Blackjack Table Rules

Knowledge is power in gambling. The more you know about the games, the more successful you can be.

For a knowledgeable player, blackjack offers the best chance of leaving the casino as a winner. And,when you become an expert at the game, you can turn the tables on the casino, and get a real advantageon the game.

Originally created by Ken Smith, the goal ofthis site is to provide clear, accurate and transparent information to guide you in optimizing yourblackjack play.

So how do I start?

We have a variety of resources for all levels of play. See below :

The basic rules of blackjack are simple. Players try to score as close to 21 as possible without exceeding 21. In contrast to poker, where players compete with each other, blackjack is a one-on-one game between each player and the dealer. As the dealer, the basic rules of blackjack still apply. Cards 2 through 10 are worth their face value. The first step towards learning to play blackjack and winning is to learn basic blackjack strategy. Basic strategy helps in another big way: it could help bring the house edge down to 0.5% or even lower! Of course this happens with dependencies – the number of card decks, the table rules for the game, and so on.

Blackjack School - A complete course for all levels
Blackjack Strategy Engine - Generate basic strategy charts
Blackjack Strategy Trainer - Interactive game which shows the correct decisions to make
Card Counting - A collection of useful card counting resources
Blackjack Forum - A treasure trove of knowledge with contributing experts
Online Blackjack - What to look out for when playing online
Blackjackinfo Store - Purchase strategy cards
Recent Blog Posts - Read the latest news and insights from expert contributors of BJI

Our most comprehensive resource, this is a completeguide consisting of 24 lessons starting from the very basics of understanding the rules to thenitty gritty details of advanced card counting.

By the end of this course you will be able to:

Understand Basic Strategy
Card Count
Apply Money Management Methods
Evaluate When a Game is Beatable
Gain an Advantage Against the Casino!

Many casinos offer a version of the game where a basic strategy player’s expected loss is onlyaround 0.3%. By just choosing the right game and using a correct basic strategy, your results havealready improved five-fold over a typical player!

A player who plays at this skill level can already “beat” the game if you consider the value ofcomps and freebies he can get.

Our Blackjack Strategy Engine allows you to generate charts based off different rule sets

Looking for something a bit more interactive? Our free basic strategy trainer is designed to coach you and provide advice when you make an incorrect decision

This has recently been updated to be more user friendly on mobiles although if you want to play the original version you have the option to do so too

If you want to beat the game in the long run for actual cash, that’s possible too. In fact,Blackjack is probably the easiest game in the casino where a knowledgeable player can get amathematical edge over the game.

By learning to count cards, you can expect to win more money than you lose. You don’t have to be agenius to count cards… You just need to be willing to study, practice, and play with discipline.

Visit our blackjack school for a complete blackjack course whichcovers card counting extensively or visit our card counting resource.

A treasure trove of blackjack know-how, our forum has over decades of valuable informationavailable for free.

Got a question? There are many industry experts that contribute to the community that can answeranything.

Latest Threads

Unfortunately there's no way to card count when playing blackjack online, however if you are looking to just play for fun there are a few things you need to look out for.

We've decided to create a separate resource to address the questions you should be asking yourself before playing online which include:

Is it legal to play online blackjack?
What's the difference between online blackjack and live blackjack?
Which online casinos give the best promotions?
Do I have to pay tax on winnings?

If you are looking for physical strategy cards instead of using our strategy engine, the BlackjackInfo Store has wallet-size basic strategy cards, and an advanced strategy set thatincludes card counting indexes right on the card.

Our set of six strategy cards covers all thecommon rule variations.

BlackjackinfoStore

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Spanish 21 is a blackjack variant owned by Masque Publishing Inc., a gaming publishing company based in Colorado. Unlicensed, but equivalent, versions may be called Spanish blackjack. In Australia and Malaysia, an unlicensed version of the game, with no dealer hole card and significant rule differences, is played in casinos under the name 'Pontoon'. It was first introduced about 1995.^[1]

Rules[edit]

Spanish 21 is played on a blackjack table with a custom layout and uses the following rules:

