Gambling card game
Blackjack A blackjack example, consisting of an ace and a 10-valued card Alternative names Twenty-One Type Comparing Players🌻 2+, usually 2–7 Skills Probability Cards 52 to 416 (one to eight 52-card decks) Deck French Play Clockwise Chance High🌻 Related games Pontoon, twenty-one, Siebzehn und Vier, vingt-et-un
Blackjack (formerly black jack and vingt-un) is a casino banking game.[1]: 342 It🌻 is the most widely played casino banking game in the world. It uses decks of 52 cards and descends from🌻 a global family of casino banking games known as "twenty-one". This family of card games also includes the European games🌻 vingt-et-un and pontoon, and the Russian game Ochko [ru].[2] Blackjack players do not compete against each other. The game is🌻 a comparing card game where each player competes against the dealer.
History [ edit ]
Blackjack's immediate precursor was the English version🌻 of twenty-one called vingt-un, a game of unknown (but likely Spanish) provenance. The first written reference is found in a🌻 book by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes. Cervantes was a gambler, and the protagonists of his "Rinconete y Cortadillo",🌻 from Novelas Ejemplares, are card cheats in Seville. They are proficient at cheating at veintiuna (Spanish for "twenty-one") and state🌻 that the object of the game is to reach 21 points without going over and that the ace values 1🌻 or 11. The game is played with the Spanish baraja deck.
"Rinconete y Cortadillo" was written between 1601 and 1602, implying🌻 that ventiuna was played in Castile since the beginning of the 17th century or earlier. Later references to this game🌻 are found in France and Spain.[3]
The first record of the game in France occurs in 1888 and in Britain during🌻 the 1770s and 1780s, but the first rules appeared in Britain in 1800 under the name of vingt-un.[6] Twenty-One, still🌻 known then as vingt-un, appeared in the United States in the early 1800s. The first American rules were an 1825🌻 reprint of the 1800 English rules. English vingt-un later developed into an American variant in its own right which was🌻 renamed blackjack around 1899.
According to popular myth, when vingt-un ('twenty-one') was introduced into the United States (in the early 1800s,🌻 during the First World War, or in the 1930s, depending on the source), gambling houses offered bonus payouts to stimulate🌻 players' interest. One such bonus was a ten-to-one payout if the player's hand consisted of the ace of spades and🌻 a black jack (either the jack of clubs or the jack of spades). This hand was called a "blackjack", and🌻 the name stuck even after the ten-to-one bonus was withdrawn.
French card historian Thierry Depaulis debunks this story, showing that prospectors🌻 during the Klondike Gold Rush (1896–99) gave the name blackjack to the game of American vingt-un, the bonus being the🌻 usual ace and any 10-point card. Since blackjack also refers to the mineral zincblende, which was often associated with gold🌻 or silver deposits, he suggests that the mineral name was transferred by prospectors to the top bonus hand. He could🌻 not find any historical evidence for a special bonus for having the combination of an ace and a black jack.
In🌻 September 1956, Roger Baldwin, Wilbert Cantey, Herbert Maisel, and James McDermott published a paper titled "The Optimum Strategy in Blackjack"🌻 in the Journal of the American Statistical Association,[9] the first mathematically sound optimal blackjack strategy. This paper became the foundation🌻 of future efforts to beat blackjack. Ed Thorp used Baldwin's hand calculations to verify the basic strategy and later published🌻 (in 1963) Beat the Dealer.[10]
Rules of play at casinos [ edit ]
Blackjack example game Initial deal Player action Dealer's hand🌻 revealed Bets settled
At a blackjack table, the dealer faces five to nine playing positions from behind a semicircular table. Between🌻 one and eight standard 52-card decks are shuffled together. To start each round, players place bets in the "betting box"🌻 at each position. In jurisdictions allowing back betting, up to three players can be at each position. The player whose🌻 bet is at the front of the betting box controls the position, and the dealer consults the controlling player for🌻 playing decisions; the other bettors "play behind". A player can usually control or bet in as many boxes as desired🌻 at a single table, but an individual cannot play on more than one table at a time or place multiple🌻 bets within a single box. In many U.S. casinos, players are limited to playing one to three positions at a🌻 table.
