Yes
- 5 Card Charlie: Yes, any unbusted 5-card total auto-wins.
- Any 21 Wins: Any 21-point total auto-wins.
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: No
- Blackjack Pays: Dependent on Dealer’s Hand
- Dealer has No Blackjack – Pays 2 to 1
- Dealer has Higher Blackjack – Pays 3 to 1
- Player + Dealer have Equal Blackjack – Pays 4 to 1
- Player has Higher Blackjack – Pays 5 to 1
- House Edge: 2.53%
See the Complete Rules of Blackjack Challenge (Coming Soon)
Blackjack 11s
Blackjack 11s is a very basic game of blackjack on the surface. It is the side bet, Perfect 11s, that it draws its name and fame from. Without this bet, it’s just a typical game of blackjack. In fact, the base game rules are irrelevant, and could vary from one casino location to the next.
The side bet is based entirely on the player being dealt a total of 11 in the initial 2-card deal. If this happens, the side bet wins. If not, it loses. Of course, the rank and suits of those cards will determine how valuable the payout for the 11 is, with one or more progressive jackpots that can be released.
See Perfect 11s w/ Dice and Perfect 11s w/o Dice in our Side Bets section for complete details.
Blackjack Burnout
This game first debuted at the 2016 Cutting Edge Table Games exhibition in Las Vegas. It’s been picked up by several casinos since, giving players one intriguing proposition. Before the hand begins, players have the option of activating the Burnout feature. The cost is 20% of the original bet, placed in a special Burnout circle of the table. It is not a bet. You cannot win it back, and it is not refundable. It is simply an optional fee that can be paid to activate the Burnout feature.
When active, the player has the option to Burn the last card dealt to his hand, to be replaced by the next card from the deck. Burnout can only be applied once per hand, and only after hitting or doubling, even if the hand busts. Splitting, however, will negate the option to Burn a card.
Casinos are capable of altering the rules as they wish, but the following are the suggested rules as defined by the game’s creator, Angel Espino:
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, up to 3x
- Double After Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge w/ Burnout: 1.43%%
- House Edge w/o Burnout: 0.64%
Consecutive Wins Side Bet
Although not required, casinos are given the option to invoke a side bet that will pay a bonus to any players who achieve a specific number of consecutive wins. The casino can choose how many consecutive wins are necessary to win the side bet. Look for one of the following options, including payouts and relative house edge, to be available.
|
Consecutive Wins
|
Bonus Payout
|
House Edge
|
|
2
|
2 : 1 | 6.55% |
|
3
|
4 : 1 | 13.07% |
|
4
|
8 : 1 | 12.66% |
| 5 | 15 : 1 |
13.34%
|
| 6 | 28 : 1 |
12.34%
|
| 7 | 50 : 1 |
13.95%
|
| 8 | 90 : 1 |
14.31%
|
See the Complete Rules of Blackjack Burnout
Blackjack Diamond
Blackjack Diamond (aka Diamond Blackjack) is a version with pretty standard rules, except the way natural blackjacks pay out. A blackjack in diamonds wins 2 to 1 (higher than the traditional 3 to 2), but a blackjack in anything else only pays even money. This eliminates the advantage of the game’s other player-friendly rules, bringing the edge to an unfavorably high 1.24%. There are also two optional side bets that can be placed.
Basic rules and the side bet payouts are as follows:
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any first two cards, and after split
- Splitting: Yes, up to 3x
- Resplit Aces: Yes
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: Yes, early and late
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Tie for Blackjack: Player wins
- Natural Blackjack Pays: In Diamonds 2 to 1; all others 1 to 1
- House Edge: 1.24%
Player Blackjack Side Bet
This is a simple side bet that the player will be dealt any natural blackjack. The house edge 5.02%.
| Player Hand Requirements | Payout |
| Any natural blackjack | 19 : 1 |
Sevens Side Bet
This optional side bet on the player receiving consecutive 7s. The players first card must be a 7 for the bet to win, with consecutive 7s thereafter resulting in a higher payout. Suits are irrelevant, and the house edge is 4.08%.
| Player Hand Requirements | Payout |
| First card is a 7 | 8 : 1 |
| First two cards are 7-7 | 40 : 1 |
| First three cards are 7-7-7 | 250 : 1 |
See the Complete Rules of Blackjack Diamond
Blackjack Party
The only party going on here is in the casino’s backroom, where the owners are surely celebrating how much money they’ve ripped off players. this game has the worst blackjack house edge I’ve ever come across, topping out at 8.04%.
Long story short – don’t play it! Here’s why…
The takes no hole card, and the player will suffer any consequences of his actions if the dealer gets blackjack (i.e. all bets lost). If the dealer draws to 22, all standing bets will push. A player’s winning blackjack only pays 6:5. These are three of the worst rules in the game, and they all appear in Blackjack Party.
Here’s a break-down of the rules. If you see them, walk away.
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any first two cards, and after split
- Splitting: Yes, infinitely
- Resplit Aces: Yes
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: No (all bets lose to dealer blackjack)
- Player 7-7-7: Pays 6 to 5 (original hand only)
- Blackjack Pays: 6 to 5
- A♠+J♠ Blackjack Pays: 5 to 1
- Dealer 22: Pushes against all but blackjack
- House Edge: 8.04%
Optional Side Bets
See the Complete Rules of Blackjack Party (Coming Soon)
Blackjack Plus
Another Australian variant, Blackjack Plus looks like a player-friendly game on the surface, but don’t be fooled. Player’s win with any 5-card total that doesn’t bust (5 Card Charlie), and will automatically win with any total of 21.
The trade-off is a nasty one, though. Dealer 22 Push. When the dealer draws 22, all standing hands push (Dealer 22 Push), and a blackjack only pays 1 to 1. The end result is a lowly RTP of just 93.74%.
Basic rules are as follows:
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on any 2-card hard total, and after split
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Any 21 Wins: Player 21 auto-wins
- Five Card Charlie: Any unbusted 5-card total auto-wins
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: No (No Hole Card)
- Tie for Blackjack: Player wins
- Natural Blackjack Pays: 1 to 1
- Dealer 22: Pushes against all but blackjack
- House Edge: 6.36%
See the Complete Rules of Blackjack Plus (Coming Soon)
Blackjack Surrender
Blackjack Surrender is a game by Playtech that is very similar to Vegas Strip blackjack, except that players can – of course – Surrender their hand. They also have the benefit of the 7-Card Charlie rule.
The whole basis of this game is to encourage the use of the Early Surrender rule. There aren’t too many times when you should, but when applied at the right moment, it can decrease the house edge by 0.24% against the dealer’s 10, and 0.39% against the dealer’s Ace.
The following are the rules as set forth by Playtech’s Blackjack Surrender. If you find this game elsewhere, watch out for rules that only allow for Doubling on 9-11, as it nearly doubles the edge to 0.62%.
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any first two cards, and after split
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Early Surrender: Yes
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Natural Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- 7-Card Charlie: 7 cards without busting wins, pays 1 to 1
- House Edge: 0.35%
See the Complete Rules of Blackjack Surrender
Blackjack Switch
Blackjack Switch is a unique game that gives players more control than ever before. In fact, years ago, it would have been called cheating. In this game, it’s welcomed. I’m talking about the ability to switch cards between two hands.
In order for it to work, the player must participate in two blackjack hands, requiring two separate bets. Once those hands are dealt, the player has the option to swap the second card dealt to each hand. Only the second cards can be swapped, and only before any other decisions are made. Once this is done, or the player passes on the opportunity, the game continues in standard fashion.
Switching is considered a very player-friendly rule, so you can rest assured a lot of not-so-friendly rules are enforced to counter its effect on the house edge, such as the dealer’s 22 pushing against any non-busting hand except a blackjack, and a natural blackjack only paying even money. Standard rules are as follows:
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards, and after split
- Splitting: Yes, 3x
- Double after Split: Yes
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Dealer 22: Pushes against all but blackjack
- Switch to Blackjack: Total 21, not a natural blackjack
- Natural Blackjack Pays: 1 to 1
- House Edge: 0.58%
See the Complete Rules of Blackjack Switch
Blackjack X-Change
Found at some Caesar’s Casinos, including the online casino and mobile app, Blackjack X-Change gives players the chance to exchange any card for another from the shoe – at a cost, of course. Player’s can pay a fee to Buy a card, exchanging a bad card for a new one. Or, they can get paid to Sell a good card for a new one.
The cost to Buy or Sell always depends on the odds of the player bettering their hand for it. To Buy a new card in X-change for a bad one will cost you approximately 2.5% above fair value. To Sell a good card will grant you 2.5% less than fair value. Depending on bet size and card rank, the added edge for the casino on a Buy/Sell has a differential of 2.5%-3.0%.
Buy / Sell X-Changes can be made for any card, in almost any circumstance. Players cannot switch cards if the following conditions apply:
- The hand consists of 5 or more cards.
- The total is 21.
- The hand has busted.
- The player doubles or splits.
If a player exchanges a card and the result is blackjack, the traditional payout of 3 to 2 still applies.
Aside from this, the rules are pretty standard:
- Decks: ∞
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards, and after split
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: Yes
- Draw to Split Aces: Yes
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Double after X-Change: No
- Split after X-Change: No
- Blackjack after X-Change: Pays 3 to 2
- Natural Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge, No X-Change: 0.32%
- House Edge, After X-Change: 2.82% – 3.32%
See the Complete Rules of Blackjack X-Change (Coming Soon)
Bonus Blackjack (Generic)
In this case, Bonus Blackjack is not a title that applies to a single variant of the game, but rather a series of largely unrelated games, most of which happen to offer some sort of side bet bonus. The name is believed to have originated at the Riverside Casino in Laughlin, Nevada, so long ago we can’t even put a date on it. From there, it’s appeared in various forms at casinos all over the world, as well as some online casinos.
In its original format, Bonus Blackjack possessed a special side bet based on the player or dealer being dealt a natural blackjack. Players had the option to bet on one or both (player and/or dealer), with each bet paying 15 to 1. If a player bet on both player and dealer, and both bets won, a progressive jackpot was paid.
From that initial offering, the title spread to encompass all sorts of side bet pay offs, including natural blackjacks and 3-card totals of 21 (6-7-8 or 7-7-7), pairs and suited cards, to very specific blackjacks made up of suited cards or spades only. If you come across a game by this name, be sure to check the rules for optional wagers, but also be warned, the house edge is terrible on all of these side bets.
Bonus Blackjack (1x2Gaming)
This Bonus Blackjack title is unlike the generic titles described above. It is exclusive to online casinos powered by 1×2 Gaming, and does not contain a side bet. Instead, it’s special feature is a bonus payout. Any time a player is dealt a natural blackjack containing a black jack (clubs or spades), the payout increases from 3 to 2, to 2 to 1. Combined with the rules below, the house edge drops from a typical 0.46% to a phenomenal 0.18%.
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Natural Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- Natural with “Black Jack” Pays: 2 to 1
- House Edge: 0.18%
See the Complete Rules of Bonus Blackjack
Burn 20
This unique game is based on traditional blackjack rules, but with two beneficial exceptions. If the dealer has a 2-card 20, he must burn it, and he cannot improve on his hand by doing so. In exchange for this remarkable perk, all standing hands will push against 22.
Here’s how it works. If the dealer has a 10 or face card showing, he’ll check his hole card. If it is also a 10/face, he must burn both cards and draw a new hand. If the hole card is an Ace of the same suit as his 10 (suited blackjack), this hand must also be discarded. Should the dealer discard a hand, then draw a blackjack in any suits, that hand will also be discarded.
The concept behind the Burn 20 rule is that the player will never have to worry about competing with a 2-card 20, and the dealer shall never improve upon his hand after discarding.
Base-game rules are:
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on any total
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: Yes (except Aces)
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes (see rules above)
- Dealer 22: Pushes against all but blackjack
- Natural Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.80%
See the Complete Rules of Burn 20 (Coming Soon)
California Blackjack
The gambling laws in California do not allow for house-banked games. Therefore, the state’s commercial casinos came up with a loop-hole that allows them to offer player-banked blackjack tables. This variant became colloquially known as California Blackjack. As far as I know, it is no longer available at any casinos in California, and is not offered at any online casinos, either.
The idea behind California Blackjack is that players get to take turns being the dealer. It’s not mandatory, but optional, particularly because being the dealer (aka the bank) requires a large bankroll, and doesn’t come with the usual dealer advantage. The game also involves some pretty crazy rules, such as utilizing 1 wild joker per deck (i.e. 6 decks = 6 jokers), and busted players winning their original bet back if the dealer busts with a higher total.
The most interesting thing about this game is that the rules are actually designed to give an edge to the players, rather than the player-banker. But as usual, the house always wins. The casino collects a $1 fee per $100 bet, per hand, from each player, rounded up to the nearest dollar. For example, a $10 bet = $1 fee, $100 bet = $1 fee, $110 bet = $2 fee, etc. The player-banker is required to pay a $3 flat fee, and may bank up to 2 hands before the deal is passed.
Suffice to say, the casino is making tons of money, the banker is getting a raw deal (unless he/she is far more experienced than everyone else at the table), and for players, it’s best to bet in $100 increments.
I won’t spend any more time detailing this unique game since it isn’t known to exist anywhere at present. If you’d like to learn more, please see our Complete Rules of California Blackjack page.
Canal 21
See Panama 21
Caribbean 21
Caribbean 21 is an online blackjack variant developed by RealTime Gaming (RTG); not to be confused with Caribbean Blackjack by Aces Up Gaming. It’s packed with super friendly rules, as well as some dastardly ones, but overall, it comes out to a rather generous house edge of 0.19%, with basic strategy applied (see Complete Rules below for basic strategy).
To the player’s favor, you will be able to split any first two cards, not just those that match, and can double after a split. Players can double on any two cards, as well, and can even hit or re-double after doubling. Aces can be split, resplit, and hit after splitting.
For these great advantages, the player pays a heavy price. The player loses all ties, and Aces count only as 1, never 11. There are no natural blackjack’s in this game. Instead, player’s can get a Caribbean 21, consisting of an Ace and two 10-point cards. This is the highest hand, beating all others, except a dealer’s Caribbean 21, since the player loses all ties.
For more information, see the Complete Rules of Caribbean 21
Change It 21
This blackjack game permits the player to exchange one of their two initial cards for a new one from the shoe. The cost is 50% of your bet, non-refundable. Certain rules apply to the exchange process.
- Fee is 50% of original bet.
