Double Attack Blackjack is a variant of the traditional game of 21 that is mostly played at Atlantic City gambling venues. For the most part, it follows standard blackjack rules and also bears similarities to Spanish 21, but a good handful of rule tweaks separate it from the above two and make it a rather unique version of the beloved online casino classic.
In general, the game that we’re discussing in this article uses 48-card decks, pays even money on a blackjack (unlike the standard game which pays 3 to 2 on a blackjack in most cases), and offers players the option to double their initial wager (hence this variant’s name) after seeing the dealer’s up card.
This game was invented by Joseph ‘Joe’ Centrone. He has also come up with several other blackjack variants, but this one has been his most popular one.
It can be played at land-based gambling establishments and online, but we’re going to dwell more on that later in this article.
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First things first, here is how this rendition of one of the world’s most popular table games is played, how players need to adjust their basic strategy, and some more pieces of information and advice.
How Does Double Attack Blackjack Differ from the Standard Game?
Multiple decks are used in this game, most often six or eight. Much like in Spanish 21, tens are eliminated from all participating decks, but Jacks, Queens, and Kings (the other ten-valued cards) are still used. The decks also include all cards from Aces through nines.
As in standard blackjack, the objective of this game is for the player to end up with a card total of 21 or as close to 21 as possible that is higher than the dealer’s. An important thing to take into account is that, as in any game of this kind, the player’s total should not exceed 21.
This variant pays even money on a blackjack…
… while the Insurance Bet pays 5-2. In addition, the player is allowed to place a new wager that is equal to or less than their original bet after the dealer deal themselves a card face up and the player is able to see it. This additional wager is placed in a circle on the table marked as Double Attack, which is located directly behind the BET circle.
Another rule that is specific to this variant of the game is that the player is allowed to place the so-called Bust It!/Bust it/Bustit (depending on the casino) side bet. This bet pays out on a three-card dealer break. Payouts depend on the dealer’s break/bust card. It is made before any cards are dealt in a new blackjack round, including the dealer’s face-up card.
A premium win…
… is paid to the player if the dealer’s all three cards are eights. If the dealer doesn’t bust with three cards, the Bust It bet loses.
The rules of this game require the dealer to peek for a blackjack if their first card is an ace, King, Queen, or Jack.
Players are allowed to double down on their first two cards and after a split. Any hand may be doubled once and only once. All card pairs except the Aces may be resplit to three or four hands. Split Aces are dealt one card only. Players are allowed to surrender at any point in the game.
And one last thing, the dealer stands on all 17s in this game.
How to Play Double Attack Blackjack
This game is very much played like traditional 21, excluding the above-discussed rule twists. Before the game commences, all tens are removed from all decks that are used at the table, When this is done, players are invited to place their wagers in the BET circles in front of them at their table.
If players elect to make the optional Bust It bet…
… they must do this at this exact point. After all bets are placed, one card is dealt face up to the dealer. After examining that card, players are offered the option to make the additional Double Attack bet, which is placed in the space directly behind their original bet. The additional bet cannot exceed the initial one.
Each player is then dealt two cards face up, while the dealer receives a hole card. After all cards are dealt, if the dealer’s up card is an Ace, the dealer will offer players the option to place an Insurance Bet. With this optional bet players wager on whether the dealer has a blackjack.
It pays 5 to 2.
As in a normal game of blackjack, players may choose to split, re-split, or double down at this point in the game. If the player elects to split or re-split pairs, they must place an additional bet the amount of their original bet in the BET circle and an additional Double Attack bet in the designated space that is equal to the original Double Attack bet.
If the player chooses to double down, they may do this for an amount that is up to the value of their original and Double Attack wagers.
As mentioned above, players are also given the opportunity to surrender no matter how many cards they have, that includes after splitting.
After the second card is dealt to each player and the dealer, if the latter’s face-up card is an Ace, King, Queen, or Jack, they shall take a look at their hole card to see if they have a blackjack. If the dealer has a blackjack, no more cards will be dealt and the players’ wagers, including the original bet, Double Attack, Bust It, and Insurance will be settled as follows:
- Players with a blackjack push; all pushes are returned to the players
- All other hands lose and the dealer collects all bets except Insurance
If the dealer doesn’t have a 21, the round continues. All players that are dealt a blackjack are paid even money (1 to 1). All the rest may choose to hit, stand, double down, or surrender. If they are dealt a pair, they may also choose to split.
After all players act, the dealer’s face-down card is shown. If the sum of their two cards is 17 or higher, they are required to stand. If the sum is 16 or lower, they hit until they get a 17. The dealer always stands on both hard and soft 17s in this blackjack variant.
If the dealer beats, they collect all bets. If the player beats, all their bets win even money. If the player and the dealer tie, all bets are a push and are returned to the player.