The dealer deals from their left ("first base") to their far right ("third base"). Each box gets an initial hand🌻 of two cards visible to the people playing on it. The dealer's hand gets its first card face-up and, in🌻 "hole card" games, immediately gets a second card face-down (the hole card), which the dealer peeks at but only reveals🌻 when it makes the dealer's hand a blackjack. Hole card games are sometimes played on tables with a small mirror🌻 or electronic sensor used to peek securely at the hole card. In European casinos, "no hole card" games are prevalent;🌻 the dealer's second card is not drawn until the players have played their hands.
Dealers deal the cards from one or🌻 two handheld decks, from a dealer's shoe or from a shuffling machine. Single cards are dealt to each wagered-on position🌻 clockwise from the dealer's left, followed by a single card to the dealer, followed by an additional card to each🌻 of the positions in play. The players' initial cards may be dealt face-up or face-down (more common in single-deck games).
The🌻 object of the game is to win money by creating card totals higher than those of the dealer's hand but🌻 not exceeding 21, or by stopping at a total in the hope that the dealer will bust. On their turn,🌻 players choose to "hit" (take a card), "stand" (end their turn and stop without taking a card), "double" (double their🌻 wager, take a single card, and finish), "split" (if the two cards have the same value, separate them to make🌻 two hands), or "surrender" (give up a half-bet and retire from the game).
Number cards count as their number, the jack,🌻 queen, and king ("face cards" or "pictures") count as 10, and aces count as either 1 or 11 according to🌻 the player's choice. If the total exceeds 21 points, it busts, and all bets on it immediately lose.
After the boxes🌻 have finished playing, the dealer's hand is resolved by drawing cards until the hand achieves a total of 17 or🌻 higher. If the dealer has a total of 17 including an ace valued as 11 (a "soft 17"), some games🌻 require the dealer to stand while other games require another draw. The dealer never doubles, splits, or surrenders. If the🌻 dealer busts, all remaining player hands win. If the dealer does not bust, each remaining bet wins if its hand🌻 is higher than the dealer's and loses if it is lower.
A player total of 21 on the first two cards🌻 is a "natural" or "blackjack", and the player wins immediately unless the dealer also has one, in which case the🌻 hand ties. In the case of a tie ("push" or "standoff"), bets are returned without adjustment. A blackjack beats any🌻 hand that is not a blackjack, even one with a value of 21.
Wins are paid out at even money, except🌻 for player blackjacks, which are traditionally paid out at 3 to 2 odds. Many casinos today pay blackjacks at less🌻 than 3:2. This is common in single-deck blackjack games.[11]
Blackjack games usually offer a side bet called insurance, which may be🌻 placed when the dealer's face-up card is an ace. Additional side bets, such as "Dealer Match" which pays when the🌻 player's cards match the dealer's up card, are also sometimes available.
Player decisions [ edit ]
After the initial two cards, the🌻 player has up to five options: "hit", "stand", "double down", "split", or "surrender". Each option has a corresponding hand signal.
Hit:🌻 Take another card.
Signal: Scrape cards against the table (in handheld games); tap the table with a finger or wave a🌻 hand toward the body (in games dealt face-up).
Stand: Take no more cards; also known as "stand pat", "sit", "stick", or🌻 "stay".
Signal: Slide cards under chips (in handheld games); wave hand horizontally (in games dealt face-up).
Double down: Increase the initial bet🌻 by 100% and take exactly one more card. The additional bet is placed next to the original bet. Some games🌻 permit the player to increase the bet by amounts smaller than 100%, which is known as "double for less".[12] Non-controlling🌻 players may or may not double their wager, but they still only take one card.