- Change It can be applied to a newly split hand, but only the new card dealt to the split hand can be swapped.
- Blackjack after Change It is still a natural, paying 6 to 5.
Otherwise, the rules are pretty straight forward:
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on any total
- Double after Split: No
- Resplit Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Blackjack Pays: 6 to 5
- House Edge Before Change It: 2.14%
- House Edge After Change It: 1.73%
See the Complete Rules of Change It 21 (Coming Soon)
Caribbean Blackjack
Caribbean Blackjack (not to be confused with RTG’s Caribbean 21) is not your run of the mill blackjack game. There’s a lot more action taking place. To participate, players are required to play (and bet on) two hands at a time. These will both play out as normal blackjack hands. But first…
Players also have the option of wagering a Bonus Bet on a poker hand. This 5-card hand will be built from the first two cards in each of the player’s hands, plus the dealer’s up-card, which acts as a community card for all players at the table. Again, the bonus bet is optional, but if a player bets $5 or more on this side bet, they will also get action on the poker hands of every other player at the table (i.e. an envy bonus). This is called the Action Bonus, and it pays out if any other player is dealt a Full House or better.
The blackjack hands are played by standard rules, but be warned, they are not the friendliest ones. Natural blackjacks only pay 6:5, and you can’t double after a split or draw to split Aces, and there’s no surrendering allowed. The end result is a house edge of 1.58%. Suffice it to question, if you’re not playing for the added value and entertainment of the poker hand bonus, why play at all?
- Decks: 1
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, up to 4 hands
- Double after Split: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Re-Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Blackjack Pays: 6 to 5
- House Edge: 1.58%
Poker Bonus Pay Table
The first two cards in each of the player’s hand are combined with the dealer’s up-card to develop a 5-card poker hand. If this hand matches any of the following hand ranks, the following payouts apply.
| 5-Card Poker Hand Rank | Payout |
| Royal Flush | 250:1 |
| Straight Flush | 150 |
| Four of a Kind | 50:1 |
| Full House | 25:1 |
| Flush | 7:1 |
| Straight | 4:1 |
| Three of a Kind | 3:1 |
| Two Pair | 2:1 |
| Pair, 10-A | 1:1 |
| Pair, 2-9 | Push |
Action Bonus Pay Table
Placing a bonus bet of $5 or more awards an Action Bonus if any other player at the table is dealt one of the following poker hands (Full House or better).
| 5-Card Poker Hand Rank | Payout |
| Royal Flush | 250:1 |
| Straight Flush | 150 |
| Four of a Kind | 50:1 |
| Full House | 25:1 |
See the Complete Rules of Caribbean Blackjack
Classic Blackjack
The original and by-far most popular version of 21, this is the classic game of blackjack played in land-based and online casinos all over the world – at least by name. Unfortunately, there’s no single, strict set of rules applied to the classic version. The following are the most common presets found, both online and on land.
- Decks: 2-5
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on 9, 10 or 11
- Splitting: Yes, with 1-2 Resplits
- Double after Split: No
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: Yes
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: No
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: ~0.40%
See the Complete Rules of Classic Blackjack
Chinese Blackjack
Chinese Blackjack is a very relaxed version of the game, most often played in a private. There is no house dealer. Players take turns as the dealer, with each dealing three hands before passing the deck to the next person. In keeping with the casual atmosphere of the game, the dealer can chose how to pass out the cards, dealing to himself first or last, and dealing in a clockwise or counter-clockwise manner. It’s all very informal!
There are two objectives in Chinese Blackjack. The first is to beat the dealer per the usual rules. The second is to achieve any special hand worthy of a bonus payout. Even the dealer can hit a bonus hand, forcing all players to pay double or triple their initial wagers.
For example, if any player receives 5 cards without busting, it’s an automatic win of 2x the bet. If the total is 21, it wins a 3x payout. If the hand busts with 5 cards, however, it’s a loss of 2x the wager. This counts for the dealer as well, who can scoop 3x bets from every player at the table for landing a 5-card 21.
This is a very unique and interesting game, and one you may wish to enjoy at home with a group of friends, since you won’t find it being played at any land-based or online casinos.
See the Complete Rules of Chinese Blackjack for more information.
Common Draw Blackjack (Live)
Common Draw Blackjack is NetEnt’s live dealer version of endless-player blackjack, wherein everyone at the table shares a single hand. Each player has the same options – stand, hit, double, or split when applicable. A single hand takes a bit longer to play out, but it’s still faster than a full live dealer table. The dealer hesitates to wait for all player decisions before turning any additional cards. It’s not a favorite among serious players, but with bets starting as low as $0.50 per hand, it is a great option for those who prefer the live dealer experience, and are playing on a budget.
NetEnt’s Live Common Draw Blackjack rules are as follows:
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: Yes
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: No
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.59%
See the Complete Rules of Common Draw Blackjack
Crazy Blackjack
A title found at online casinos that employ the Dragonfish software brand, Crazy Blackjack (a.k.a. Jackpot Blackjack) is an intrinsic game at its foundation with a multi-hand option and a trio of rewarding side bets to wager on, if you wish.
Side bets include Highest Hand (available in 3-spot multi-hand play only), Safe Bet (pays 3:2 on hard, non-pair totals of 12 thru 16), and 777 Jackpot (requires first three cards dealt to be 7-7-7).
Standard game rules include:
- Decks: 4
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, up to two times
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: Yes
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.44%
See the Complete Rules of Crazy Blackjack
Deal or No Deal 21
This fancy little blackjack variant is the brain child of digital games developer, Red Tiger Gaming. It is, of course, based on the television game show of the same name. The idea is that the player can choose to surrender their initial 2-card hand, in exchange for the “Bank Offer”. The size of the Bank Offer will obviously depend on the value of the player’s hand, compared to the dealer’s up-card.
The Bank Offer will be visible after the player’s two cards and dealer’s up card are dealt, but before the dealer peeks for blackjack. If the player takes the Bank Offer, the hand is folded. If not, the game proceeds as normal.
Note that the Bank Offer is always slightly less than the true, fair value of the hand. The value seems to range anywhere from 93.0% to 98.4% of fair value, with a median of about 95.8%. This leaves the house with an average edge of 4.2% if the Bank Offer is accepted.
The base game’s standard rules, on the other hand, feature a much more friendly house edge of 0.38% (RTP 99.62%).
- Decks: 5
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, up to 3x
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: Yes (Take “Bank Offer”)
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.38%
See the Complete Rules of Deal or No Deal Blackjack (Coming Soon)
Diamond Blackjack
This 21 variant is the online casino creation of Gamesys N.V. There’s really nothing exceptional about it – at least not in a good way. Players can double down or surrender any time, on any total, before or after a split, and can even resplit Aces (up to 4 hands).
The game loses all of its flavor due to most blackjacks paying even money. Only a blackjack suited in diamonds is worth a higher payout 2 to 1. To make matters worse, there’s no hole card for the dealer. Players lose all bets if the dealer gets blackjack. The result is a less than appealing RTP of 98.76%.
Standard rules are:
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, up to 3x
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: Yes
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: Yes, any time, even after split
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: No (all bets lost to dealer blackjack)
- Tie for Blackjack: Player wins
- Suited Diamond Blackjack Pays: 2 to 1
- All Other Blackjacks Pay: 1 to 1
- House Edge: 1.24%
See the Complete Rules of Diamond Blackjack (Coming Soon)
Double Attack Blackjack
This is an amalgamation of Classic Blackjack and Spanish 21. All 10s are removed, leaving 48 cards per deck, and for the most part, the rules are all standard. Where the game gets interesting is the first round of the deal.
After bets are placed, each player receives one card, followed by the dealer receiving one card face up. At this point, players can decide whether they want to ‘Double Attack’ by doubling the size of their initial bet. While this is a distinct advantage for players, there’s a heavy price to pay in the form of a reduced 1 to 1 payout for a natural blackjack.
The specific rules of the game can vary slightly from one venue to the next. Below are the rules found at Playtech-powered online casinos.
- Decks: 8, 48-card decks (no 10s)
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any total
- Splitting: Yes, up to 3x
- Double after Split: Yes
- Surrender: Yes, anytime
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 1 to 1
- House Edge: 0.62%
See the Complete Rules of Double Attack Blackjack
Double Blackjack
One of the most unique 21 variants in the world today, Double Blackjack is easily comparable to Pai Gow Poker. Everyone receives 5 cards instead of 2, and must split them into two hands – a 2-card hand and a 3-card hand.
The object is to create two hands that total somewhere between 17 and 21 points. If one or both hands cannot meet these requirements, it is deemed “foul” (akin to a bust). A foul hand instantly loses. Once hands are determined eligible or foul, all foul hand bets are collected, then the dealer handles his/her own cards according to house rules.
Also akin to Pai Gow Poker, it’s possible to win both bets, lose both bets, or win one and lose one (tie, break even.) The house edge isn’t so pretty either, coming in at over 2%. But that doesn’t take away from the entertainment factor for those who enjoy it. If you happen to be among them…
See our Complete Rules of Double Blackjack for more information.
Double Exposure Blackjack
This unique variation has been delighting players for years, who are enthralled by the fact that the dealer’s card – both of them – are dealt face up. Imagine the advantage of playing blackjack when you can see both of the dealer’s cards? Of course, you’ll have to suffer a few unfriendly player rules to make up for it.
The rules of this game can vary from one casino to the next, causing the edge to fluctuate wildly. Be careful of games where the dealer wins a blackjack tie. The following are the rules of Double Exposure at Microgaming online casinos:
- Decks: 8
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on Hard 9, 10 or 11 only
- Splitting: Yes, up to 3x
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: No
- Tie for Blackjack: Player wins
- All other Ties: Player loses
- Blackjack Pays: 1 to 1
- House Edge: 0.32%
See the Complete Rules of Double Exposure Blackjack
Double Up Blackjack
There’s a new sheriff in town, and he’s doubling up at the blackjack tables! Double Up 21 appeared somewhere around 2015, and as far as I know, is only available at some land-based casinos; not online. The game is defined by its namesake ability to “Double Up”; not to be confused with the popular “Double Down” betting option.
To Double Up is to place a second wager, equal to the first, after seeing your first two cards and the dealer’s up-card. At this point, you get the usual options to Stand, Hit, Double Down, or Split (if dealt pairs), plus the unique option to Double Up. Unlike doubling down, you will not get to take another card. Once you Double Up, you must stand on the current 2-card total.
The following rules apply to the base game:
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Double Down: Yes, on any two cards
- Double Up: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, up to 3x
- Double Down after Split: Yes
- Double Up after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- Double Up Pays: 1 to 1 (Tie loses)
- End 16: Dealer’s 16 auto-pushes against all but 21.
- House Edge: 0.32%
See the Complete Rules of Double Up Blackjack
Doublet Blackjack
This is another online casino variant created by Gamesys N.V. It’s biggest selling points are Double Down Rescue, the ability to Hit or Resplit Aces, and a relatively high RTP of 99.62%. Double Down Rescue allows the player to surrender after doubling down, forfeiting the original bet, but reclaiming the doubled amount.
Standard rules are:
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, up to 3x
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: Yes
- Draw to Split Aces: Yes
- Surrender: Yes, Double Down Rescue only
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: No (all bets lost to dealer blackjack)
- Blackjacks Pay: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.38%
See the Complete Rules of Doublet Blackjack (Coming Soon)
Down Under Blackjack
Created by Kyle Morris, Down Under Blackjack is an interesting edition of the game wherein players are given a clue as to the dealer’s second card. Having an idea as to what’s ‘down under’ the dealer’s exposed card gives players an edge in decision making. Instead of an exact value, the player is given a range – Low 2-5, Medium 6-9, or High A-10.
In trade for this exceptional information, the player must deal with some unfriendly rules in turn. The most damaging is a 22 Push, wherein the dealer’s 22 will push against all standing player hands except blackjack, 21, or a 2-card 20 made up of two 10-point cards. This brings the house edge back around to something more manageable for the casinos – 0.57% if blackjack pays 3:2, 1.92% at 6:5. Needless to say, do not play against 6:5 blackjack pays.
The base rules are shown below, followed by the pay table for the game’s optional Match the Dealer side bet.
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on Hard 9, 10 or 11 only
- Splitting: Yes, up to 3x
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- 22 Push: Dealer 22 pushes against all but blackjack, 21 or pair of 10s.
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2 (or 6 to 5)
- House Edge: 0.57% (or 1.92%)
Match the Dealer Side Bet
This is an optional side bet in which the player wins a payout if one of their first two cards match the rank of the dealer’s up-card. A suited match is worth more. If both cards match, both are paid according to the paytable below (i.e. 22 to 1 for two suited matches).
| Player’s Card Matches Dealer’s Up-Card | Payout |
| Suited Match | 11 : 1 |
| Non-Suited Match | 4 : 1 |
See the Complete Rules of Down Under Blackjack
Early Payout Blackjack (Live)
This live dealer game from Visionary iGaming (ViG) is available at limited live dealer online casinos. It’s innovative concept is reliant on several unique features.
First, it’s a community game, meaning everyone plays the same hand(s). Second, players choose which hand(s) to bet on (up to 3), as three are dealt each round. Third, the game is played with basic strategy highlighted. In some cases, players can choose to deviate from strategy; some cases they cannot. And fourth, the player will always have the option to accept an early payout, surrendering the hand. The ratio of early-payout-to-bet is based on the current value of the hand and dealer’s face up card.
Due to the somewhat complicated nature of the game, Early Payout Blackjack is one of the supremely rare live dealer games that’s playable in demo mode (free to play). The following rules apply:
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: Yes
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: Yes
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.69%
See the Complete Rules of Early Payout Blackjack
Easy Jack
Easy Jack is one of the most original and creative variants of Blackjack to come through Las Vegas in quite some time. It was invented by a UNLV student, picked up for trial runs at Harrah’s in August 2017, and received NGCB approval a month later. Now, it can be found randomly throughout the state of Nevada, whenever a casino is looking to interest players with something a bit out of the ordinary.
This is, quite possibly, the easiest game of blackjack you’ll ever play. What’s so “easy” about Easy Jack? Everyone gets just one card. The player’s card is dealt face up, and the dealer’s face down. The goal is to reach (or come nearest to) a total of 11 – not the usual 21. So, if a player is dealt an Ace, they have a Blackjack, and it’s worth the usual Blackjack payout of 3 to 2. The dealer hits up to 6, and stands on 7+, and the player may only hit or stand. No doubling or splitting is allowed. A tie is always a push.
