One of the most enticing card games is the reason why almost every casino offers it. It
has been a🍌 centre of attention for many years due to the challenging nature of its
rules.
Nowadays players have the chance to enjoy🍌 not only the classic game but also its
many variations which are available in a number of casinos as some🍌 of them have become
just as popular as the classic blackjack.
This impressive number of versions gives
players the opportunity to🍌 play their favourite card game every time in a different
form which guarantees high level of excitement and challenge.
However, it🍌 is worth
mentioning that they should always prepare themselves for a particular version
accordingly by adjusting the basic strategy to🍌 the game and the casino rules and
getting familiar with its and specifications. This way they will reduce their money
🍌 losses to minimum and will be able to completely enjoy the new version.
One very famous
variation among fans of the🍌 game is the Multi hand Blackjack due to the fact that it
allowsplayers to play more than one hand which🍌 makes the game even more enticing. It is
perfect for adventurous gamblers who love playing the classic game but want🍌 to try
something new, more interesting and exciting.
Even though this version can be found in
some brick and mortar casinos,🍌 it is most often played online due to the fact that
players can take their time to consider their moves🍌 without rushing, something which is
impossible in a casino setting.
Rules of Multi Hand Blackjack
The major rules and
principles of Multi🍌 Hand Blackjack are the same as in the classic Blackjack which works
in favour of the players as there is🍌 no need to learn new rules from scratch. The
objective is to form a total as close as possible to🍌 twenty one without surpassing this
number and the cards are valued in the same way as they are in the🍌 classic game.
Players compete against the dealer and should make their decisions in accordance with
his up card and the🍌 total of a particular hand.
The major difference in this version is
that players have the chance to make different moves🍌 and place more bets by playing
more than one hand. This variation allows them to have a maximum of five🍌 hands instead
of one and players are given the power to decide exactly how many at the beginning of
the🍌 game.
Of course, the exact maximum number of supported hands is variation-specific.
The multi-hand blackjack releases of some software suppliers, like🍌 Betsoft and Play’n
GO, for example, capacitate wagering on a maximum of three betting spots at a time
rather than🍌 five.
During the session, all of them are played individually and players’
wagers are not required to be equal to one🍌 another. Each hand is a separate one
and
should be treated as such, regardless of the number of hands involved. You🍌 play the
hands one after the other, starting from the one dealt to the first-base spot and
proceeding to the🍌 left, all the way to third base.
In most casinos, the additional
rules of this version deprive players of the option🍌 to surrender but they allow them to
take insurance against the dealer’s ace. Usually, multiple decks are involved in the
🍌 game and the payout for Blackjack is the standard one of 3/2.
It is impossible to list
concrete rules since these🍌 vary wildly depending on the landbased casino or the online
variation one plays. Some dealers must hit soft 17 while🍌 others are bound to stand on
all 17.
This tendency extends itself to the payouts, the dealer’s peeking, the doubling
rules,🍌 the deck number, the maximum number of permitted splits, and the availability of
the surrender option. It is also possible🍌 to find multi-hand blackjack that plays under
the European ruleset where the dealer does not use hole cards. It is🍌 always best to
double-check them before you play.
There may be discrepancies in the rules on doubling,
splitting, resplitting, and surrendering🍌 as you shall see shortly. Some multi-hand
variants offer late surrender whereas others do not support this as an
option.
Similarly,🍌 some versions that support the multiple-hand format allow for
doubling on any two-card hands while others restrict this move to🍌 totals 9 through 11.
All of these peculiarities should be considered in advance in the process of choosing
what multi-hand🍌 blackjack game to play.
The format allows for a greater pace of play
and higher betting dynamics. Therefore, players should do🍌 their best to find the games
offering them the best playing conditions and the lowest house edges. This is because
🍌 playing multiple hands per round might cause the house edge to deplete your blackjack
bankroll faster if you are not🍌 an advantage player.
Online Variations of Multi-Hand
Blackjack
The trouble with landbased casinos is that you might sometimes arrive at the
floor🍌 and go to your favourite blackjack table only to find there is not a single
vacant seat. This can be🍌 particularly annoying if you are keen on playing several
betting spots at a time. You will experience no such issues🍌 if you transition to
playing multiple-hand blackjack from the comfort of your home at a regulated online
casino.
A smorgasbord of🍌 software suppliers cater to the needs of blackjack fans
looking for more action with authentic releases that support playing either🍌 three or
five hands at a time. Of course, the graphics quality and the features are
game-specific but most releases🍌 do offer a decent level of authenticity and various
options for customisation.