Signal: Place additional chips beside the🌻 original bet outside the betting box and point with one finger.
Split: Create two hands from a starting hand where both🌻 cards are the same value. Each new hand gets a second card resulting in two starting hands. This requires an🌻 additional bet on the second hand. The two hands are played out independently, and the wager on each hand is🌻 won or lost independently. In the case of cards worth 10 points, some casinos only allow splitting when the cards🌻 rank the same. For example, 10-10 could be split, but K-10 could not. Doubling and re-splitting after splitting are often🌻 restricted. A 10-valued card and an ace resulting from a split usually isn't considered a blackjack. Hitting split aces is🌻 often not allowed. Non-controlling players can opt to put up a second bet or not. If they do not, they🌻 only get paid or lose on one of the two post-split hands.
Signal: Place additional chips next to the original bet🌻 outside the betting box and point with two fingers spread into a V formation.
Surrender: Forfeit half the bet and end🌻 the hand immediately. This option is only available at some tables in some casinos, and the option is only available🌻 as the first decision.
Signal: Spoken; there are no standard signals.
Hand signals help the "eye in the sky" make a video🌻 recording of the table, which resolves disputes and identifies dealer mistakes. It is also used to protect the casino against🌻 dealers who steal chips or players who cheat. Recordings can also identify advantage players. When a player's hand signal disagrees🌻 with their words, the hand signal takes precedence.
A hand can "hit" as often as desired until the total is 21🌻 or more. Players must stand on a total of 21. After a bust or a stand, play proceeds to the🌻 next hand clockwise around the table. After the last hand is played, the dealer reveals the hole card and stands🌻 or draws according to the game's rules. When the outcome of the dealer's hand is established, any hands with bets🌻 remaining on the table are resolved (usually in counterclockwise order); bets on losing hands are forfeited, the bet on a🌻 push is left on the table, and winners are paid out.
Insurance [ edit ]
If the dealer shows an ace, an🌻 "insurance" bet is allowed. Insurance is a side bet that the dealer has a blackjack. The dealer asks for insurance🌻 bets before the first player plays. Insurance bets of up to half the player's current bet are placed on the🌻 "insurance bar" above the player's cards. If the dealer has a blackjack, insurance pays 2 to 1. In most casinos,🌻 the dealer looks at the down card and pays off or takes the insurance bet immediately. In other casinos, the🌻 payoff waits until the end of the play.
In face-down games, if a player has more than one hand, they can🌻 look at all their hands before deciding. This is the only condition where a player can look at multiple hands.
Players🌻 with blackjack can also take insurance.
Insurance bets lose money in the long run. The dealer has a blackjack less than🌻 one-third of the time. In some games, players can also take insurance when a 10-valued card shows, but the dealer🌻 has an ace in the hole less than one-tenth of the time.
The insurance bet is susceptible to advantage play. It🌻 is advantageous to make an insurance bet whenever the hole card has more than a one in three chance of🌻 being a ten. Card counting techniques can identify such situations.
Rule variations and effects on house edge [ edit ]
Note: Where🌻 changes in the house edge due to changes in the rules are stated in percentage terms, the difference is usually🌻 stated here in percentage points, not a percentage. For example, if an edge of 10% is reduced to 9%, it🌻 is reduced by one percentage point, not reduced by ten percent.
Doubling down. The third card is placed at right angles🌻 to signify that the player cannot receive any more cards.
Blackjack rules are generally set by regulations that establish permissible rule🌻 variations at the casino's discretion.[13] Blackjack comes with a "house edge"; the casino's statistical advantage is built into the game.🌻 Most of the house's edge comes from the fact that the player loses when both the player and dealer bust.🌻 Blackjack players using basic strategy lose on average less than 1% of their action over the long run, giving blackjack🌻 one of the lowest edges in the casino. The house edge for games where blackjack pays 6 to 5 instead🌻 of 3 to 2 increases by about 1.4%, though. Player deviations from basic strategy also increase the house edge.