Since you cannot see the dealer’s card, the strategy is simple. Do as the dealer does. Hit up to 6, and stand on 7+. Like traditional blackjack games, the house edge – in this case 0.94% – comes from the player’s ability to bust before the dealer ever has a go.
The following Easy Jack rules apply:
- Decks: 1
- Dealer Rules: Hit 2-6, Stand 7-11
- Doubling: No
- Splitting: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: No
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.94%
Dealer Bust Side Bet
Players have the option of placing the Dealer Bust side bet. The bet wins if – as the name implies – the dealer hand busts. The more cards the dealer busts with, the greater the payout. The house advantage on the side bet is 9.5%.
| Dealer Busts with… | Payout |
| 6 Cards | 500 : 1 |
| 5 Cards | 50 : 1 |
| 4 Cards | 10 : 1 |
| 3 Cards | 4 : 1 |
| 2 Cards | 3 : 1 |
See the Complete Rules of Easy Jack
Elimination Blackjack
Elimination blackjack is a special rule set used in the majority of blackjack tournaments, both online and on land. The idea is to eliminate half the field after intermittent periods of time, such as every 30 minutes The half of the field with the lowest chip count is eliminated at each interval.
Other than the elimination format, there is no special set of dealer/player rules followed. Elimination blackjack tournaments can be played by almost any standard set of rules (American, Classic, European, Vegas Downtown, etc).
Euro Double Deck Blackjack
This particular game, envisioned long ago by iGaming brand Cryptologic, defies several laws of European blackjack – so much so that it’s more of an EU.AM morph than anything else. However, it does present a favorably low house edge of 0.34%, making it one of the better games out there for strategically-minded players. The rules of Euro Double Deck at Cryptologic casinos are as follows:
- Decks: 2
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: Yes
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: No
- Surrender: No
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.34%
See the Complete Rules of Euro Double Deck Blackjack
European Blackjack
European Blackjack is a unique variation that trades several player-friendly rules (double deck, draw to split aces) for one big house advantage – the dealer does not check for blackjack. A player can get a lot of extra chips on the table with doubles and splits, only to suffer auto-defeat. So long as you’re careful about doubling and/or splitting when the dealer has an Ace or 10 showing, this variant can be a boon for strategists.
- Decks: 2
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, 9, 10 and 11 only
- Splitting: Yes, 1x
- Double after Split: No
- Draw to Split Aces: Yes
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: No
- Surrender: No
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: ~0.40%
See the Complete Rules of European Blackjack
European Blackjack Redeal
Imagine if life had a re-do button? That’s kinda what the Redeal option brings to the European Blackjack table. It’s the basic game of 21, with various redeal options throughout. You can redeal the dealer’s up card, your entire hand, or, after hitting, the last card you received.
Seems to good to be true, right? How can the casino be so generous? By charging you money to initiate a redeal, of course. The cost fluctuates, depending on the value of the redeal. As the odds of winning increase, so does the cost of redealing the card(s). Otherwise, the following rules apply:
- Decks: 2
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, 9, 10 and 11 only
- Splitting: Yes, no Resplitting
- Double after Split: No
- Draw to Split Aces: Yes
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: No
- Surrender: No
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: ~0.40%
See the Complete Rules of European Blackjack Redeal
Exchange Blackjack
There’s no exchanging of cards in this blackjack game. Instead, the title denotes its similarity to a stock market exchange. There is a very basic game of blackjack going on, but players can choose any player hand to win or lose (not necessarily their own), as well as a selection of prop bets.
Available bets and odds will vary and fluctuate as the hand moves forward. The basic rundown is as follows:
- Back Player – A bet on the selected player to beat the dealer.
- Lay Player – A bet that the selected player will lose to the dealer.
- Back Dealer – A bet that the dealer will win and/or tie against all players.
- Lay Dealer – A bet that the dealer will lose to all players.
- Back 5-Card Win – A bet that 1 or more player will win with 5 cards.
- Lay 5-Card Win – A bet that no player will win with 5 cards.
- Back All Cards Unique – A bet that no cards on the board will match in suit+rank.
- Lay All Cards Unique – A bet that one or more cards on the board will match in suit+rank.
- Back One Hand 21 – A bet that only one hand will total exactly 21.
- Lay One Hand 21 – A bet that none or more than one hand will total exactly 21.
To keep things as simple as possible, an infinite number of decks are used, and all standard blackjack rules apply. The dealer stands on Soft 17 and unbusted any 5-card total, and will not take a hole card (no peek). Player’s cannot double or split. Winning hand ranks are altered as follows.
Hand Ranks, Highest to Lowest
- 5 Card Charlie: The highest hand possible is 5 Card Charlie (5 cards without busting). The actual value of the hand is irrelevant. All 5 Card Charlie’s tie for best hand.
- Blackjack: Any blackjack, regardless of card rank or suit, is second best hand.
- Highest Point Value: Highest ranking hand, in order of highest to lowest (21, 20, 19, etc.)
The house edge for the base game rules is 3.90%. suffice it to say, Exchange Blackjack is far more suited for entertainment purposes than strategic profiteering.
See the Complete Rules of Exchange Blackjack (Coming Soon)
Extreme Blackjack
This Vegas variant takes blackjack to the extreme. It’s played on a full table, but only one player at a time competes against the dealer. After all players make a bet, the first player will compete. If the player busts his hand, it’s game over. If he stands on any total, the dealer must continue hitting until he beats the player, or busts trying. Then it’s the next player’s turn to take on the dealer, and so on.
Because the dealer is required to hit until he wins or busts, there are no ties in Extreme 21. If the player achieves a total of 21 at any point, it’s an automatic win. A blackjack is also considered an automatic win, but there’s no special payout for it. It’s treated the same as any other total of 21.
One interesting stipulation is that, if the player splits, the dealer must play a hand against each of the player’s split hands. The dealer will use the same first-card in each hand. So if the player splits to three hands, and the dealer’s first card is an 8, the dealer will use that same 8 to start and play out three separate hands.
Otherwise, the following rules apply:
- Decks: 6+
- Doubling: Yes, on any number of cards and total
- Splitting: Yes, with no limit on Resplits, except Aces
- Double after Split: Yes
- Draw to Split Aces: Yes
- Player 21: Automatic win
- Blackjack Pays: 1 to 1
- House Edge: 1.16%
See the Complete Rules of Extreme Blackjack (Coming Soon)
Face Up 21
The premise of this game is very similar to Microgaming’s Double Exposure Blackjack, wherein both of the dealer’s cards are dealt face up. However, the rules are less player friendly in Face Up 21, resulting in a house edge that more than doubles from 0.32% to 0.75%.
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on 9, 10 or 11 only
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: No
- Blackjack Pays: 1 to 1
- House Edge: 0.75%
See the Complete Rules of Face Up 21 Blackjack
Fast Blackjack
This is probably the worst blackjack game I’ve ever come across in terms of house edge, and it doesn’t even offer side bets. It’s the game itself that pays out so bad. I don’t suggest playing it, but if you must, it’s available only at Red Rake Gaming powered online casinos. The house edge is a catastrophic 4.21%, which comes simply from the fact that doubling and splitting are not allowed. The name “Fast” comes from the ability to play up to 12 hands at once, which simply means you can expect to lose all that money even 12x quicker. Ouch!
The rules of the Fast Blackjack are:
- Decks: 20
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: No, players cannot Double Down
- Splitting: No, players cannot Split
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: No
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 4.21%
See the Complete Rules of Fast Blackjack
Free Bet Blackjack
Created by famous games inventor Geoff Hall, Free Bet Blackjack is a unique variant in which players can (usually) double down or split for free. The house will cover the added cost of the bet to do so, and if you win, you get to keep the cash. In fact, you can make repeated use of these free bets in a single hand, if the card-fates align. The trade off, however – similar to Hall’s famous Blackjack Switch – is that the dealer’s 22 will push against all standing player hands, except blackjack.
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, all 2-card doubling allowed, but only 9-10-11 are ‘Free’
- Splitting: Yes, up to 3x; all splits except 10s are ‘Free’
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: Yes
- Surrender: No
- Dealer 22: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 1.04%
See the Complete Rules of Free Bet Blackjack
Half Back Blackjack
Half Back 21 is a variation by Paradigm Table Games. It took second place at the 2015 Cutting Edge Table Games conference before making its debut appearance at California’s Eagle Mountain Casino. The game comes with a twist in which players must make two bets to start – a Main bet and Half Back bet. They can take half back on a weak hand, or play the double bet on strong ones.
Here’s how it works. Once the cards are dealt, the player can ask to reclaim the Half Back portion of his bet, but only if his first two cards total anywhere between 13 and 16. Should the player split the hand, the Half Back bet is used to pay for the split. Additionally, players can double down before or after a split, but only on 2-card hard totals of 9, 10 or 11. The trade off for this strategic advantage is that the dealer has special privileges on weak hands, too.
If the dealer’s up-card is a 3 thru 6, that card is immediately discarded and replaced with the next one in the shoe. The dealer can only replace this card once per hand. Add in the fact that the dealer peeks for blackjack, and claims all bets, before the player has the option to take Half Back, and you get a rather overall high house edge o 1.3%.
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on two-card hard 9-11 only
- Splitting: Yes, up to 3x
- Double after Split: Yes
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Resplit Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Tie for Blackjack: Player wins 1:1
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 1.30%
Upcard Bonus Side Bet
This optional side bet wins if the dealer’s up-card is 3, 4, 5 or 6, and is replaced with a new up-card that is not also a 3, 4, 5 or 6. See the pay table below for pay rates.
| Dealer’s Replacement Up-Card Is or Results In | Payout |
| Blackjack | 20:1 |
| Ace | 8:1 |
| 10 or Face Card | 3:1 |
| 7, 8, or 9 | 1:1 |
| Anything else | Loss |
| House Edge = 3.43% |
See the Complete Rules of Half Back Blackjack
Hi Lo 13 Blackjack
Hi Lo 13 Blackjack is a basic variant of the game on the outside, with a special Hi/Lo/13 side bet underneath. Players can bet that their original to cards will be Hi, equaling anywhere from 14 to 20, Lo, adding up to a total between 2 and 12, or an exact total of 13.
The rules of the base game can vary from one live or online casino to the next. Those found at Microgaming online casinos are as follows:
- Decks: 2
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on 9, 10 and 11 only
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: No
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: No
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.53%
Hi / Lo / 13 Side Bet Payouts
Three side bet boxes are visible to the right of the main game bet box. Click a box to place a bet in the selected chip size. Note that all Aces count as 1 for the purpose of calculating side bet totals, therefore the lowest and highest possible totals are 2 and 20 respectively. Of interesting note, any hand involving an Ace will be Lo.
I’ve chosen to display the house edge for each side bet as they are not the same. The best edge is found on the Hi bet, but is still pretty bad at over 6%.
| Player’s Two-Card Total | Payout | Edge % |
| Lo (2-12) | 1 : 1 | 7.99% |
| Hi (14-20) | 1 : 1 | 6.65% |
| 13 Exactly | 10 : 1 | 10.08% |
See the Complete Rules of Hi-Lo 13 Blackjack
High Streak Blackjack
This is just a standard variation of blackjack in almost every way, except for its streak-based side bet. Players have the option of betting on whether they will win on consecutive hands. The more hands won in a row, the higher the payout becomes. A push does not count as a win or loss, and splitting will not count as more than one hand; only the overall result matters (i.e. player will either win chips, lose chips, or push).
As far as I can tell, this game is only available at online casinos (which is a shame, because it would be fantastic for strategic card counters). The specific rules, as applied to Microgaming’s Premier High Streak Blackjack, are as follows:
- Decks: 2
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on 9, 10 and 11 only
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: No
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: No
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.53%
High Streak Side Bet Payouts
The payouts for this optional side bet grow larger as the streak of wins increases. This bet can be placed after 5 consecutive wins, continuing to pay 10 to 1 for a win.
| Player’s Consecutive Wins | Payout |
| Two wins | 1 : 1 |
| Three wins | 2 : 1 |
| Four wins | 5 : 1 |
| Five wins | 10 : 1 |
See the Complete Rules of High Streak Blackjack
Infinite Blackjack (Live)
An all-inclusive variation of blackjack found on the award-winning Evolution Gaming live casino platform, Infinite Blackjack is a low-limit, unlimited seat game where all players share the initial two-card hand. From there, each can choose separately to hit, stand, double, split or buy insurance, as applicable. As an added bonus for players, it also comes with a Six Card Charlie rule.
Infinite Blackjack offers four optional side bet wagers. They include 21+3, Any Pair, Hot 3, and Bust It.
The dealer/player rules applied to the base game are as follows:
- Decks: 8
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: No
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- 6-Card Charlie: Players wins 1:1 with 6-card total of 21 or less
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.45%
See the Complete Rules of Live Infinite Blackjack
Jackpot Blackjack
See Crazy Blackjack
Lightning Blackjack (Live)
Direct from the award-winning live casino studios of Evolution Gaming comes Lightning Blackjack, a unique, real-dealer game that offers the chance to win big bet multipliers.
For the most part, it’s a regular game of blackjack. However, players have the option to pay a non-refundable Lightning Fee, equal to their bet. If the fee is paid, and the player wins the hand, they will earn a multiplier for the next hand. The size of the multiplier depends on the value of the winning hand that triggers it. The value of the next bet the multiplier is applied to cannot exceed the original bet that triggered it, either.
For example, if a player bets $10 and wins the hand, they can bet any amount (within table limits) on the next hand. However, only $10 of the next bet will receive the win multiplier.
A multiplier is only awarded if the player wins the hand in which the Lightning Fee is paid. A random multiplier is then added to the value of the next hand. If the player loses the next hand, the multiplier is lost as well. If the player wins the next hand, their payout is boosted by the applicable multiplier.
The following table shows all possible multipliers that can be awarded, depending on the value of the winning hand that triggers it.
| Triggering Hand Value | Possible Multipliers |
| up to 17 | 2x |
| 18 | 2x, 3x, 4x |
| 19 | 3x, 4x, 5x, 6x |
| 20 | 4x, 5x, 6x, 8x |
| 21 | 5x, 6x, 8x, 10x, 12x |
| Blackjack | 6x, 8x, 12x, 15x, 20x |
As for the base game, the rules are:
- Decks: 8 (reshuffle at ~50% depth)
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: No
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes, with Ace only
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.44%
See the Complete Rules of Lightning Blackjack (Coming Soon)
Lucky 7 Blackjack
Lucky 7 is a multi-hand variant of blackjack from Amaya. Players can participate in up to three hands at once. Its name comes from a dastardly Lucky Sevens side bet, in which the player only wins it if his first three cards are 7s. This means the player needs to be dealt 7-7, then either hit or split those cards to get a third 7. If the odds weren’t bad enough, it gets nastier. When the dealer gets blackjack, the player won’t have the chance to hit/split for a third seven. Put that all altogether, and the edge on the side bet is an abysmal 49.89%!
