Trump It Classic 21 Rules and Rationale
“The Don”-ing of Online 21: How to play Trump It Classic Blackjack
Trump It Classic Blackjack is a visually unique game of online 21 that combines political satire with classic rules. The comedically charged graphics are the biggest draw for players to this game – the only draw, really, as it offers an above average house edge of 0.67%.
If entertainment is your goal – and you find humor in the absurdity of US politics surrounding Donald “The Don” Trump, his wife Melania, and Democratic rivals Hilary Clinton and Barrack Obama – this game may be right up your alley. But if it’s a strategically sound experience you seek, you could easily find better games elsewhere, halving that edge on dozens of other titles.
One such title worth mentioning is Fugaso’s Trump It Single-Deck Blackjack. The game utilizes the same comical graphics as this one, but it’s a single-deck game with a lower house edge of 0.48% – still not the best, but better by far. Fugaso is also responsible for the titles Neon Classic and Neon Single-Deck, which are mirror images of the Trump It titles in terms of rules, but with bright, neon purple graphics in place of caricature-style politicians.
How to Play Trump It Classic Blackjack
This is not a difficult variant of 21 by any means. The rules are common place, and there’s nothing out of the ordinary within them. Fugaso didn’t even inject side bets into these games, which I find rather odd since they’re edge-gouging to begin with. But I digress…
Should you choose to play this quirky little game, expect to compete with the following house rules:
Specific Rules of Play
- Decks: 8
- Soft 17: Dealer Hits
- Doubling: Yes, on any 2 cards
- Splitting: Yes, 1x only
- Double after Split: Yes
- Resplit Aces: No
- Draw to Split Aces: No
- Surrender: No
- Dealer Checks for Blackjack: Yes
- Blackjack Pays: 3 to 2
Strategy for Trump It 21 Classic
Achieving the highest possible RTP of 99.33% (house edge 0.67%) requires playing with perfect strategy. The charts below are custom built just for this game’s rules. There are three charts, aligning with perfect game play for the three types of hands you may be dealt – hard hands, soft hands and paired hands.
To use these charts, scroll to the correct chart for your hand type, look for your current total on the left, and choose the move on the right that corresponds with the dealer’s up-card.
How to Decide a Hard Hand
A hard hand is any 2+ card blackjack hand total that does not contain an 11-point Ace.
Hard Total | Correct Action by Situation |
8 & Under | Hit |
9 | Double against Dealer’s 3-6; otherwise Hit |
10 | Double against Dealer’s 2-9; otherwise Hit |
11 | Double |
12 | Stand against Dealer’s 4-6; otherwise Hit |
13-16 | Stand against Dealer’s 2-6; otherwise Hit |
17-21 | Stand |
How to Decide a Soft Hand
A soft hand is any 2+ card blackjack hand that contains an 11-point Ace. These hands are flexible enough that you can’t bust with one hit.
Soft Total | Correct Action by Situation |
13-14 | Double against Dealer’s 5-6; otherwise Hit |
15-16 | Double against Dealer’s 4-6; otherwise Hit |
17 | Double against Dealer’s 3-6; otherwise Hit |
18 | Double against Dealer’s 2-6; Stand against 7-8; otherwise Hit |
19 | Double againstDealer’s 6; otherwise Stand |
20-21 | Stand |
Conditions for Splitting Pairs
Splitting pairs is a great way to maximize your ROI, so long as the situation calls for it. This chart details how to play Trump It Classic Blackjack when you receive a pair. Since you are only able to split once per hand, if doing so results in another pair, you’ll need to refer to the above charts for further direction.
Pair | Correct Action by Situation |
Ace-Ace | Split |
2-2 | Split on dealer’s 2-7; otherwise Hit |
3-3 | Split on dealer’s 2-7; otherwise Hit |
4-4 | Double on dealer’s 5-6; otherwise Hit |
5-5 | Double on dealer’s 2-9; otherwise Hit |
6-6 | Split on dealer’s 2-6; otherwise Hit |
7-7 | Split on dealer’s 2-7; otherwise Hit |
8-8 | Split |
9-9 | Split on dealer’s 2-6 or 8-9; otherwise Stand |
10-10 | Stand |
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