Dealer hits🌻 soft 17
A "soft 17" in blackjack (an ace and any combination of 6)
Each game has a rule about whether the🌻 dealer must hit or stand on soft 17, which is generally printed on the table surface. The variation where the🌻 dealer must hit soft 17 is abbreviated "H17" in blackjack literature, with "S17" used for the stand-on-soft-17 variation. Substituting an🌻 "H17" rule with an "S17" rule in a game benefits the player, decreasing the house edge by about 0.2%.
Number of🌻 decks
All things being equal, using fewer decks decreases the house edge. This mainly reflects an increased likelihood of player blackjack,🌻 since if the player draws a ten on their first card, the subsequent probability of drawing an ace is higher🌻 with fewer decks. It also reflects the decreased likelihood of a blackjack–blackjack push in a game with fewer decks.
Casinos generally🌻 compensate by tightening other rules in games with fewer decks, to preserve the house edge or discourage play altogether. When🌻 offering single-deck blackjack games, casinos are more likely to disallow doubling on soft hands or after splitting, restrict resplitting, require🌻 higher minimum bets, and pay the player less than 3:2 for a winning blackjack.
The following table illustrates the mathematical effect🌻 on the house edge of the number of decks, by considering games with various deck counts under the following ruleset:🌻 double after split allowed, resplit to four hands allowed, no hitting split aces, no surrendering, double on any two cards,🌻 original bets only lost on dealer blackjack, dealer hits soft 17, and cut-card used. The increase in house edge per🌻 unit increase in the number of decks is most dramatic when comparing the single-deck game to the two-deck game, and🌻 becomes progressively smaller as more decks are added.
Number of decks House advantage Single deck 0.17% Double deck 0.46% Four decks🌻 0.60% Six decks 0.64% Eight decks 0.66%
Late/early surrender
Surrender, for those games that allow it, is usually not permitted against a🌻 dealer blackjack; if the dealer's first card is an ace or ten, the hole card is checked to make sure🌻 there is no blackjack before surrender is offered. This rule protocol is consequently known as "late" surrender. The alternative, "early"🌻 surrender, gives the player the option to surrender before the dealer checks for blackjack, or in a no hole card🌻 game. Early surrender is much more favorable to the player than late surrender.
For late surrender, however, while it is tempting🌻 to opt for surrender on any hand which will probably lose, the correct strategy is to only surrender on the🌻 very worst hands, because having even a one-in-four chance of winning the full bet is better than losing half the🌻 bet and pushing the other half, as entailed by surrendering.
Resplitting
If the cards of a post-split hand have the same value,🌻 most games allow the player to split again, or "resplit". The player places a further wager, and the dealer separates🌻 the new pair dealing a further card to each as before. Some games allow unlimited resplitting, while others may limit🌻 it to a certain number of hands, such as four hands (for example, "resplit to 4").
Hit/resplit split aces
After splitting aces,🌻 the common rule is that only one card will be dealt to each ace; the player cannot split, double, or🌻 take another hit on either hand. Rule variants include allowing resplitting aces or allowing the player to hit split aces.🌻 Games allowing aces to be resplit are not uncommon, but those allowing the player to hit split aces are extremely🌻 rare. Allowing the player to hit hands resulting from split aces reduces the house edge by about 0.13%; allowing resplitting🌻 of aces reduces the house edge by about 0.03%. Note that a ten-value card dealt on a split ace (or🌻 vice versa) will not be counted as a blackjack but as a soft 21.
No double after split
After a split, most🌻 games allow doubling down on the new two-card hands. Disallowing doubling after a split increases the house edge by about🌻 0.12%.