The specific rules of the blackjack base game are:
- Decks: 8
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.49%
See the Complete Rules of Lucky 7 Blackjack
Lucky 13s Blackjack
Lucky 13s is far from your typical game. I don’t believe it’s even in existence anymore, but just in case you come across it – or its creators attempt a reboot – here’s a brief description. It uses 64-card decks, including four 11s, four 12s, and four 13s. The goal of achieving the closest hand to 21 without busting remains intact.
As you can imagine, this creates for a lot more busted hands. It’s actually possible to bust on the initial two cards, before taking any action. To slightly reduce this chance, players who are dealt a pair of 11s, 12s, or 13s can elect to split the hand. If they do not split, they will automatically bust. Of course, by splitting, they run the risk of busting two hands, and losing two bets.
You can surely see why it didn’t catch on…
Lucky Blackjack (Playtech)
One of the most unique blackjack variants you’ll ever come across, this one doesn’t pit the player against the dealer. There’s only one hand – the dealer’s hand. The player’s job is to bet on the outcome of that hand, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, Blackjack or Bust, with payouts ranging from 2:1 to 19:1.
Available at Playtech online casinos, the rules of Lucky Blackjack are as follows:
- Decks: 1
- Dealer Draws: To any 17 or more
| Lucky Blackjack Bets | Payout | Edge % |
| 17 | 5 : 1 | 12.50% |
| 18 | 6 : 1 | 3.36% |
| 19 | 6 : 1 | 5.63% |
| 20 | 4 : 1 | 12.10% |
| 21 | 12 : 1 | 4.28% |
| Blackjack (21) | 19 : 1 | 3.47% |
| Bust | 2 : 1 | 14.92% |
See the Complete Rules of Lucky Blackjack (Playtech)
Lucky Blackjack (Yggdrasil)
A spin-off of Yggdrasil’s highly successful Sonya Blackjack, Lucky is the name of this game’s highly realistic 3D dealer. These tables is touted as a perfect mix between live and RNG-based games, offering multiplayer action while using computerized mechanics to shuffle and deal, and obtaining a supremely realistic interface through advanced motion-capture technology.
Lucky Blackjack has a basic set of game rules, but employs two innovative side bets known as Lucky Lucky and Lucky Ladies.
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.46%
Lucky Side Bets
There are two optional ‘Lucky’ side bets. Their requirements and pay tables are as follows:
| Lucky Lucky (Player’s 2 cards + Dealer’s up card) | Payout |
| Total 19 | 1 : 1 |
| Total 20 | 2 : 1 |
| Total 21, mixed suits | 3 : 1 |
| Total 21, same suits | 15 : 1 |
| 6-7-8, mixed suits | 25 : 1 |
| 7-7-7, mixed suits | 100 : 1 |
| 6-7-8, same suits | 200 : 1 |
| 7-7-7, same suits | 500 : 1 |
| Lucky Ladies (Player’s first 2 cards) | Payout |
| Includes 1 Queen | 1 : 1 |
| Total of 20, mixed suits | 3 : 1 |
| Total of 20, same suits | 10 : 1 |
| Matched 20, pair with same suits | 30 : 1 |
| Matched Queens of Hearts | 100 : 1 |
See the Complete Rules of Lucky Blackjack (Yggdrasil)
Lucky Cat Blackjack
Lucky Cat is a variant by renowned casino games creator, Geoff Hall. It is like traditional blackjack in almost every way, except that Lucky Cat dice are rolled in special circumstances where the dealer would ordinarily bust.
There are two versions of this game. One calls for the dice to be rolled if the dealer busts with any total. The other calls for dice only when the dealer draws to 22. In either case, the outcome of the dice determines what happens next.
Lucky Cat 21 V-1, Dealer Bust
In this version, there are three Lucky Cat Dice. Each contains one white cat, one gold cat, and four blank sides. If the dealer busts, the three dice are rolled. If no cats appear on any of the dice, the result of the hand is a push. If any cat appears, the player wins an amount according to the following pay table.
| Lucky Cat Dice Roll | Payout | Probability |
| 3 Matching Cats | 10 to 1 | 0.93% |
| 3 Mixed Cats | 3 to 1 | 2.78% |
| 2 Cats (Any) | 3 to 2 | 22.22% |
| 1 Cat (Any) | 1 to 1 | 44.45% |
| No Cats | Push | 29.63% |
| House Edge | 1.29% |
Although the most common outcome is the same 1 to 1 payout you would normally receive for the dealer busting, it’s important to note that the total return is reduced from 1.00 to 0.95. That means that you can expect to miss out on $0.05 of every $1.00 you would have won without this rule. It translates to an additional 1.29% added to the house edge of any standard blackjack game it’s attached to.
Lucky Cat 21 V-2, Dealer 22
In this version, four Lucky Cat Dice are used. Each die contains one Lucky Cat, and five blank sides. If the dealer draws to a 22, then the dice shall be rolled. All standing hands will be paid according to one of the two pay tables below.
| Lucky Cat Dice Roll | Pay Table 1 | Pay Table 2 | Probability |
| 4 Cats | 100 to 1 | 50 to 1 | 0.08% |
| 3 Cats | 10 to 1 | 10 to 1 | 1.54% |
| 2 Cats | 3 to 1 | 2 to 1 | 11.58% |
| 1 Cat | 1 to 1 | 1 to 1 | 38.58% |
| No Cats | Push | Push | 48.23% |
| House Edge | -0.34% | -1.44% |
We can clearly see that the first pay table is far more rewarding than the second. However, the negative impact in house edge means you’re still losing out on money that you would have otherwise won, were it not for the rolling of Lucky Cat Dice. Pay table 1 adds 0.34% to the house edge of the blackjack game. Pay table 2 increases the edge by 1.44%.
Majestic 21
See Panama 21
Match Play 21
See Spanish 21
Mega Blackjack
Direct from AGS Las Vegas, Mega Blackjack is a fairly standard game in most regards. It has a few very player-friendly rules, and one giant house-friendly rule to counter it.
To the player’s advantage…
all blackjacks will pay at least 3 to 1. Depending on the pay table in use, special combination blackjacks can pay as high as 5 to 1, or even 10 to 1. If the dealer also had blackjack, however, it’s a push.
To the player’s detriment…
If the dealer busts with four or more cards, all standing bets push. The odds of this happening are higher than you might think; 1 in every 8.9 hands, or 11.27% of the time.
The impact this rules has on the house edge depends on the pay table in use. the three known blackjack pay tables for Mega Blackjack, and their respective house edges, are:
| Winning Blackjack Hand | Pay Table 1 | Pay Table 2 | Pay Table 3 |
| Ace of Spades + King of Spades | 3 to 1 | 5 to 1 | 10 to 1 |
| Any Other Suited Ace + King | 3 to 1 | 5 to 1 | 3 to 1 |
| Any Other Blackjack | 3 to 1 | 3 to 1 | 3 to 1 |
| House Edge | 1.34% | 0.82% | 0.89% |
The standard rules of the game are as follows:
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on 9, 10 or 11 only
- Splitting: Yes, up to 3x
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: Yes
- Surrender: No
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 1 (or more, see Pay Tables above)
- Dealer Bust w/ 4+ Cards: Push against all Standing hands
- House Edge: 0.40%
See the Complete Rules of Mega Blackjack (Coming Soon)
Multi-Hand Blackjack
The only exceptional thing about Multi-Hand Blackjack is that – as the name clearly implies – players can participate in more than one hand at a time. Think of it as occupying more than one seat at the blackjack table. Otherwise, the rules are pretty standard, although they will vary slightly from one casino to the next.
The following rules are employed at Microgaming’s online Multi-Hand Blackjack Classic Gold Series tables.
- Decks: 5
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on 9, 10 or 11 only
- Splitting: Yes, 1x only
- Double after Split: No
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: Yes
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: No
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.40%
See the Complete Rules of Multi-Hand Blackjack
Neon Classic Blackjack
A beautifully rendered online blackjack variant from FUGASO, this game’s biggest draw is its purple-accented neon overlay. It comes in standard 8-deck and single-deck editions (see below). The following rules apply:
- Decks: 8
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.67%
See the Complete Rules of Neon Classic Blackjack
Neon Classic Single-Deck Blackjack
The single-deck edition of Neon Classic Blackjack from FUGASO, this one offers the same graphic appeal, but a variable rule set with a marginally lower house edge. The following rules apply:
- Decks: 1
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on 10 or 11 only
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: No
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.48%
See the Complete Rules of Neon Single-Deck Blackjack
Never Bust 21
If Blackjack and Baccarat had a child, this is what it might look like. Never Bust 21 is a game in which no decisions are made. House rules determine the outcome of all hands, Player and Dealer. And, as the name suggests, you cannot bust. Here’s how it works. Like the dealer’s rules in traditional blackjack, all hands will hit until reaching hard 17, or soft 18 (i.e. hit soft 17). If a hand busts, the card that busted it is discarded, and the hand must stand on its resulting total. For example, a hand of 14 that takes a 9 would bust with 23. Instead, the 9 is discarded and the hand stands on 14. To ensure the house always has an edge, anytime the dealer stands on 15, the result is a push. Players earn 3 to 2 for blackjack, but it’s not enough to make up for the Push-15. The house edge by these rules is a rather daunting 1.89% (RTP 98.11%). Add in that some casinos choose to pay just 6 to 5 for blackjack, and the house edge rises to 3.24% (RTP 96.76%).
See the Complete Rules of Never Bust Blackjack (Coming Soon)
No Bust 21
If you were expecting big a similarity with Never Bust 21, you’ll be disappointed. The only thing these games have in common is that the player cannot bust. The way they are played is entirely different. No Bust 21 is just like regular blackjack, but with two major rule alterations. First, if a hand busts, it is a push. That goes for the player or dealer. If both player and dealer bust, and the player’s total is closer to 21, it’s a push. If the dealer’s total is closer to 21, the player loses. Second, there are two jokers in each deck. If a joker is played to any hand, the total is automatically 21. If the dealer has a Joker showing, the player must stand on his two-card total. The highest possible hand is two jokers, known as a “Natural”. This automatic winner pays 2 to 1 for the player, but pushes if the dealer also has one. The trade-off is that there are no blackjacks. An Ace + 10 is simply a total of 21. The result is a not-so-friendly house edge of 1.71%-1.89%, depending on the number of decks in use. House rules:
- Decks: 6 54-Card Decks (w/ Jokers)
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: Yes (unless dealer has Joker up)
- Dealer Peeks: No (all bets lose to dealer Joker)
- Natural (2 Jokers) Pays: 2 to 1
- Tie for Natural: Push
- House Edge: 1.71%-1.89%
As previously stated, the house ends depends on the number of decks in use. Here’s a house edge comparison by number of decks.
| # of Decks | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| House Edge | 1.71% | 1.82% | 1.88% | 1.89% | 1.89% |
See the Complete Rules of No Bust 21 (Coming Soon)
Ochko
See 21 Bet
ONE Blackjack (Live)
Pragmatic Play released ONE Blackjack in March of 2021. It’s an infinite-player version of live blackjack where everyone competes with the same hand. In fact, it’s a mirror image of Evolution’s Infinite Blackjack, except for a slight variation in the side bets. Here’s all you need to know.
- Decks: 8
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: No
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- 6-Card Charlie: 6-card total of 21 or less wins 1 to 1
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes, only on Ace, not 10
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.55%
Side Bet & Payouts
ONE Blackjack offers four optional side bets – 21+3, Pairs, Dealer Bust, and Crazy 7. You’ll find the full details on our rules page, so I won’t bother listing them all here. See the Complete Rules of Live ONE Blackjack
One Up 21
Lauded by its creators as the “world’s easiest blackjack game”, One Up starts every hand with just that – one card up. That card is always the King of Spades. Every player starts with a King of Spades, as does the dealer. It’s printed right on the table felt for each position. Thus, the game is halfway complete the moment you place a bet.
A few other rules variations separate One Up from a traditional blackjack game. All face cards are removed, so each deck has just 40 cards; Aces and 2s thru 10s. Doubling is allowed on any two-card total (one being the K♠).
Splitting is possible, but not in the usual way. If the player’s second and third card pair, they can be split into two hands. For example, with K-3-3, the 3s can split into two hands of K-3, K-3. That’s not to say having two hands of 13 is a good thing, but it’s better than a hand of 16, especially with all the face card removed. In fact, basic strategy recommends splitting 2s or 3s.
There are special rules for blackjack hands, as well. The best hand is a blackjack in spades. For this, the player wins 2:1, unless dealer also has blackjack in spades (push). Any other blackjack wins 1 to 1 against all but a dealer blackjack (push), or dealer blackjack in spades (lose). Since he has a King showing, the dealer always peeks for blackjack.
See the Complete Rules of One Up 21 (Coming Soon)
Open 21
Open 21 is very similar to Double Exposure Blackjack. Both dealer cards are played face up. All ties push, all player blackjacks (except tie) win 3 to 2, and a total of 21 automatically wins. But all those player-friendly rules come with a price. In this case, it’s a forced side bet known as the Odds Win Side Bet.
Before the game starts, the player must place a bet on their hand, plus the Odds Win side bet, which must be equal to at least half the original bet. If the player’s first two cards sum up to an Odd total, and the player goes on to win the hand, the Odds Win bet is paid at 2 to 1. If the first two cards are even, or if the player loses the hand, the side bet is lost. Should the total be odd, and the player ties the dealer, the side bet will push.
This mandatory bet, at just 50% of the original bet, has bad enough odds that it gives the house an edge of 0.51% (if dealer hits soft 17), or 0.96% (if dealer stands on soft 17).