Players usually have a choice from several speed levels🍌 for
the pace of card dealing. Some suppliers like NetEnt allow you to pick from a nice
range of background🍌 tracks while others like Playtech enable you to change the felt’s
colour of your chosen multi-hand table.
Many multi-hand blackjack variations🍌 on the web
are also equipped with useful features like displaying the last ten hands of the
dealer, your maximum🍌 win, and the number of bets you have made during an individual
session. Of course, players are also catered to🍌 with different chip denominations
although the minimum and maximum bet limits are table-specific.
If you prefer to flat
bet and place🍌 the same amount of chips on all hands you play during a single round, you
will find the Rebet function🍌 of great use. The table below contains all the essential
information about five of the most popular multi-hand blackjack games,🍌 available for
online play.
Side-by-Side Comparison of 5 Popular Multi-Hand BJ Games You Can Play
Online Supplier NetEnt Microgaming Pragmatic Play🍌 Play’n GO Felt Playtech Name
Blackjack Classic Multi-Hand Blackjack Classic Multi-Hand Blackjack Multi-Hand
Blackjack 6 in 1 Blackjack Blackjack Surrender🍌 Hands 3 hands 5 hands 3 hands 3 hands 3
hands 5 hands Decks 6 decks 5 decks 8 decks🍌 6 decks 6 decks 6 decks S17/H17 S17 S17 S17
S17 S17 S17 Limits £1 – £500 Varies £1 –🍌 £100 £1 – £50 £0.10 – £500 Varies Peek A, 10
ENHC A, 10 A, 10 A, 10 A, 10🍌 BJ Odds 3 to 2 3 to 2 3 to 2 3 to 2 3 to 2 3 to 2🍌 DAS
Available Unavailable Available Available Available Available RS No No No No No No HSA
No Yes No No Yes🍌 No LS No No No No No YES RTP 99.59% 99.42% 99.51% 99.54% 99.63%
99.66%
Who Should Play Multi-Hand Blackjack?
Online casinos🍌 offer an abundance of
options to blackjack players where multi-hand play is concerned. The question arises
who should switch to🍌 playing more than one betting spot and why? The general rule of
thumb is that players should increase their action🍌 to more than one hand only on
condition they have an edge over the house during the current round.
Basic strategists
🍌 and people who play by intuition do not have an advantage at the blackjack tables.
Sometimes you might see them🍌 spread their bets to two or more hands because they
mistakenly assume the shoe is “hot”. In reality, the casino🍌 holds exactly the same
long-term advantage no matter how many hands they play.
Another detrimental thing that
occurs when such players🍌 increase their action to two or more hands is that they end up
playing a greater number of hands per🍌 hour. For instance, when you join two other
patrons at the blackjack table and play single-handed, you will go through
🍌 approximately a hundred rounds each hour, which makes for 100 hands. By contrast, when
you spread to two hands instead,🍌 you will generate hourly action of 160 hands over the
course of 80 rounds.
As basic strategy players play at a🍌 disadvantage, they end up
exposing a greater portion of their blackjack bankrolls to the built-in house edge by
playing multiple🍌 hands. The more hands you play per round, the more money you will
lose. However, the amount you invest per🍌 hand is also of importance.
Examples of BS
Players’ Expectation for One and Two Hands per Round
Assume, for example, that you🍌 play
one hand and are flat betting £10 on average with a house edge of 0.50% and you play
roughly🍌 a hundred rounds per hour. In this instance, your average theoretical loss per
hour would be -0.005 x £10 x🍌 100 = -£5.
In another scenario, you play two hands of £5
each per round and go through 80 rounds per🍌 hour with two other seated players at your
table. This would increase your hourly action to 160 hands but your🍌 average expected
loss would decrease to -0.005 x £5 x 160 = -£4.
It follows that the hourly expected
losses of🍌 a basic strategy player actually decline when they spread their action to two
betting spots with lower bets rather than🍌 placing higher wagers on a single hand.
However, the decline in the losses is based on the number of fellow🍌 players seated at a
given table.
Here is yet another scenario for comparison. Let’s assume, instead of
decreasing your bet from🍌 £10 to £5 when you play two hands, you decide to keep your
wagers the same as when you play🍌 a single hand per round. In this case, you will
increase your action per round to £20, betting £10 on🍌 each of the two hands.