Double on 9/10/11 or 10/11 only
Under the "Reno rule", doubling down is only permitted on hard totals of 9, 10,🌻 or 11 (under a similar European rule, only 10 or 11). The basic strategy would otherwise call for some doubling🌻 down with hard 9 and soft 13–18, and advanced players can identify situations where doubling on soft 19–20 and hard🌻 8, 7, and even 6 is advantageous. The Reno rule prevents the player from taking advantage of double-down in these🌻 situations and thereby increases the player's expected loss. The Reno rule increases the house edge by around 0.1%, and its🌻 European version by around 0.2%.
No hole card and OBO
In most non-U.S. casinos, a "no hole card" game is played, meaning🌻 that the dealer does not draw nor consult their second card until after all players have finished making decisions. With🌻 no hole card, it is rarely the correct basic strategy to double or split against a dealer ten or ace,🌻 since a dealer blackjack will result in the loss of the split and double bets; the only exception is with🌻 a pair of aces against a dealer 10, where it is still correct to split. In all other cases, a🌻 stand, hit, or surrender is called for. For instance, when holding 11 against a dealer 10, the correct strategy is🌻 to double in a hole card game (where the player knows the dealer's second card is not an ace), but🌻 to hit in a no-hole card game. The no-hole-card rule adds approximately 0.11% to the house edge.
The "original bets only"🌻 rule variation appearing in certain no hole card games states that if the player's hand loses to a dealer blackjack,🌻 only the mandatory initial bet ("original") is forfeited, and all optional bets, meaning doubles and splits, are pushed. "Original bets🌻 only" is also known by the acronym OBO; it has the same effect on basic strategy and the house edge🌻 as reverting to a hole card game.[14]
Altered payout for a winning blackjack
In many casinos, a blackjack pays only 6:5 or🌻 even 1:1 instead of the usual 3:2. This is most common at tables with lower table minimums. Although this payoff🌻 was originally limited to single-deck games, it has spread to double-deck and shoe games. Among common rule variations in the🌻 U.S., these altered payouts for blackjack are the most damaging to the player, causing the greatest increase in house edge.🌻 Since blackjack occurs in approximately 4.8% of hands, the 1:1 game increases the house edge by 2.3%, while the 6:5🌻 game adds 1.4% to the house edge. Video blackjack machines generally pay a 1:1 payout for a blackjack.[11]
Dealer wins ties
The🌻 rule that bets on tied hands are lost rather than pushed is catastrophic to the player. Though rarely used in🌻 standard blackjack, it is sometimes seen in "blackjack-like" games, such as in some charity casinos.
Blackjack strategy [ edit ]
Basic strategy🌻 [ edit ]
Each blackjack game has a basic strategy, the optimal method of playing any hand. When using basic strategy,🌻 the long-term house advantage (the expected loss of the player) is minimized.
An example of a basic strategy is shown in🌻 the table below, which applies to a game with the following specifications:[15]
Four to eight decks
The dealer hits on a soft🌻 17
A double is allowed after a split
Only original bets are lost on dealer blackjack
Player hand Dealer's face-up card 2 3🌻 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A Hard totals (excluding pairs) 18–21 S S S S S S S🌻 S S S 17 S S S S S S S S S Us 16 S S S S S🌻 H H Uh Uh Uh 15 S S S S S H H H Uh Uh 13–14 S S S🌻 S S H H H H H 12 H H S S S H H H H H 11 Dh🌻 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh 10 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh H H🌻 9 H Dh Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 5–8 H H H H H H H H🌻 H H Soft totals 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A A,9 S S S S S🌻 S S S S S A,8 S S S S Ds S S S S S A,7 Ds Ds Ds🌻 Ds Ds S S H H H A,6 H Dh Dh Dh Dh H H H H H A,4–A,5 H🌻 H Dh Dh Dh H H H H H A,2–A,3 H H H Dh Dh H H H H H🌻 Pairs 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A A, A SP SP SP SP SP SP SP🌻 SP SP SP 10,10 S S S S S S S S S S 9,9 SP SP SP SP SP🌻 S SP SP S S 8,8 SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP Usp 7,7 SP SP SP🌻 SP SP SP H H H H 6,6 SP SP SP SP SP H H H H H 5,5 Dh🌻 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh H H 4,4 H H H SP SP H H H H H🌻 2,2–3,3 SP SP SP SP SP SP H H H H