Static rules of the game are as follows:
- Decks: 6
- Surrender: No
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- Auto-Win 21: Player automatically wins on total of 21
- All Ties: Push
- House Edge: 1.20%
Odds Win Side Bet
This mandatory side bet pays based on the following criteria and odds.
| Players Hand Conditions | Pays |
| First 2 cards equal Odd sum + Player wins hand | 2 to 1 |
| First 2 cards equal Odd sum + Player ties hand | Push |
| First 2 cards equal Odd sum + Player loses hand | Lose |
| First 2 cards equal Even sum + Any other result | Lose |
Perfect 11 Side Bet
This is an optional side bet in Open 21. It wins if the player’s first two cards total 11 points. Payouts increase for suited totals of 11. A blackjack also wins, since it could also total 11, but the payout is lower, and suited don’t matter.
| Players First 2 Cards Total… | Pays |
| Suited 11 | 22 to 1 |
| Unsuited 11 | 10 to 1 |
| Any Blackjack | 5 to 1 |
| Anything else | Lose |
See the Complete Rules of Open 21 (Coming Soon)
Panama 21
I call this Panama 21 because every casino in Panama seems to offer it, but they all name it after their own property. For example, the Canal Casino calls it Canal 21; the Majestic Casino calls it Majestic 21; you get the idea.
The rules are basic, with some extra paying hands to watch out for. They include suited and unsuited 3 of a Kind, 6-7-8, and a 5-, 6- or 7-card 21. See payouts below for details. Note that No Hole Card/OBO rules apply, wherein the player loses his original bet only if the dealer has blackjack.
- Decks: 4
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, up to 3x
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: Yes
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Early Surrender: Yes, except against dealer Ace
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: No (OBO)
- Blackjack Pays: 1 to 1
- 3 of a Kind Suited Pays: 20 to 1
- 3 of a Kind Unsuited Pays: 3 to 1
- 6-7-8 Suited Pays: 5 to 1
- 6-7-8 Unsuited Pays: 3 to 1
- 7-Card 21 Pays: 5 to 1
- 6-Card 21 Pays: 3 to 1
- 5-Card 21 Pays: 2 to 1
- House Edge: 1.20%
See the Complete Rules of Panama 21 (Coming Soon)
Perfect Blackjack
This Playtech-inspired online blackjack variant is a misnomer all around. There’s nothing perfect about it. It carries a 10-card Charlie, which is just ridiculous, and doesn’t require the dealer to check for blackjack, resulting in the player losing any double/split bets if the dealer has an Ace showing. The term ‘Perfect’ applies only to the fact that a ‘Perfect Pairs’ side bet is available. Playtech just wanted to shorten the name, I guess.
The rules state:
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: No
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- 7-Card Charlie: Player wins 1:1 with 7 cards totaling 21 or less
- House Edge: 0.43%
Perfect Pair Side Bet Payouts
This side bet wins if the player is dealt any pair, paying a larger amount if the colors match, and larger again for matching suits. Note that this optional side bet wins or loses before the blackjack hand is played out, and has no bearing on the outcome of the blackjack hand.
| Player Hand Requirements | Payout |
| First two cards pair, colors mixed | 6 : 1 |
| First two cards pair, colors match | 12 : 1 |
| First two cards pair, suits match | 25 : 1 |
See the Complete Rules of Perfect Blackjack
Perfect Pairs Blackjack
Perfect Pairs is an RTG online blackjack variant that follows most traditional rules of 21, but with an optional side bet. The Perfect Pairs Side Bet is a wager that the first two cards dealt to a player on the original hand (split hands do not count) will be a pair.
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, 2x
- Double after Split: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: No
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.54%
Perfect Pair Side Bet Payouts
The payouts for the side bet scale larger based on whether the pairs are mixed colors, same colors, or of the same suit. Note that the optional side bet wins or loses before the blackjack hand is played out. It has no bearing on the outcome of the blackjack hand.
| Player Hand Requirements | Payout |
| First two cards pair, colors mixed | 6 : 1 |
| First two cards pair, colors match | 12 : 1 |
| First two cards pair, suits match | 25 : 1 |
See the Complete Rules of Perfect Pairs Blackjack
Pick ‘Em Blackjack
This is a superbly interesting variant of 21 patented by a company called Pat Jack Gaming, LLC. It won the best game award at the 2014 Raving Table Games show in Las Vegas, and has since made off-and-on appearances at casinos all over North America.
The premise of the game is an attractive one. Players can forgo being dealt cards and choose to bet on a predestined hand value of 17, 18 or 19 – or, they can play a traditional, randomly dealt hand of blackjack like they would at any other table.
There are pros and cons to choosing a predetermined value. For example, 17 may not be a fantastic hand, but if you choose it and the dealer goes on to bust, you’ll receive a payout of 3:2; the same payout as a natural blackjack in a standard dealt game. Choosing a hand of 18 will pay 1:1 for a win, whereas electing to play the higher 19 will come with a low payout of 1:2, since your odds of winning are higher. Standard, random-dealt hands follow traditional rules and payouts.
Pick ‘Em Payouts for Elective Totals
- Winning 17 Pays 3:2
- Winning 18 Pays 1:1
- Winning 19 Pays 1:2
Another unique thing about this game is that players can elect to play any or all of these hands. You could place a wager in the 17, 18 and 19 betting circles, as well as one in the larger, standard-hand betting circle. Or, you can choose any combination of these bets.
Note that a player who bets on pre-valued hands only (17, 18 and/or 19) will not be dealt any cards.
Some view Pick ‘Em Blackjack as a side bet. Some call it a variant of 21. I believe it qualifies as both. The fact that players can participate only in the so-called ‘side bet’ makes it a game all on its own. Then again, the base-game rules can fluctuate greatly from one casino to the next, making it seem more like a side bet. Call it the Tomato of the blackjack world, if you will. For arguments sake, I’m publishing this on two pages; the Complete List of all Canadian Blackjack Variations (the page you’re on now), as well as our list of Blackjack Side Bets.
Pick One 21
This game barely qualifies as blackjack, but because it’s based loosely on the rules of ‘closest hand to 21 without busting’, it’s worthy of inclusion here. Pick One 21 is more like a bastard child of blackjack and baccarat. Players make no decisions and have no hand of their own. Instead, they pick which of the two hands – both automatically played by house rules – will win.
To make things a bit easier, both hands are dealt – each with one card face up, one face down – before players choose which hand they want to bet on. Point values are the same as blackjack, except Aces are always 1, never 11. Unlike baccarat, there’s no Player / Banker hands. There’s a RED hand and a BLUE hand. Thus, you can bet on RED, BLUE, or TIE.
Once all bets are placed, the dealer turns over the remaining cards. Starting with the Red hand, if the total is 16 or below, the dealer will hit it. When the hand total is 17-21, it will stand. If the hand exceeds 21, it busts. But this does not mean Blue automatically wins. Once Red is done (stand or bust), the Blue hand is played in the exact same manner.
- The hand that is closest to 21 without going over wins.
- If one hand busts and the other does not, the unbusted hand wins.
- If both hands end with the same value, or both hands bust, all Tie bets win.
- All winning bets pay 1 to 1.
Premium Hands
As any good blackjack player knows, there are certain hands that are far more likely to win than others. the rules of Pick One 21 call these Premium Hands. A premium hand is one with a 10-point showing, against a hand with any 2-9 showing. A player who bets on this hand is more likely to win, so the casino adjusts the payouts to retain its edge.
A bet on a Premium Hand (10 vs. 2-9) must go on to beat the other hand to win a payout. If the hand ties, loses or busts, the bet is lost.
See the Complete Rules of Pick One 21 (Coming Soon)
Player’s Choice Blackjack
This game sounds great, in theory, and is a lot of fun to play, if you don’t mind a terrible house edge. Let me explain.
Each player receives three cards to start. As usual, the dealer gets two cards; one up, one down. Of the three cards, the player must choose one to act as a common card between two hands. So if the player is dealt 10-10-Ace, he can put the Ace in the common card slot, resulting in two blackjacks. Or, if dealt 2-8-10, he can place the 8 in the common slot for hands of 10 and 18. Standard blackjack rules apply from here on out.
What destroys an otherwise all-too-friendly house edge is a forced side bet. Players must make three bets to start; 1 equal unit on each hand, plus another bet of at least 1 unit on a 3 Card Bonus side bet. This mandatory side bet has terrible odds (25% house edge), ensuring the casino has the upper hand overall.
3 Card bonus Side Bet
This bet pays out based on the value of the player’s first three cards. The player will use them to make up a 3-card poker hand, and will need at least a pair to win anything. The following pay table applies.
| 3-Card Hand Requirements | Payout |
| Mini Royal (A-K-Q, suited) | 75 : 1 |
| 3 of a Kind, Suited | 60 : 1 |
| Straight Flush | 20 : 1 |
| 3 of a Kind | 10 : 1 |
| Straight | 2 : 1 |
| Flush + Pair | 3 : 2 |
| Flush | 3 : 2 |
| Pair | 1 : 1 |
| Anything Else | Lose |
| House Edge | 25.00% |
The rules of the standard blackjack game – doubling, splitting, number of decks – are up to the casino. No matter what rules are enforced, that 25% edge will override any possible advantage the player’s choice common card may afford.
Player’s Edge Blackjack
Player’s Edge is a blackjack variant closely related to Spanish 21. It uses eight 48-card decks, with all 10s removed (face cards remain). Doubling is allowed anytime, with splits/doubles up to 3x per hand, even after splitting Aces. All the usual winning hands and boosted payouts are included, as well.
Only two rules differ in Player’s Edge Blackjack. First, if the player receives a perfect pair (same rank and suit) on any two-card hand, it automatically wins. Second, insurance bets pay 5:1 if the dealer has a suited blackjack (still a sucker bet, don’t do it).
Rules are as follows:
- Decks: 8
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes
- Splitting: Yes
- Double after Split: Yes
- Surrender: Yes
- Double Down Rescue: Yes (Surrender after Doubling)
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- Insurance Pays: 5 to 1 for suited blackjack; 2 to 1 for mixed blackjack
- House Edge: 0.27%
Special Hand Bonus Payouts
| Player / Dealer Hand Requirements | Payout |
| Player has suited 777 + Dealer has any 7 showing | $1,000 for bets of $5-24 $5,000 for bets of $25+ |
| Player has 6-7-8 or 7-7-7 in Spades* | 3 : 1 |
| 7-card total of 21** | 3 : 1 |
| Player has 6-7-8 or 7-7-7 Suited, not Spades* | 2 : 1 |
| 6-card total of 21** | 2 : 1 |
| Player has 6-7-8 or 7-7-7 Unsuited* | 3 : 2 |
| 5-card total of 21** | 3 : 2 |
| *bonus payout null after doubling only **bonus payout null after doubling or splitting |
See the Complete Rules of Player’s Edge Blackjack (Coming Soon)
Pontoon
This is a favorite of many old-school blackjack players, due to its paying the absolute highest you’ll find for a natural blackjack (aka Pontoon), paying 2 to 1. A 5-Card Charlie (or as it’s known, 5-Card Trick) also pays 2 to 1.
- Decks: 8
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on any 2, 3 or 4 cards, but only once
- Splitting: Yes, up to 2x
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: Yes
- Split Aces Pontoon: Splitting Aces into a 2-card 21 counts as Pontoon
- Dealer Checks for Pontoon: No
- Player / Dealer Tie: Dealer always wins, even with Pontoon
- 5-Card Trick Pays: 2 to 1
- Pontoon Pays: 2 to 1
- House Edge: 0.38%
See the Complete Rules of Pontoon
Power Blackjack (Live)
Power Blackjack is one of the newest variants to hit the live dealer casino market, thanks to the creative minds at Evolution Gaming. It puts an interesting twist on the usual rules, aimed at resolving the age-old argument – how do you make big money playing blackjack without placing big bets?
The concept is simple. In addition to the standard Double Down option, player’s can Triple Down or even Quadruple Down. You can do this on any hand value, but only on original two-card hands, before or after a split. The trade off for such generosity is the removal of all 9s and 10s from the deck. This effectively removes 40% of all cards worth 9 or 10 points (only face cards remain).
Power Blackjack is modeled after Evolution’s Infinite Blackjack tables, wherein every player acts upon the same hand. As such, an infinite number of players can be accommodated at a single table. Everyone plays the hand their own way, thanks tot he power of digital depiction. Even if some players split the hand, those who do not split will see a single hand, and vice versa.
These basic game rules and house edge applied:
- Decks: 8
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling / Tripling / Quadrupling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double / Triple / Quadruple after Split: No
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- 6-Card Charlie: Players wins 1:1 with 6-card total of 21 or less
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 1.20%
Side Bets
In addition to the base game, players have the option to place up to four side bets on each hand. They include 21+3, Any Pair, Hot 3 and Bust It. Press on those links to learn more about them.
See the Complete Rules of Power Blackjack
Progressive Blackjack
As the name implies, Progressive Blackjack is a popular variation that carries with it the chance to win a progressive jackpot prize. In Playtech’s version, the progressive is won when a player who makes this side bet is dealt four Aces of the same suit. Smaller prizes are awarded for being dealt at least two Aces of any suit.
The rules of Progressive Blackjack may vary from one casino to the next. Those applied by Playtech are as follows:
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: No
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.43%
Progressive Side Bet Payouts
This side bet wins if the player is dealt at least two Aces, with the progressive awarded for being dealt four Aces of the same suit. For this to happen, the player has to be dealt a pair of suited Aces, split them, and be dealt another pair of the same suited Aces on top of of those. Note that this is an optional side bet. The player must bet $1 to active it. The outcome of the side bet has no bearing on the result of the blackjack hand.
| Player Hand Requirements | Payout |
| Two Aces, mixed suits | 25 : 1 |
| Two Aces, same suits | 100 : 1 |
| Three Aces, mixed suits | 250 : 1 |
| Four Aces, mixed suits | 2,500 : 1 |
| Three Aces, same suits | 5,000 : 1 |
| Four Aces, same suits | Jackpot |
See the Complete Rules of Progressive Blackjack
Quantum Blackjack (Live)
Quantum Blackjack is a live dealer game available exclusively at Playtech powered casinos. It is, in many ways, similar to their Unlimited Blackjack game, wherein only a single player hand is dealt (from an 8-deck shoe) to an infinite number of players. Everyone plays this hand against the dealers, but each participant is allowed to play the hand in their own way, within the limitations base-game rules – stand, hit, double down, or split, as applicable.
What makes this version different is the presence of a separate, single deck of cards, known as the Quantum Deck. With each hand of blackjack, a random number of Quantum Cards, 1, 2 or 3, will be dealt from this deck and placed face up in a special section of the table. Each of these cards receive a random multiplier of 3x up to 10x. If the player’s hand is dealt one of these cards as an exact match, and goes on to win the hand, the payout will be awarded based on that cards Quantum multiplier.
