Apart from the already discussed basics of blackjack, there are additional rules with a number variations, and promotions, which define the game and vary from casino to casino. We will discuss the most common ones below.
The 17 rules
On the dealer’s side, the rule with largest impact on the game is how 17s are played. There are usually two variations.
– Dealer stands on All 17s, abbreviated as S17
Here the dealer stands on a hand that totals 17, regardless of whether it includes an Ace or not. For example, if the dealer holds A-3-3, 10-7, 9-8, they will stand. This rule favors the players.
– Dealer hits Soft 17s, abbreviated as H17
Here the dealer must stand on a hard 17, for example 10-7 and 9-8, but must hit a soft 17, e.g. A-6, A-4-2. This rule variation favors the house.
Double down
Most casinos allow players to double down after receiving the initial two cards. Doubling down increases the player’s bet by an amount up to his initial bet. The additional wager can be smaller than the original bet, but this is not recommended for the basic strategy player and instead he should double down with a full bet.
Best Online Blackjack Bonuses
HarrahsCasino.com
100% up to
$100
+ 100 Spins
Sloto'Cash Casino
100% up to
$500
Uptown Aces
150% up to
$750
Lucky Tiger Casino
No Deposit Bonus
$ 55
Shazam Casino
Exclusive No Deposit Bonus
$ 50
Vegas Casino Online
No Deposit Bonus
$ 20
After doubling down, a player draws only one additional card.
If a dealer turns out to have a blackjack, only the player’s initial wager is collected and the initial bet is returned.
Doubling down has a number of possible variations which are discussed below:
– Apart from doubling down on the first two cards, some casinos allow to double down on hands made up of three or of four cards (respectively abbreviated D2, D3 and D4). Doubling down on three, four or any number of cards is in favor of the player and are rarely employed.
– Some casinos allow players to double down only on two-card hands with a certain value. These could be hands totaling 8, 9, 10 and 11 (abbreviated as D8), hands totaling 9, 10 and 11 (abbreviated as D9) and hands totaling 10 and 11 (abbreviated as D11). All of these variations are in favor of the house, as opposed to the rule to double down on every two cards.
– Some casinos permit players to double down on split hands following the same rule in force for the original hand. If resplitting is allowed, the DAS rule applies the same double down rules on resplit hands. Games allowing DAS are common and favor the players.
Splitting hands
Splitting a hand into two is a common rule which allows players to split any pair in their original hand into two separate ones. Any combination of 10-valued cards is counted as a pair, e.g. 10-K, K-J etc. Each of the two newly-formed hands must be backed by a bet equal to the initial one, thus in this game the player bets twice the original amount.
After the original hand is split, the player receives one additional card for each of the split cards and the two newly-formed hands are played separately. The player can hit one or more cards on both of his hands, or stand down, just as he would do in any normal hand, unless he splits two Aces.
In most cases, splitting two Aces allows the player to draw only one card per split hand and if that is a 10-valued card, it does not make a blackjack, thus the player does not receive increased payoff, rather even money. If the dealer has 21, it would tie the player’s Ace-10. This rule, logically, is in favor of the house.
Resplitting
Resplitting is the further splitting of an already split hand. For example, if a player splits 10-10 and the two new hands are 10-5 and 10-10, he can resplit the second derivative hand. A common exception is the resplitting of Aces, which, if allowed, favors the players. Casinos sometimes limit resplitting, with the most common variation being up to one resplit, or a total of four hands.
As in doubling down, if the dealer has a blackjack, the house collects only the player’s original bet and not the additional one wagered with the split.
Blackjack Rules
Additional Blackjack Rules and Variations
Blackjack Basic Strategy
Universal Strategy for Blackjack
Splitting Pairs
Surrender
There are two types of surrender in blackjack – early and late surrender.
Early surrender is an option allowing the player to surrender his hand and keep half of his original bet before the dealer checks his/her hand for a blackjack.
In comparison, the late surrender option enables the player to give up his hand and forfeit half of his bet after the first two cards have been dealt. However, if the dealer has blackjack, this option is not available.
Both of these options are valuable for players, especially the early surrender, but it is very rare and mainly offered in blackjack machines.
Insurance
We explained insurance in the previous article. To read about it, click here.
European No-Hole Card Blackjack
This is a rule commonly used in European casinos, but sometimes in other parts of the world as well. In such a game, the dealer does not draw a second card (hole) until all players have completed playing their hands. Once they have, the dealer draws a second card to complete the original hand.
The main difference with American blackjack is that with the European style players don’t collect back their additional bets from splitting/doubling down, if the dealer has blackjack.