Key:
S = Stand H = Hit Dh = Double (if🌻 not allowed, then hit) Ds = Double (if not allowed, then stand) SP = Split Uh = Surrender (if not🌻 allowed, then hit) Us = Surrender (if not allowed, then stand) Usp = Surrender (if not allowed, then split)
Most basic🌻 strategy decisions are the same for all blackjack games. Rule variations call for changes in only a few situations. For🌻 example, to use the table above on a game with the stand-on-soft-17 rule (which favors the player, and is typically🌻 found only at higher-limit tables today) only 6 cells would need to be changed: hit on 11 vs. A, hit🌻 on 15 vs. A, stand on 17 vs. A, stand on A,7 vs. 2, stand on A,8 vs. 6, and🌻 split on 8,8 vs. A. Regardless of the specific rule variations, taking insurance or "even money" is never the correct🌻 play under a basic strategy.[15]
Estimates of the house edge for blackjack games quoted by casinos and gaming regulators are based🌻 on the assumption that the players follow basic strategy.
Most blackjack games have a house edge of between 0.5% and 1%,🌻 placing blackjack among the cheapest casino table games for the player. Casino promotions such as complimentary matchplay vouchers or 2:1🌻 blackjack payouts allow players to acquire an advantage without deviating from basic strategy.[16]
Composition-dependent strategy [ edit ]
The basic strategy is🌻 based on a player's point total and the dealer's visible card. Players can sometimes improve on this decision by considering🌻 the composition of their hand, not just the point total. For example, players should ordinarily stand when holding 12 against🌻 a dealer 4. But in a single deck game, players should hit if their 12 consists of a 10 and🌻 a 2. The presence of a 10 in the player's hand has two consequences:[17]
It makes the player's 12 a worse🌻 hand to stand on (since the only way to avoid losing is for the dealer to go bust, which is🌻 less likely if there are fewer 10s left in the shoe).
It makes hitting safer, since the only way of going🌻 bust is to draw a 10, and this is less likely with a 10 already in the hand.
Even when basic🌻 and composition-dependent strategies lead to different actions, the difference in expected reward is small, and it becomes smaller with more🌻 decks. Using a composition-dependent strategy rather than a basic strategy in a single-deck game reduces the house edge by 4🌻 in 10,000, which falls to 3 in 100,000 for a six-deck game.[18]
Advantage play [ edit ]
Blackjack has been a high-profile🌻 target for advantage players since the 1960s. Advantage play attempts to win more using skills such as memory, computation, and🌻 observation. While these techniques are legal, they can give players a mathematical edge in the game, making advantage players unwanted🌻 customers for casinos. Advantage play can lead to ejection or blacklisting. Some advantageous play techniques in blackjack include:
Card counting [🌻 edit ]
During the course of a blackjack shoe, the dealer exposes the dealt cards. Players can infer from their accounting🌻 of the exposed cards which cards remain. These inferences can be used in the following ways:
Players can make larger bets🌻 when they have an advantage. For example, the players can increase the starting bet if many aces and tens are🌻 left in the deck, in the hope of hitting a blackjack.
Players can deviate from basic strategy according to the composition🌻 of their undealt cards. For example, with many tens left in the deck, players might double down in more situations🌻 since there is a better chance of getting a good hand.
A card counting system assigns a point score to each🌻 card rank (e.g., 1 point for 2–6, 0 points for 7–9, and −1 point for 10–A). When a card is🌻 exposed, a counter adds the score of that card to a running total, the 'count'. A card counter uses this🌻 count to make betting and playing decisions. The count starts at 0 for a freshly shuffled deck for "balanced" counting🌻 systems. Unbalanced counts are often started at a value that depends on the number of decks used in the game.