As a trade off for this potentially high-paying convenience, any time the dealer’s hand busts with three cards, every player with a standing hand will push. As terrible as that sounds – and it really is terrible – Playtech puts the player’s return at 99.47%.
The game follows these rules:
- Decks: 8
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Dealer 3-Card Bust: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.53%
Side Bets & Payouts
Quantum Blackjack presents two optional side bets; 21 +3 and Perfect Pairs. Their respective hand requirements and pay tables are as follows:
| 21+3 Side Bet (Player’s 2 cards + Dealer’s 1st card) | Payout |
| 3-Card Flush | 5 : 1 |
| 3-Card Straight | 10 : 1 |
| 3 of a Kind | 30 : 1 |
| 3-Card Straight Flush | 40 : 1 |
| 3 of a Kind, all same suit | 100 : 1 |
| Perfect Pairs Side Bet (Player’s 2 cards) | Payout |
| Pair, mixed suits | 6 : 1 |
| Pair, same color | 12 : 1 |
| Pair, same suit | 25 : 1 |
See the Complete Rules of Live Quantum Blackjack
Quick Pay Blackjack
This blackjack variation allows players to hedge their bets and to take a partial win with an initial, two-card hand worth 18, 19 or 20 before ever facing off against the dealer. It’s called the ‘Quick Pay’ option, for which the game is titled. How do casinos still make money offering such generous rules? By declaring a dastardly counter of their own.
In this case, the Dealer’s Hard 17 will push against all standing player hands. At least it’s a push – not a loss. The game follow traditional rules in most ways, except where betting is concerned. Players start with a regular Bet and a Surrender/Play bet. These are settled based on who, if anyone (player and/or dealer) has a blackjack, and the player’s hand value. If the player has 18-20, he has the option of pressing the Quick Pay, thereby ending the hand.
Note that the Surrender/Play (S/P) bet will always Push. If no one has blackjack and/or the player’s hand does not bust or end on a quick Pay, both bets combine into one to form a single bet on a standard blackjack game. Here are the circumstances that can end the hand early, in order of prevalence.:
- Player Blackjack – Bet wins 6:5, S/P pushes
- Dealer Blackjack – Bet loses, S/P pushes
- Player & Dealer Blackjack – Both bets push
- Player total 20 – Bet pays 1:1, S/P pushes
- Player total 19 – Bet pays 1:2, S/P pushes
- Player total 18 – Both bets push
If the game has not ended at this point, the player can elect to place Hedge Bets on the chance that the dealer’s hand will end with a total of 18-21. The following are a pair of common pay tables applied to Quick Pay 21 Hedge Bets, with payouts based on the dealer’s up-card.
| PAY TABLE 1 |
Dealer Hand Ends with Total of…
|
|||
| Up-Card | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| Ace | 3 to 1 | 3 to 1 | 3 to 1 | 8 to 1 |
| 2 | 5 to 1 | 5 to 1 | 6 to 1 | 6 to 1 |
| 3 | 5 to 1 | 6 to 1 | 6 to 1 | 6 to 1 |
| 4 | 6 to 1 | 6 to 1 | 6 to 1 | 6 to 1 |
| 5 | 6 to 1 | 6 to 1 | 6 to 1 | 5 to 1 |
| 6 | 6 to 1 | 6 to 1 | 7 to 1 | 5 to 1 |
| 7 | 5 to 1 | 10 to 1 | 10 to 1 | 10 to 1 |
| 8 | 1.2 to 1 | 5 to 1 | 11 to 1 | 11 to 1 |
| 9 | 6 to 1 | 1.5 to 1 | 6 to 1 | 12 to 1 |
| 10 | 6 to 1 | 6 to 1 | 1.2 to 1 | 20 to 1 |
| PAY TABLE 2 |
Dealer Hand Ends with Total of…
|
|||
| Up-Card | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| Ace | 3 to 1 | 3 to 1 | 3 to 1 | 9 to 1 |
| 2 | 6 to 1 | 6 to 1 | 6 to 1 | 7 to 1 |
| 3 | 6 to 1 | 6 to 1 | 7 to 1 | 7 to 1 |
| 4 | 6 to 1 | 7 to 1 | 7 to 1 | 7 to 1 |
| 5 | 7 to 1 | 7 to 1 | 7 to 1 | 8 to 1 |
| 6 | 7 to 1 | 7 to 1 | 7 to 1 | 8 to 1 |
| 7 | 6 to 1 | 11 to 1 | 11 to 1 | 12 to 1 |
| 8 | 1.5 to 1 | 6 to 1 | 12 to 1 | 12 to 1 |
| 9 | 7 to 1 | 1.5 to 1 | 7 to 1 | 15 to 1 |
| 10 | 7 to 1 | 7 to 1 | 1.5 to 1 | 25 to 1 |
See the Complete Rules of Live Quick Pay Blackjack
Red Queen Blackjack
Unique to online casinos powered by 1×2 Gaming, Red Queen Blackjack is a variant with one special rule. Any time a player is dealt a natural blackjack containing a queen of hearts or diamonds, the payout increases from 3 to 2, to 2 to 1. Toss that on top of the rules detailed below, and the house edge falls from 0.46% to one of the lowest available online or on land; just 0.18%.
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- Red Queen Blackjack Pays: 2 to 1
- House Edge: 0.18%
See the Complete Rules of Red Queen Blackjack
Royale Blackjack
This is a basic variant of blackjack with a savvy name. It belongs to the iGaming portfolio of Pragmatic Play, and comes with a standard set of rules.
- Decks: 4+
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.46%
See the Complete Rules of Royale Blackjack
Rummy 21
If you’ve ever visited a casino in Costa Rica, you may have learned that blackjack is illegal in the country. So gambling halls came up with an alternative they call rummy, or Rummy 21. It takes the name from a series of Rummy-style bonus hands that offer boosted payouts.
Here’s what you need to know.
Because this is Rummy, there is no such thing as a “blackjack”, or a bonus payout for Ace+10. This hand simply equals 21. As such, splitting and resplitting of aces is perfectly acceptable (up to four hands). You can’t draw to split aces, though. All other rules are pretty standard of blackjack games.
- Decks: 4 or 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, up to 3x
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: Yes
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Early Surrender: Yes
- All Ties: Push
- House Edge: 1.00%
Rummy Bonus Paytable
Rummy bonuses are paid for achieving special hands, including a 3-card Straight Flush (must be suited or total 21 points), or any 3 of a kind. However, the Rummy Bonus is void if the player splits their hand. If a player doubles, then wins a Rummy Bonus after doubling, the prize applies to the entire bet. Bonuses are paid immediately after achieving the hand, even if taking a third card causes the player to bust.
| Player Draws 3 of a Kind | Payout |
| Totaling 21 | 5 to 1 |
| Suited | 5 to 1 |
| Unsuited | 3 to 1 |
| Player Draws 3-Card Straight Flush | Payout |
| Totaling 21 | 5 to 1 |
| Suited | 3 to 1 |
See the Complete Rules of Rummy 21 (Coming Soon)
Russian Blackjack
See 21 Bet
Sonya Blackjack (Live)
Launched by Yggdrasil in mid 2018, Sonya Blackjack is a perfect meld of live dealer blackjack and digital, RNG-based blackjack games. It mimics a live game in many ways, accepting multiple live players (up to 3), and featuring a 3D dealer whose motor skills are born of motion-capture technology. This gives the flame-haired, emerald-eyed beauty of digital making a supremely realistic appearance, modeled precisely upon the movements of a real live dealer.
The end result is a unique, semi-live game that permits up to 3 real players at the table. There is no bet behind feature, but because Sonya is not a real live dealer, there’s no limit tot he number of Sonya Blackjack tables that can be opened, or seats to accommodate players.
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.46%
Optional Side Bets & Payouts
After the game’s initial launch, Yggdrasil updated its 3D tables with optional 21+3 and Perfect Pairs side bets in January of 2019.
| 21+3 Side Bet (Player’s 2 cards + Dealer’s 1st card) | Payout |
| 3-Card Flush | 5 : 1 |
| 3-Card Straight | 10 : 1 |
| 3 of a Kind | 25 : 1 |
| 3-Card Straight Flush | 40 : 1 |
| 3 of a Kind, all same suit | 100 : 1 |
| Perfect Pairs Side Bet (Player’s 2 cards) | Payout |
| Pair, mixed suits | 6 : 1 |
| Pair, same color | 12 : 1 |
| Pair, same suit | 25 : 1 |
See the Complete Rules of Sonya Blackjack
Space Jack
Space Jack is an online casino exclusive, and by far the strangest blackjack game in the galaxy. It starts with each player making 3 bets, and being dealt three 2-card hands. The dealer gets one hand, with one card up.
The player must make the usual decision of stand, hit or double (no splitting), but whatever decisions is made will apply to all three hands. If the player has blackjack, choosing to do anything but stand will ruin that hand.
And now for the real kicker… if a player bets at least $15 combined on the three hands (e.g. $5 on each), and all three hands are dealt a blackjack, a progressive jackpot is released.
The Progressive Conundrum
The house edge, before considering the size of the progressive, is a whopping 6.61%. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 11,206 hands. Therefore, the jackpot would only have to be at $11,117 to reach break-even status, eliminating the house edge. The minimum jackpot seeds at $50,000, which would – by normal calculations – create a player advantage of at least 23.13%.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case. The creators of the game have intentionally manipulated the dynamic output enough to alter the chance of any player being dealt three blackjacks. They admit that the results are “not natural but controlled” in the following statement, published on Slotland Casinos:
“Please note that all Slotland games which share the Progressive Jackpot also employ the same mechanism that determines the jackpot win. Therefore, the probability of hitting the jackpot combination on SpaceJack is not natural but controlled by this shared random mechanism in the same way as slot machines’ wins.”
That being said, it’s impossible to determine the actual house edge on Space Jack. Otherwise, here are the basic rules of the game:
- Decks: 4
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: No (all bets are lost)
- Tie for Blackjack: Player wins
- Blackjack Pays: 2 to 1
See the Complete Rules of Space Jack (Coming Soon)
Spanish 21
Spanish 21 (aka Match Play 21) is a classic game of blackjack with an unusual deck of 48 cards. All of the 10s are removed. This reduces the number of blackjack likely to occur, but also allows the casinos to offer Bonus Payouts to players who achieve special hands. A side bet is not required to receive bonus payouts.
The following are the rules of Spanish 21 employed by Microgaming powered casinos.
- Decks: 8
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes
- Splitting: Yes
- Double after Split: Yes
- Early Surrender: Yes
- Double Down Rescue: Yes (Surrender after Doubling)
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: ~0.42%
Special Hand Bonus Payouts
| Player / Dealer Hand Requirements | Payout |
| Player has suited 777, Dealer has any 7 showing | 50 : 1 |
| Player has 6-7-8 or 7-7-7 in Spades* | 3 : 1 |
| 7-card total of 21* | 3 : 1 |
| Player has 6-7-8 or 7-7-7 in same suit* | 2 : 1 |
| 6-card total of 21* | 2 : 1 |
| Player has 6-7-8 or 7-7-7 mixed suits* | 3 : 2 |
| 5-card total of 21* | 3 : 2 |
| *bonus payout null after doubling or splitting |
See the Complete Rules of Spanish 21 (aka Match Play 21)
Speed Blackjack (Live)
Speed Blackjack is a live dealer game offered by Evolution Gaming. The concept is to give players the absolute fastest, live casino blackjack game, without sacrificing traditional rules or multiple hand dealing; unlike Infinite Blackjack, wherein the game’s speed is derived from every player having the same starting hand. While the base-game rules are virtually the same, a few modifications are put in place to ensure the expedience of the game.
Most notably, players do not act in order of seating. Instead, the first player to choose an action that requires the reception of a card, is the first player to receive that card. In any other blackjack game, dealing out of turn is a severe breech of etiquette. In this one, it’s a heart-pounding, adrenaline-pumping race to the finish… not that being first to finish is worth anything special, but it sure increases the excitement of the game.
The following base-game are the apply:
- Decks: 8
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any 2 cards
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: No
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.71%
A set of unique rules also apply to speed the game up. These include things like Auto-Hit and Auto-Stand. If a player fails to act before time runs out, any total of 12+ will automatically stand, whereas totals of 11 and under will automatically hit. Additionally, each player’s timer is 7 seconds shorter than other live games; a factor that is said to speed up the overall game play by 30%.
Optional Side Bets
There are two optional side bets available in Live Speed Blackjack, Perfect Pairs and 21 + 3.
| Perfect Pairs – Player Hand Requirements | Payout |
| Perfect Pair (Same Suits) | 25 : 1 |
| Colored Pair (Same Colors) | 12 : 1 |
| Mixed Pair (Red + Black) | 6 : 1 |
| House Edge = 4.10% |
| 21 + 3 – Player 2 Cards + Dealer’s Up-Card | Payout |
| Three of a Kind, Same Suits | 100 : 1 |
| Straight Flush | 40 : 1 |
| Three of a Kind | 30 : 1 |
| Straight | 10 : 1 |
| Flush | 5 : 1 |
| House Edge = 3.70% |
See the Complete Rules of Speed Blackjack
Suit Em Up 21
Found in both online and walk-in casinos, Suit Em Up Blackjack is a traditional game with a namesake side bet. The Suit Em Up side bet is a wager that your first two cards will be suited (i.e. both spades, both clubs, both diamonds, or both hearts). If they are suited, you win 2 to 1 on the side bet. If they’re suited, and meet special criteria, you can win as much as 60 to 1 on this side bet.
Depending on where you play the game, the house edge on this side bet can range from a dastardly 9.41% to a not-too-terrible 2.67%. The difference is in the number of decks in the shoe. Normally, you’d want less decks to produce a higher RTP in the base game, but if you’re playing the Suit Em Up side bet, you want the highest number possible.
The base-game rules of Suit Em Up Blackjack are as follows:
- Decks: 2, 6 or 8
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, up to 2x
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: Yes
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: No
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.34% – 0.56%
Suit Em Up Side Bet Pay Table
| Players First Two Cards Are… | Payout |
| Pair of Aces, Suited | 60 : 1 |
| Blackjack, Suited | 10 : 1 |
| Any Other Pair, Suited | 5 : 1 |
| Total of 11, Suited | 3 : 1 |
| Any Other Hand, Suited | 2 : 1 |
See the Complete Rules of Suit Em Up Blackjack
Super 7 Blackjack
This is a variant with pretty common blackjack rules, plus an optional Super 7 side bet.