The Bust It Bet
If the player opts to make a Bust It side bet, they will be paid if the dealer busts with exactly three cards. In any other case, this bet loses. Most of the winnings paid are based on the dealer’s third, bust card. But as mentioned above, a pretty sweet payout awaits the player, if the dealer busts with three suited 8s.
Here are the payouts for a winning Bust It wager:
- Three suited 8s – 200 to 1
- Three colored 8s – 50 to 1
- Dealer’s bust card is 6 – 15 to 1
- Dealer’s bust card is 7 – 10 to 1
- Dealer’s bust card is 8 – 8 to 1
- Dealer’s bust card is 9 – 6 to 1
- Dealer’s bust card is 10 – 3 to 1
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Basic Strategy
As per Double Attack Blackjack rules, the dealer stands on all 17s, no matter whether hard or soft, players are allowed to double down on any given number of cards, including after split, and may surrender at any point during the round.
All of these are pretty great…
… but they are offset by the fact that the game uses 48-card Spanish decks with no 10-spot cards and player blackjacks only pay 1 to 1 as opposed to 3 to 2 in traditional 21.
To get the most of this variant, players need to make certain important adjustments to their basic strategy that Michael ‘Wizard of Odds’ Shackleford has presented in this chart on his site.
If you memorize things better by reading them, here are the basic strategy rule deviations you will need to apply in your game of Double Attack Blackjack.
Hard hands:
- Always hit any hand valued 8 or lower
- Hit 9 vs all dealer cards except 6 when you should double down
- Double down 10 vs dealer 2 through 8; hit vs dealer 9 through A
- Double down 11 vs all dealer cards
- Always hit 12 and 13
- Hit 14 vs dealer 2 and 3 and 7 through Ace; stand vs dealer 4, 5, and 6
- Stand on 15 and 16 vs dealer 2 through 6; hit vs dealer 7 through Ace
- Stand on 17 vs dealer 2 through 10; surrender vs dealer Ace
- Always stand on 18 through 21
Soft Hands:
- Always hit 13 through 15
- Hit 16 vs all dealer cards except 6 when you should double down
- Hit 17 vs dealer 2 and 3 and 7 through Ace; double vs dealer 4, 5, and 6
- Stand on 18 vs dealer 2 through 4 and vs dealer 7 and 8; double vs dealer 5 and 6; hit vs dealer 9 through Ace
- Stand on 19 through 21
Pairs:
- 2,2 – hit vs dealer 2 and 8 through Ace; split vs dealer 3 through 7
- 3,3 – hit vs dealer 2 and 9 through Ace; split vs dealer 3 through 8
- 4,4 – always hit
- 5,5 – double down vs dealer 2 through 8; hit vs dealer 9 through A
- 6,6 – hit vs dealer 2 and 3 and vs dealer 7 through Ace; split vs dealer 4 through 6
- 7,7 – split vs dealer 2 through 7; hit vs dealer 8 through Ace
- 8,8 – always split
- 9,9 – stand vs dealer 2, 3, 7, 10, and Ace; split vs dealer 4, 5, 6, 8, and 9
- 10,10 – always stand
- A,A – always split
House Edge
With the above strategy, the house edge for this blackjack variant is around 0.62%, which is not bad at all. It is a good idea to always raise your bet when the dealer’s up card is anywhere from 2 to 8. According to the Wizard of Odds, players will raise 58.3% of the time. More money will also be put into doubling down and splitting.
Thus, the ratio of expected player loss to total money wagered, or also known as Element of Risk, is 0.35%.
The house edge for the Bust It side bet is about 8.01%, which is rather steep and many experienced players will probably avoid this optional wager. The house edge for the Insurance Bet goes even higher at 12.27%.
Where to Play This Variant?
This blackjack game can be found at land-based casinos in Atlantic City, particularly at Caesars-owned properties. We’ve also been told that some Las Vegas Strip and Downtown casinos are offering the variant, as well.
A few years ago, gambling software giant Playtech swept the game from the casino floor and ported it into the online gambling realm by rolling out a proprietary digital version. Just like the one played at brick-and-mortar establishments, Playtech’s game is pretty entertaining. It also offers a generous RTP of 99.5%, which adds some more to its lure.
It can be found in pretty much every Playtech-powered online casino that offers table games.
Final Thoughts
With the Double Attack and Bust It bets, a slew of rules favoring the player, and the relatively low house edge, Double Attack Blackjack is one fun variant of the traditional game and is well worth trying, if you’re in a constant pursuit of some new blackjack experiences.
However, we don’t think many players stick to this game as their preferred variant. The fact that it pays even money on a blackjack is a major, even a massive drawback. In addition, the house edge for its Bust It bet is rather whopping.
Last but not least, the removal of 10-spot cards makes the game a nightmare for card counters. It’s not that it isn’t possible to count cards when playing this variant, but you will have to make some serious adjustments to your preferred counting method before being able to use it as there are four fewer 10-valued cards per deck, which makes 32 fewer in an eight-deck game.