Blackjack's🌻 house edge is usually around 0.5–1% when players use basic strategy.[19] Card counting can give the player an edge of🌻 up to about 2%.[20]: 5
Card counting works best when a few cards remain. This makes single-deck games better for counters.🌻 As a result, casinos are more likely to insist that players do not reveal their cards to one another in🌻 single-deck games. In games with more decks, casinos limit penetration by ending the shoe and reshuffling when one or more🌻 decks remain undealt. Casinos also sometimes use a shuffling machine to reintroduce the cards whenever a deck has been played.
Card🌻 counting is legal unless the counter is using an external device,[20]: 6–7 but a casino might inform counters that they🌻 are no longer welcome to play blackjack. Sometimes a casino might ban a card counter from the property.[21]
The use of🌻 external devices to help count cards is illegal throughout the United States.[22]
Shuffle tracking [ edit ]
Another advantage play technique, mainly🌻 applicable in multi-deck games, involves tracking groups of cards (also known as slugs, clumps, or packs) through the shuffle and🌻 then playing and betting according to when those cards come into play from a new shoe. Shuffle tracking requires excellent🌻 eyesight and powers of visual estimation but is harder to detect; shuffle trackers' actions are largely unrelated to the composition🌻 of the cards in the shoe.[23]
Arnold Snyder's articles in Blackjack Forum magazine brought shuffle tracking to the general public. His🌻 book, The Shuffle Tracker's Cookbook, mathematically analyzed the player edge available from shuffle tracking based on the actual size of🌻 the tracked slug. Jerry L. Patterson also developed and published a shuffle-tracking method for tracking favorable clumps of cards and🌻 cutting them into play and tracking unfavorable clumps of cards and cutting them out of play.[24][25][26]
Identifying concealed cards [ edit🌻 ]
The player can also gain an advantage by identifying cards from distinctive wear markings on their backs, or by hole🌻 carding (observing during the dealing process the front of a card dealt face-down). These methods are generally legal although their🌻 status in particular jurisdictions may vary.[27]
Side bets [ edit ]
Many blackjack tables offer side bets on various outcomes including:[28]
Player hand🌻 and dealer's up card total 19, 20, or 21 ("Lucky Lucky")
Player initial hand is a pair ("Perfect pairs")
Player initial hand🌻 is suited, and connected, or a suited K-Q ("Royal match")
Player initial hand plus dealer's card makes a flush, straight, or🌻 three-of-a-kind poker hand ("21+3")
Player initial hand totals 20 ("Lucky Ladies")
Dealer upcard is in between the value of the player's two🌻 cards ("In Bet")
First card drawn to the dealer will result in a dealer bust ("Bust It!")
One or both of the🌻 player's cards is the same as the dealer's card ("Match the Dealer")
The side wager is typically placed in a designated🌻 area next to the box for the main wager. A player wishing to wager on a side bet usually must🌻 place a wager on blackjack. Some games require that the blackjack wager should equal or exceed any side bet wager.🌻 A non-controlling player of a blackjack hand is usually permitted to place a side bet regardless of whether the controlling🌻 player does so.
The house edge for side bets is generally higher than for the blackjack game itself. Nonetheless, side bets🌻 can be susceptible to card counting. A side count designed specifically for a particular side bet can improve the player's🌻 edge. Only a few side bets, like "Insurance" and "Lucky Ladies", correlate well with the high-low counting system and offer🌻 a sufficient win rate to justify the effort of advantage play.
In team play, it is common for team members to🌻 be dedicated to only counting a side bet using a specialized count.
Video blackjack [ edit ]
A video blackjack machine at🌻 Seven Feathers Casino.