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: Yes
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.46%
Super 7 Side Bet Payouts
| Player Hand Requirements | Payout |
| Any single 7 | 3 : 1 |
| Any 7-7 | 50 : 1 |
| Suited 7-7 | 100 : 1 |
| Any 7-7-7 | 500 : 1 |
| Suited 7-7-7 | 5000 : 1 |
See the Complete Rules of Super 7 Blackjack
Super Fun 21
The rules of this game (a.k.a. Super 21) are pretty basic, except that it offers a series of bonus payouts that are supposedly ‘super fun’ for players. The trade off, unfortunately, is a big one, resulting in a house edge above 1%. Ouch!
- Decks: 1, 2 or 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, any 2+ cards
- Splitting: Yes, up to 3x
- Double after Split: Yes
- Draw to Split Aces: Yes
- Double to Split Aces: Yes
- Late Surrender: Yes
- Double Down Rescue: Yes
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Tie for Blackjack: Player wins
- Blackjack in Diamonds: Pays 2 to 1
- Any other Blackjack Pays: 1 to 1
- 5-Card 21: Pays 2 to 1
- 6-Card ~20: Instant Win, Pays 1 to 1
- House Edge: 1.18% – 1.40%
Special Hand Bonus Payouts
| Player / Dealer Hand Requirements | Payout |
| Diamond Blackjack, 2 diamonds totaling 21 | 2 : 1 |
| Player instantly wins 5+ card hand totaling 21* | 2 : 1 |
| Player instantly wins 6 card hand of up to 20* | 1 : 1 |
| *bonus payout null after doubling |
See the Complete Rules of Super Fun 21
Three Card Blackjack
Three Card 21 is a single-deck blackjack game that merges the basic rules of 3-Card Poker. Players start by making an Ante Bet (and an optional Ace Plus side bet). The player and dealer each receive three cards. The dealer has one card face up, two face down. All of the player’s cards are face down, which only he may look at.
Hand values are tallied in the same manner as traditional blackjack. However, since you have three cards, you can use either 2 or all 3 of these cards, but you cannot take additional cards. There’s no doubling or splitting, either.
Once the player examines his cards, he must choose to Fold or Raise. If the player Folds, the Ante bet is lost, but if an Ace Plus side bet was made, it remains active. To Raise is to continue with the hand by placing another bet, equal to the Ante.
Once a player Raises, the dealer will turn up his last two cards. If his 3-card total is 17 or more, the dealer will Open. If the dealer cannot open, the player’s bets will push; unless the player has blackjack, in which case the player wins 1 to 1 on the Ante, and the Raise will push.
If the dealer does open with 17+ points, his hand will be compared to the player’s. If the player’s hand is higher, Ante and Raise pay 1 to 1. If the hands tie, both bets push. If the dealer wins, both bets lose. A player blackjack always wins, even against dealer blackjack.
Ace Plus Side Bet
This optional side bet pays out if the player’s hand consists of at least one Ace. The rest of the player’s cards will determines its value.
| Winning 3-Card Hand Conditions | Payout |
| A-A-A | 100 : 1 |
| A-A-10 | 25 : 1 |
| A-A-X | 15 : 1 |
| A-10-10 | 6 : 1 |
| A-10-X | 3 : 1 |
| A-X-X | 1 : 1 |
| No Ace | Lose |
See the Complete Rules of 3 Card Blackjack (Coming Soon)
Three Way Action
As the name loosely implies, Three Way Action is three casino games in one. All three games are happening at the same time, so players can wager on any one, or any combination of the three. Only a single deck of cards is used, and it’s reshuffled after each hand. The three simultaneous games at play are:
Combat (a.k.a. War)
This is like the War card game we all grew up with. The player and dealer each get one card – high card wins. to ensure the casino has an edge, instead of ‘going to war’ on a tie, the dealer takes half your bet.
This single card is the first of two required to start the next game…
Blackjack
This is a standard, single-deck game of blackjack, for the most part. The only real difference is that splitting is only permitted on Aces, and a 7 Card Charlie (7 cards w/o busting) automatically wins. The dealer stands on soft 17. Players can double on any two, and after splitting. Blackjack pays 3 to 2. All ties push. These rules bring the house edge to 0.53% (RTP 99.47%).
You can have no more than 7 cards at this point, which is perfect for the next game to be played…
Seven Card Showdown
If you need extra cards to reach 7, your hand will get them at this point. You’ll use these 7 cards to make the best possible 5-card poker hand. The best poker hand wins.
The dealer needs at least an Ace High to qualify in this game. If the dealer does not qualify, the player automatically wins half the bet. If the dealer qualifies, and the player’s hand is higher, the payout is 1 to 1.
Bonus Action
Every player who competes in the Seven Card Showdown is eligible to win a Bonus Action payout if they achieve a qualifying hand of 3 of a Kind or better. The following pay table applies.
| Winning Hand Conditions | Payout |
| Royal Flush | 1000 to 1 |
| Straight Flush | 100 to 1 |
| 4 of a Kind | 25 to 1 |
| Full House | 7 to 1 |
| Flush | 5 to 1 |
| Straight | 3 to 1 |
| 3 of a Kind | 3 to 1 |
| Anything else | Lose |
See the Complete Rules of Three Way Action (Coming Soon)
Ties Win Blackjack
Ties Win 21 is a special variant of blackjack that’s not-so-easy to find these days. In fact, I haven’t been able to identify it in any land-based casinos in over a decade. I’m including it here because, if you do come across it, you may find it very appealing. Casinos stopped offering it because the house edge was too low for comfort. Depending on the number of decks and dealer’s response to soft 17, the edge can be as low as 0.023%.
The concept is that the player wins all ties. The payout is half the bet (1 to 2). That alone pushes the RTP up 4.37%. To push the edge back in the casino’s favor, player’s lose the ability to double or split, and blackjack only pays 1 to 1. It makes for a very simple game. Some find less entertaining, but overall more profitable.
Standard rules are:
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: No
- Splitting: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Blackjack Pays: 1 to 1
- All Ties: Player wins 1 to 2
- House Edge: 0.24%
The only rules known to vary are the number of decks and the dealer’s response to soft 17. The following table shows the impact of each rule on the house edge.
House Edge by Decks & Soft 17 Rule (Originally 0.02%)
| Number of Decks | Dealer will Stand on Soft 17 | Dealer will Stand on Soft 17 |
| 1 | 0.02% | 0.27% |
| 2 | 0.17% | 0.42% |
| 4 | 0.23% | 0.49% |
| 6 | 0.25% | 0.52% |
| 8 | 0.26% | 0.52% |
| ∞ | 0.29% | 0.55% |
See the Complete Rules of Ties Win 21 (Coming Soon)
Total Bust 21
Total Bust 21 is another blackjack variant that gives the player a big advantage, but reclaims the edge by mandating a negative-expectation side bet. In this case, you’ll get a premium payout if the dealer busts with a total of 23 or more. In exchange, there’s a forced Odds Win side bet. It requires a minimum 50% of the original bet.
Basic rules are as follows:
- Decks: 8
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on ay first two
- Splitting: Yes, up to 3x
- Double after Split: Yes
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Resplit Aces: Yes
- Dealer Bust with 23-25: Pays 3 to 2
- Dealer Bust with 26+: Pays 2 to 1
- Blackjack Pays: Pays 2 to 1
- House Edge: 0.91% (after 50% Odds Win side bet)
Odds Win Side Bet Paytable
This mandatory side bet pays based on the following criteria and odds.
| Players Hand Conditions | Pays |
| Player Blackjack (even against Dealer Blackjack) | 2 to 1 |
| First 2 cards equal Odd sum + Player wins hand | 2 to 1 |
| First 2 cards equal Odd sum + Player ties hand | Push |
| First 2 cards equal Odd sum + Player loses hand | Lose |
| First 2 cards equal Even sum + Any other result | Lose |
See the Complete Rules of Total Bust 21 (Coming Soon)
Triple 7s Blackjack
Triple 7s is a basic blackjack game with a mandatory side bet – yes, that’s right, the side bet is mandatory! Whatever you bet on your hand, $1 is taken out for the side bet. So if you bet $10, you’re actually betting $9 on the blackjack hand and $1 on the side bet. If you don’t want to make a side bet, pick a different table.
The good news is the side bet links to a progressive jackpot. More on that in a moment. First, here’s the basic rules of the game.
- Decks: 5
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on 9, 10 or 11 only
- Splitting: Yes, up to 3x
- Double after Split: No
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.59%
Triple 7s Side Bet Payouts
Winning this bet is dependent on being dealt 7s. One 7 will earn you $5, while being dealt two 7s, and the dealer’s up card also being a 7 – and all three of them being diamonds – will earn you the progressive jackpot.
| Player / Dealer Hand Requirements | Payout |
| First card is any one 7 | $5 |
| First two cards are any 7s | $25 |
| First two cards are suited 7s | $50 |
| First three cards are any 7s | $250 |
| First three cards are suites 7s | $1,000 |
| First three cards are all 7s of Diamonds | Jackpot |
See the Complete Rules of Triple 7s Blackjack
Triple Attack Blackjack
I like to think of Triple Attack as the forbidden love child of Blackjack and Stud Poker. Its base game is similar to that of Classic Blackjack, but the way players wager follows the multi-street betting structure of a stud poker game.
As the name suggests, each wager is considered an Attack. The First Attack is the original bet, placed before any cards are dealt. The Second Attack is an optional bet that can be placed after the player sees his/her first card. The Third Attack is the final bet (also optional, whether Second Attack was made or not), placed after the dealer’s up-card is shown. At this point, all players and the dealer receive their second cards, and the game proceeds as usual.
How does the casino make up for all these extra betting advantages? Simple – Push 22. The dealer’s 22 will not bust, but instead push against any active player hand of 20 or below. All wins pay 1 to 1 per Attack (wager), including blackjack. There are a few other modifications in the rules, as well, and a trio of side bets to be considered.
The basic rules of the game are:
- Decks: 8 (Spanish decks, no 10s)
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, up to 3x
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: Yes
- Draw to Split Aces: Yes
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Push 22: Dealer 22 pushes against all but 21
- Blackjack Pays: 1 to 1
- House Edge: 1.17%
See the Complete Rules of Triple Attack Blackjack
Triple Shot 21
This game is very similar to Three Way Action, except that the blackjack hand pays for a 6-card Charlie, which drops the Poker hand down to 6 cards, instead of 7.
Triple Shot is three casino games in one. These games happen consecutively, with each building upon the results of the next. Players can bet on any one of the three games, or any combination of the three. A single deck of 52 cards is employed, and is reshuffled after each hand.
The three simultaneous games that are played are Casino War, Blackjack, and Poker, as follows:
War (Card #1)
War is just like the old card game we grew up with, accept that it provides the casino with a slight edge. The player and dealer each get 1 card. The highest card wins. the casino’s edge comes form the dealer winning all ties (rather than “going to War“, as in the children’s game).
the one card dealt in this game becomes the first card for the next game…
Blackjack (Cards 2-6)
This is a standard, single-deck blackjack game. The only difference in rules is that the player can only split Aces (one split per hand, no drawing to split aces), and a 6-card Charlie automatically wins (any unbusted 6-card hand). The dealer must stand on soft 17. Players can double on any two cards (except split Aces). Blackjack pays 6 to 5. All ties will push. These rules bring the house edge to 1.84% (RTP 98.16%).
by the time this hand is done, you cannot possibly have more than 6 cards, which is perfect for the next game to be played…
Poker (Total 6 Cards)
If you don’t have 6 cards yet, you’ll draw just enough to give you a total of 6. From these 6, you’ll make the best possible 5-card poker hand. If your poker hand ranks high enough, you’ll receive a payout according to the pay table in use.
There are two known pay tables, as detailed below:
Triple Shot Poker Paytable V.1 (House Edge 3.20%)
| Winning Hand Conditions | Payout |
| Royal Flush | 100 to 1 |
| Straight Flush | 30 to 1 |
| 4 of a Kind | 15 to 1 |
| Full House | 7 to 1 |
| Flush | 5 to 1 |
| Straight | 4 to 1 |
| 3 of a Kind | 3 to 1 |
| Two Pair | 2 to 1 |
| Pair of Queens or Better | 1 to 1 |
| Anything else | Lose |
Triple Shot Poker Paytable V.2 (House Edge 5.78%)
| Winning Hand Conditions | Payout |
| Royal Flush | 200 to 1 |
| Straight Flush | 60 to 1 |
| 4 of a Kind | 20 to 1 |
| Full House | 6 to 1 |
| Flush | 5 to 1 |
| Straight | 4 to 1 |
| 3 of a Kind | 2 to 1 |
| Two Pair | 3 to 2 |
| Pair of Jacks or Better | 1 to 1 |
| Anything else | Lose |
See the Complete Rules of Triple Shot 21 (Coming Soon)
Triple Up Blackjack
A more appropriate name for this blackjack variant might have been ‘Triple Down‘, as that’s what the rules call for. Players can elect to triple down, instead of double down, in certain situations. In exchange for this potentially profitable little quirk, player’s must accept that a blackjack will only pay even money.
The rules indicate that a player may ‘Triple Up’ on specific two-card hands. which hands are eligible depends on the other rules of the game.
In a single-deck game, you’ll only be allowed to triple up on hard totals of 10 or 11.
With two decks in play, you can triple up on hard totals of 9, 10 or 11.
In a six-deck game, tripling is permitted on any initial 2-card hand, regardless of its value.
Some casinos have been known to allow players to triple up when dealt blackjack. Normally, a player should never consider this, especially in a game where the player always wins with blackjack, even if the dealer ties. However, since blackjack payouts are reduced to even money, it is actually to the player’s advantage to triple when the dealer is showing a 6.
See the Complete Rules of Triple Up 21 for more info (Coming Soon)
Trump It Classic Blackjack
A comically designed online blackjack game from FUGASO, Trump It is themed around none other than the 45th U.S. President, Donald J. Trump, featuring caricatures of Trump, other former presidents, and their wives. Otherwise, the rules of the game are pretty standard:
- Decks: 8
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.67%
See the Complete Rules of Trump It Classic Blackjack
Trump It Single-Deck Blackjack
This is the same as FUGASO’s Trump It Classic Blackjack, but with a few different rules to shake things up. It’s a single-deck edition, which shaves a nice chunk of the edge off. The developers made up for it with greater restrictions in doubling. The following rules apply:
- Decks: 1
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on 10 or 11 only
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: No
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.48%
See the Complete Rules of Trump It Single-Deck Blackjack
TVBet Blackjack
TVBet Blackjack is simply the universally recognized nickname for the Live Blackjack tables hosted by TVBet’s live dealer casino studio. It is essentially a baccarat-style version of blackjack. Two hands are played. One belongs to the Dealer, one to the Player, but the players take no action on them. Each is automatically played out by house rules, wherein the hand will draw until it reaches a total of 17 or above.
the hand with the highest total without busting is the winner. Thus, it’s every player’s job to bet on the hand they think will win. And/Or, you can bet on a variety of proposition bets regarding the overall outcome.