This
translates into higher hourly expected losses because you expose more money at risk
each round.🍌 If you play this way, your hourly expected value drops to -0.005 x £10 x
160 = -£8. It makes🍌 sense that a basic strategy player should abstain from wagering
this way in multi-hand blackjack. The same tendencies can be🍌 observed when you bet £30
per single hand or play three £10 hands per round.
You Play Multiple Hands vs. the🍌 Same
Dealer Hand
At first glance, it is intuitive for one to think that the fluctuations in
their bankroll would be🍌 equal regardless of whether they wager £10 on a single hand or
£5 on two hands within the same round.🍌 After all, there is still £10 in action per
round. Nonetheless, we should also take into account the fact that🍌 you are still
competing against the same dealer hand no matter how many hands you play
simultaneously.
Respectively, you are likely🍌 to beat a weak dealer with a small upcard
and win two bets within a single round. Unfortunately, the opposite🍌 scenario is also
possible. A dealer with a strong upcard might end up killing two birds with one stone,
figuratively🍌 speaking, causing you to lose two hands in one round. The gist of it is
that betting less on two🍌 (or more) hands increases the likelihood of your bankroll
lasting longer, compared to betting the same amount on a single🍌 hand per
round.
Multiple Hands and Advantage Play
Things are rather different for those who play
blackjack at an advantage against the🍌 house and count cards. Such players can actually
increase their hourly expectation by spreading to two or more hands. This🍌 normally
happens whenever the count is positive and favours the player rather than the dealer.
It also helps reduce variance🍌 and one’s level of risk.
You might be surprised, but
betting on multiple hands is also beneficial to card counters whenever🍌 the count
becomes negative, i.e. when the remaining composition of the shoe/deck favours the
house. When this is the case,🍌 advantage players would spread to two or more betting
spots with minimum wagers. The purpose is to deplete the shoe🍌 of the small cards and
regain their advantage with more player-friendly high cards.
Advantages of Multi Hand
Blackjack
On the one hand,🍌 one of the advantages of Multi Hand Blackjack is that it
allows players to make bigger profit as they will🍌 be able to wager more by placing
separate bets on each hand. Moreover, doubling down is also permitted which increases
🍌 their chances of achieving the desired result significantly, providing that the move is
made at the appropriate time.
This is the🍌 reason why this variation grew in popularity
so much over the years as it makes the game much more exciting🍌 by giving players a
variety of moves to choose from. Moreover, when the game is played online they can take
🍌 their time to make the best possible move for every hand without feeling pressured by
the dealer or the rest🍌 of the participants on the table.
Also, playing online gives
them the opportunity to enjoy Blackjack whenever and wherever they want🍌 which is great
news for dedicated players who want to practise and improve their game.
Having more
than one hand to🍌 deal with allows them to experience a whole new way of playing their
favourite game and it gives them opportunities🍌 which they don’t have when playing the
classic game. They can also reduce their chances of losing money by playing🍌 multiple
hands at once. For instance, if they play four hands and two of them win, they will
make up🍌 for the rest.
Disadvantages of Multi Hand Blackjack
On the other hand, one
major drawback for card counters when multi-hand blackjack is🍌 played online is that it
is simply not possible to apply their chosen system anymore. While the card counting
process🍌 can be hard to conduct at brick-and-mortar casinos, it’s practically impossible
online because after every hand is played, the cards🍌 in the shoe are shuffled. Card
counters should take into consideration the fact they will be no longer capable of
🍌 applying their system.
As already mentioned, by playing multiple hands, gamblers have
the chance to make a better profit as they🍌 place different wagers on each one of them.
However, this is a double-edged sword and as such, players can find🍌 themselves in a
situation where they are losing more. It all depends on their choices. If they want to
make🍌 this version work in their favour, it is compulsory to learn a reliable strategy
on how to play more than🍌 one hand and make the needed adjustments at the table.
Not to
mention the fact that if this variation is played🍌 in brick-and-mortar casinos, the
chances that players can get confused are very high due to factors that directly
influence their🍌 performance, such as the noisy casino setting.
Conclusion
The bottom
line is that Multi Hand Blackjack can be very beneficial for the🍌 players on the
condition that they take their time to observe its subtleties and specifications. It is
a variation which🍌 allows them to make the game more interesting and fast-paced by
playing more than one hand.
This version can be found🍌 in most online casinos which make
it extremely convenient for players who like to play on the go. However, prior🍌 to
playing online, it is essential to double check the rules in order to make sure that
there aren’t any🍌 additional changes added which might favour the casino.