The game is played with six or eight decks dealt from a shoe, or from a continuous shuffling machine (CSM). Spanish 21 is played with 48-card Spanish decks, although standard French suited 52-card decks are used with the 4 ten-spot cards removed. All cards have the same values as in blackjack.
The dealer gets a hole card.
Like traditional blackjack, the dealer hits on 16 and stands on 17. In some venues, the dealer hits on a soft 17 (abbreviated as H17), though most venues have the dealer stand on soft 17 (S17). Hitting soft 17 (H17) negatively impacts the player; that rule increased the house edge by 0.40%.
Blackjack (a natural total of 21 on the first two cards) always wins, and is always paid 3:2 regardless of whether or not the dealer has a blackjack.
Insurance is paid 2:1, just like in blackjack, despite the fact that there are four fewer ten-valued cards per deck. As 3 cards in 12 are worth ten, the chance of the dealer getting a blackjack when showing an Ace is only 25%. Therefore, for insurance to be an even bet, it would have to pay 3:1, not 2:1. The house edge on the insurance is 24.7%, one of the worst of any wager in a casino.
Hitting, standing, and splitting all follow similar rules to blackjack. Doubling after splitting (DAS) is always permitted, and, in most venues, players are allowed to draw as many cards as they wish after splitting aces, or may double down after receiving second or subsequent cards.
Players can split to a maximum of four hands, even on aces.
In most venues, if the dealer does not have blackjack, players may surrender, and get half their bet back in exchange for relinquishing the right to play on. This type of surrender is known as a 'late surrender' (LS).
Players can surrender after doubling (sometimes called forfeit, double-down rescue, or concede). The dealer takes the original bet, and the player retains the double portion of the bet. This is because the player is allowed to double down for less than the original bet.
Once the initial two-card hands are dealt, if the dealer is showing an Ace or face card, he peeks underneath the hole card to check for a blackjack, before playing actually commences. If he has blackjack, all players automatically lose, unless they also have a blackjack (which, as mentioned above, automatically win 3:2).
The player may double down on any total and on any number of cards.
In some casinos, players may double double down, or redouble up to two times after doubling down. For example: The player bets one unit and is dealt 2-3, giving a hand total of 5; the dealer is showing a 6. The player doubles the first time and draws a 3. The hand total is now 8 and the total amount wagered is two units. The player doubles a second time and draws a 3. The hand total is now 11 and the total amount wagered is four units. When the player doubles a third time on 11, the total amount wagered will be eight units. Redoubling is a profoundly player-advantageous rule, when optimally executed.
A total of 21 always wins for the player. It never pushes against the dealer's 21.
A five-card 21 pays 3:2, a six-card 21 pays 2:1, and a 21 with seven or more cards pays 3:1. A 21 composed of 6-7-8 or 7-7-7 of mixed suits pays 3:2, of the same suit pays 2:1, and of spades pays 3:1. These bonus payouts apply even if the hand was the result of a split. However, doubling down negates these bonuses.
A 'super bonus' of $1000 for bets under $25, and $5000 for bets of $25 and over, is paid on a suited 7-7-7 against any dealer 7. All other players at the table receive a $50 'envy bonus'. Splitting or doubling down negates the 'super bonus'.

The removal of the four tens in each deck gives roughly a 2% advantage to the dealer. The liberal rules of Spanish 21, though, do compensate for this. With optimal play, the house edge of a Spanish 21 table is lower than that of a blackjack table with the same rules on hitting or standing on soft 17.

The game also offers an optional 'Match the Dealer' side bet, which compares a player's cards with the dealer's upcard. Matching the rank of the dealer's card pays 4:1 on a six-deck game, and 3:1 on an eight-deck game, while a 'perfect match' of rank and suit pays 9:1 on six decks and 12:1 on eight decks. A player may win on both cards; (e.g. if a player has 8s 8c and the dealer has 8c as an upcard, the player will receive 3:1 on the rank match and 12:1 on the perfect match, paying out a total of 15:1.) While this side bet has a house edge of approximately 3%, significantly higher than the edge of the main game, it is one of the lowest house edges of any blackjack side bet.

House edge[edit]

Casino Blackjack Table Rules

The following tables list the Spanish 21 house edges for all rule sets found in North America.^[2] (The figures were obtained from 10-billion hand simulations and have a standard error of 0.001%. The super bonus is averaged out to a 100:1 payout.) These charts assume that the player is using basic strategy. 'H17' means that the dealer hits soft seventeen, 'S17' means that the dealer stands on soft seventeen.

Rules	Decks	House Edge
H17	6	0.78%
H17	8	0.80%
S17	6	0.37%
S17	8	0.38%
H17 with redoubling	6	0.42%
H17 with redoubling	8	0.45%

Rule Changes	Change in House Edge
No surrender (H17)	0.018%
No surrender (S17)	0.006%
No draws on split Aces (H17 or S17)	0.28%
No draws on split Aces (H17 with redoubling)	0.29%
Natural after split pays 3:2	–0.16%

Match the Dealer[edit]

Match the Dealer is a side bet offered on most Spanish 21 games. The player wins the side bet if the rank of either or both of their initial two cards matches the rank of the dealer's up card. If the cards match in both rank and suit, the player wins a bigger payout. Some casinos offer a second Match the Dealer bet which wins when either or both of the player's initial two cards match the dealer's hole card. The payouts and the house edge vary depending on the number of decks in play as shown below.

Blackjack Table Strategy

Number of Decks	Non-Suited Match	Double Non-Suited Match	Suited Match	Suited + Non-Suited Match	Double Suited Match	House Edge
2	4:1	8:1	15:1	19:1	NA	3.63%
4	4:1	8:1	10:1	14:1	20:1	3.20%
5	3:1	6:1	13:1	16:1	26:1	3.53%
6	4:1	8:1	9:1	13:1	18:1	3.06%
8	3:1	6:1	12:1	15:1	24:1	2.99%

References[edit]

^Dalton, Michael. 'S ... is for Shuffle - Blackjack Review Network'. Blackjack Review Network.
^Reproduced from The Pro's Guide to Spanish 21 and Australian Pontoon (Lulu Publishing, 2008), with permission from the author, Katarina Walker

Las Vegas Blackjack Table Rules

External links[edit]