The rules are adjusted in various ways to accommodate a casino edge.
a single 52-card deck is used. Traditional card values apply. All wins are paid “for 1” (not “to 1”), meaning you don’t get your original bet back. (E.g. a payout of “2 for 1” is the same as a payout of “1 to 1” – see pay table below for more info).
there are two possible rounds of betting. The first takes place before the deal. Players can bet on the Player hand, the Dealer hand, or a Tie (or various props). Once betting closes, two cards are dealt to the player hand, one to the dealer hand. From here, a variety of things can happen, based on the player hand.
Player Blackjack: If the player has blackjack, and the dealer has a 10 or ace, the dealer will take a second card to see if he ties for blackjack. If he does not, the player hand wins. If the dealer does get blackjack, tie bets win.
Player Non-Blackjack / Stand on 17-21: If the player hand has a total of 17-20, the hand will stand. If less than 17, the hand will draw until it reaches 17-21, then stand. The dealer takes action next.
Player Busts: If the player draws 1 or more cards and busts, the dealer hand automatically wins.
Dealer Acts: when the player hand stands on a total of 17-21 (not blackjack), the dealer hand will act next. The dealer also draws to 17+ (including soft 17), then stands. If the dealer busts, the player hand wins. Otherwise the two hands are compared.
Highest Hand Wins: If both hands stand, the higher of the two wins. If the hands tie, tie bets win, Player/Dealer bets lose.
Prop Bets: Proposition bets win or lose irrespective of Player/Dealer/Tie bets. See paytable below.
TVBet Blackljack Pay Table
| Bet / Winning Condition | Payout |
| Player Hand to Win | 2.3 for 1 |
| Dealer Hand to Win | 1.93 for 1 |
| Tie to Win | 10 for 1 |
| Proposition Bets | Payout |
| Player Wins with Blackjack | 20 for 1 |
| Dealer Wins with Blackjack | 29 for 1 |
| Either Wins with Blackjack | 12 for 1 |
| Either Busts | 2.01 for 1 |
| Neither Busts | 1.8 for 1 |
| Hand Wins with 2 Cards | 3.1 for 1 |
| Hand Wins with 3 Cards | 4.13 for 1 |
Twin Blackjack
Twin Blackjack applies a very basic set of rules with one simple premise. Players have the option to play two hands, instead of one. Two hands are played by placing a chip in each of the two betting boxes provided. It is not required to play two hands. Playing only one hand is like playing any other blackjack game. However, if you’re going to play Twin Blackjack, you might as well play both hands, or you’re forfeiting a 0.1133% slice off the game’s house edge.
Playing both hands qualifies you for the Twin Blackjack bonus payout, which triggers if both hands are dealt a blackjack at the same time. When the player receives two blackjack hands, the payout on each hand will be 2 to 1 (up from the standard 3 to 2 for 1 blackjack).
If the two hands happen to be “Identical Twins”, the payout for each rises to 4 to 1. Identical twins happen when the Aces and 10-point cards both match one another perfectly, such as both Aces being Spades, and both 10-point cards being Queens of hearts.
This game has been seen around Vegas a few times over the years – a nomad of the felt, if you will. The rules are not necessarily static, either. What remains a constant is the trade-off for the bonus payout’s slight boost in player performance. You are stripped of the option to Double after Split, and the number of splits allowed per hand drops from 3x to 2x.
The impact on the house edge is -0.1133% for the Twin Blackjack bonus payouts (to the player’s favor), and +0.1461% for the No DAS and max 2x Split rules (to the casino’s favor). The result is an effective shift of +0.0328% in the casino’s favor.
| Player’s Two Hands Are… | Payout |
| Twin Blackjacks | 2 : 1 each |
| Identical Twin Blackjacks | 4 : 1 each |
| Anything else | Standard Pays Apply |
Twisted 21
There’s a new blackjack game at the Rio Las Vegas called Twisted 21. The game has been present in the casino since its trial began in July 2019. The rules of Twisted 21 seem to be finalized a this point.
The object of the game is the same as any standard blackjack variant, with some exceptional twists in hand development. Players and dealer receive 5 cards each, but only the first two are visible (first one for the dealer). Players can hit (or double) by blindly choosing one of their face down cards, but they cannot split. A hand cannot exceed 5 cards. If you don’t bust at 5, you must stand. Oddly enough, this means the dealer could be forced to stand on a hand of 16 or below.
Another reason for the 5-card dealing is the side bet, called the Twisted Stud Bonus. It’s based on the player’s 5 cards, and is irrespective of the blackjack hand. With so many alterations in the rules, I won’t bother trying to detail them up front. I will tell you the house edge is rather high, coming it at 1.92%. Use the link below to learn more.
See the Complete Rules of Twisted 21 Blackjack
Unlimited Blackjack (Live, Ezugi)
Available at live dealer casinos powered by Ezugi, Unlimited Blackjack is named for the unlimited number of seats available to players. All players act on the same initial 2-card hand, choosing to stand, hit, or double down.
Due to the seating arrangement, splits take place automatically on any pairs of 2s, 3s, 6s, 7s, 8s and Aces. Pairs of 4s, 5s, 9s and 10s are never split. Players can choose to play one or both hands following a split.
The following rules apply:
- Decks: 8
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Automatic on 2s, 3s, 6s, 7s, 8s, Aces
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: No
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.42%
Side Bets & Payouts
Players have the option to place a bet on 21+3 and/or Perfect Pairs side bets.
| 21+3 Side Bet (Player’s 2 cards + Dealer’s 1st card) | Payout |
| 3-Card Flush | 5 : 1 |
| 3-Card Straight | 10 : 1 |
| 3 of a Kind | 25 : 1 |
| 3-Card Straight Flush | 40 : 1 |
| 3 of a Kind, all same suit | 100 : 1 |
| Perfect Pairs Side Bet (Player’s 2 cards) | Payout |
| Pair, mixed suits | 6 : 1 |
| Pair, same color | 12 : 1 |
| Pair, same suit | 25 : 1 |
See the Complete Rules of Live Unlimited Blackjack (Ezugi)
Unlimited Blackjack (Live, Playtech)
Playtech Live casinos offer this variant of live-dealer blackjack in which any number of players can participate. Everyone competes against the dealer with the same starting hand, wherein each can choose to stand, hit, double and/or split as applicable.
The game follows these rules:
- Decks: 8
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: No
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- 10 Card Charlie: Player wins, except against blackjack
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.50%
Side Bets & Payouts
Players have the option to place a bet on 21+3 and/or Perfect Pairs side bets.
| 21+3 Side Bet (Player’s 2 cards + Dealer’s 1st card) | Payout |
| 3-Card Flush | 5 : 1 |
| 3-Card Straight | 10 : 1 |
| 3 of a Kind | 30 : 1 |
| 3-Card Straight Flush | 40 : 1 |
| 3 of a Kind, all same suit | 100 : 1 |
| Perfect Pairs Side Bet (Player’s 2 cards) | Payout |
| Pair, mixed suits | 6 : 1 |
| Pair, same color | 12 : 1 |
| Pair, same suit | 25 : 1 |
See the Complete Rules of Live Unlimited Blackjack (Playtech)
U-Turn Blackjack
The concept if U-Turn Blackjack is to give players the one advantage the dealer always has over them – the ability to act last. In this game, the dealer must play out his hand before the player takes any action. It’s not as cut and dry as that, though. As always, the casino will have its edge.
When the dealer acts, not all is revealed. The player will only know the up card and the total number of cards taken. And for good measure, the house also enjoys the advantage of Push 22. If the dealer draws to 22, it’s not a bust. All standing player hands will push. thus, it’s still possible to bust, even when the dealer has busted first.
Shuffle Master, the creator’s of U-turn blackjack, did not provide enough information on the overall rules to conclude a house edge for the game. It’s safe to assume that, with the Push 22 rule in effect, it’s worse than your standard game. We’ll be sure to update this section and provide a complete rules page once we assertain the necessary information.
V.I.P. Blackjack
VIP Blackjack is a common nickname for high-limit blackjack tables, so don’t read too much into this description. However, it’s also specifically the name of a special rule format found at Red Rake Gaming online casinos.
The rules of the Red Rake version are as follows:
- Decks: 4
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on 9, 10 or 11 only
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.60%
See the Complete Rules of V.I.P. Blackjack (Red Rake Gaming)
Vegas Downtown Blackjack
This variation takes its name from being the most common rule set for blackjack tables in Downtown Vegas back in the day. Otherwise, the rules offer nothing special like side bets or bonus payouts – just a straight up game that’s easy on the edge.
- Decks: 2
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, up to 3x
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Surrender: No
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.38%
Se the Complete Rules of Vegas Downtown Blackjack
Vegas Single Deck Blackjack
For knowledgeable professionals, this online variant is the most popular of all blackjack games in Canada. It offers the lowest house edge of any internet blackjack game, by any major iGaming software provider. If only you could count cards online, Vegas Single Deck would be the king of the blackjack ring.
The following rules apply at Microgaming-powered online casinos:
- Decks: 1
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on 9, 10 or 11 only
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: No
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Surrender: No
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.31%
Se the Complete Rules of Vegas Single Deck Blackjack
War Blackjack
War blackjack is exactly what it sounds like. It is an amalgamation of the two games. A bet on the blackjack hand is mandatory, whereas bets on War are optional. However, the War hand plays out before the Blackjack hand; as it must, so that the War card may become the first half of the starting blackjack hand.
This creates for a potential advantage, wherein a winning War bet can be added to your blackjack bet, should you choose to do so. For example, let’s say you’re dealt a King in your War hand, beating the dealer’s 6. At this point, you know your first blackjack card is a 10, and the dealer has 6 up. this presents a good opportunity, adding value to your blackjack bet by adding the War winnings to it.
The house edge in Casino War, where the dealer wins all ties, is 1.16%. The rules of the blackjack game can vary significantly, and will determine the overall house edge.
See the Complete Rules of War Blackjack (Coming Soon)
Vegas Strip Blackjack
This name is generally given to any game that follows the rules of typical blackjack tables at Las Vegas Strip casinos. You can expect a few variations to those rules from one place to the next, but the most common are those listed below. Note that the Microgaming’s Vegas Strip Blackjack tables follow these rules as well.
- Decks: 4
- Soft 17: Dealer Stands
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, up to 3x
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Surrender: No
- Tie for Blackjack: Push
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 0.35%
See the Complete Rules of Vegas Strip Blackjack
Your Way Blackjack
This game is about as far from traditional blackjack as you can get, without diverting completely. It’s a mash-up of various casino games, including hi/lo, pai gow poker, 4-card poker, and of course, blackjack.
The game starts with the placement of bets. A Blackjack bet is required. A Poker Side Bet is optional. From there, the game proceeds with each player receiving 4 cards.
All Poker side bets are observed first. Winning bets are paid, and losing bets collected (see Poker Side Bet Pay Table below).
Next, the player must separate their four cards into two, 2-card hands. One hand must be the High hand, and the other the Low hand. Using basic blackjack scoring methods (except aces are always 11), the High hand must equal more points than the Low hand. These two hands then become the player’s blackjack hands.
The Low hand will be played first, and then the High hand second. Players follow standard blackjack rules, doubling on any two cards, and double after split. there is no resplitting or drawing to split aces. Surrender is not an option. Once players are done, the dealer acts, drawing to 17+ and hitting soft 17. Any bust, player or dealer, is an automatic loss.
Low hands are compared to the dealer’s Low hand. Closest to 21 without busting wins. Then the High hands are compared in the same manner. All player wins pay even money.
Poker Side Bet Pay Table
| 4-Card Winning Conditions | Payout |
| 4 of a Kind | 250 to 1 |
| Straight Flush | 75 to 1 |
| Flush | 9 to 1 |
| Straight | 7 to 1 |
| 3 of a Kind | 5 to 1 |
| 2 Pair | 4 to 1 |
| Pair | 1 to 1 |
| Anything Else | Lose |
| House Edge | 7.40% |
See the Complete Rules of Your Way Blackjack (Coming Soon)
Zappit Blackjack
Zappit is a unique blackjack variation by Blackjack Switch creator, Geoff Hall. It gives players the freedom to “zap” a hand if it totals 15, 16 or 17 points – in some casinos, 18 points as well. If you zap your hand, your cards are tossed aside and you are given a new two-card hand to work with, hitting, doubling and/or splitting as you please.
The trade off for this privilege, however, is a dealer push on 22. If the dealer has 22, and you have any active total outside of a natural blackjack (pre- or post-zap), your hand will push instead of winning. The following rules and house edge depict those found at Bodog and Bovada online casinos.
- Decks: 6
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Surrender: No
- Pre-Zap Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- Post-Zap Blackjack Pays: 1 to 1
- House Edge: 1.15%
See the Complete Rules of Zappit Blackjack
Zombie Blackjack
Zombie Blackjack is yet another brain child of the incomparable card games inventor, Geoff Hall. In this version, the unique player-friendly feature is the ability for a player’s busted hand to return from the dead, so to speak. When a player busts, his/her hand will turn Zombie if the dealer’s up-card is a 7, 8, 9, 10 or Ace. If this happens, and the dealer goes on to bust with a 23 or more, the player’s Zombie hand wins even money.
Like all Geoff Hall blackjack games, there’s a trade-off for this player-friendly rule. In Zombie Blackjack, a dealer 22 is a push against any non-busted player hand except blackjack. This game has been seen at a few Las Vegas casinos since 2017. Its rules may vary slightly from one location to the next. The following rules and house edge apply to the tables at the Venetian Casino.
- Decks: 8
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on any two cards
- Splitting: Yes, only once
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Surrender: No
- Dealer 22: Push against all but blackjack; Beats Zombie
- Zombie: Pays 1 to 1 against dealer 23+
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
- House Edge: 1.03%
See the Complete Rules of Zombie Blackjack
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