Some casinos, as well as general betting outlets, provide blackjack among a selection of casino-style games at electronic🌻 consoles. Video blackjack game rules are generally more favorable to the house; e.g., paying out only even money for winning🌻 blackjacks. Video and online blackjack games generally deal each round from a fresh shoe (i.e., use an RNG for each🌻 deal), rendering card counting ineffective in most situations.[29]
Variants and related games [ edit ]
Blackjack is a member of the family🌻 of traditional card games played recreationally worldwide. Most of these games have not been adapted for casino play. Furthermore, the🌻 casino game development industry actively produces blackjack variants, most of which are ultimately not adopted by casinos. The following are🌻 the most prominent and established variants in casinos.
Spanish 21 provides players with liberal rules, such as doubling down any number🌻 of cards (with the option to "rescue", or surrender only one wager to the house), payout bonuses for five or🌻 more card 21s, 6–7–8 21s, 7–7–7 21s, late surrender, and player blackjacks and player 21s always winning. The trade-off is🌻 having no 10s in the deck, although the jacks, queens, and kings are still there. An unlicensed version of Spanish🌻 21 played without a hole card is found in Australian casinos under the name "pontoon".
provides players with liberal rules, such🌻 as doubling down any number of cards (with the option to "rescue", or surrender only one wager to the house),🌻 payout bonuses for five or more card 21s, 6–7–8 21s, 7–7–7 21s, late surrender, and player blackjacks and player 21s🌻 always winning. The trade-off is having no 10s in the deck, although the jacks, queens, and kings are still there.🌻 An unlicensed version of Spanish 21 played without a hole card is found in Australian casinos under the name "pontoon".🌻 21st-century blackjack (or Vegas-style blackjack ) is found in California card rooms. In variations, a player bust does not always🌻 result in an automatic loss; depending on the casino, the player can still push if the dealer also busts. The🌻 dealer has to bust with a higher total, though.
(or ) is found in California card rooms. In variations, a player🌻 bust does not always result in an automatic loss; depending on the casino, the player can still push if the🌻 dealer also busts. The dealer has to bust with a higher total, though. Double exposure blackjack deals the first two🌻 cards of the dealer's hand face up. Blackjacks pay even money, and players lose on ties. Also, players can neither🌻 buy insurance nor surrender.
deals the first two cards of the dealer's hand face up. Blackjacks pay even money, and players🌻 lose on ties. Also, players can neither buy insurance nor surrender. Double attack blackjack has liberal blackjack rules and the🌻 option of increasing one's wager after seeing the dealer's up card. This game is dealt from a Spanish shoe, and🌻 blackjacks only pay even money.
has liberal blackjack rules and the option of increasing one's wager after seeing the dealer's up🌻 card. This game is dealt from a Spanish shoe, and blackjacks only pay even money. Blackjack switch is played over🌻 two hands, and the second card can be switched between hands. For example, if the player is dealt 10–6 and🌻 5–10, then the player can switch two cards to make hands of 10–10 and 6–5. Natural blackjacks are paid 1:1🌻 instead of the standard 3:2, and a dealer 22 is a push.
is played over two hands, and the second card🌻 can be switched between hands. For example, if the player is dealt 10–6 and 5–10, then the player can switch🌻 two cards to make hands of 10–10 and 6–5. Natural blackjacks are paid 1:1 instead of the standard 3:2, and🌻 a dealer 22 is a push. Super fun 21 allows a player to split a hand up to four times.🌻 If the player has six cards totaling 20, they automatically win. Wins are paid 1:1.
Examples of local traditional and recreational🌻 related games include French vingt-et-un ('twenty-one') and German Siebzehn und Vier ('seventeen and four'). Neither game allows splitting. An ace🌻 counts only eleven, but two aces count as a blackjack. It is mostly played in private circles and barracks. The🌻 popular British member of the vingt-un family is called "pontoon", the name being probably a corruption of vingt-et-un.
Blackjack Hall of🌻 Fame [ edit ]
In 2002, professional gamblers worldwide were invited to nominate great blackjack players for admission into the Blackjack🌻 Hall of Fame. Seven members were inducted in 2002, with new people inducted every year after. The Hall of Fame🌻 is at the Barona Casino in San Diego. Members include Edward O. Thorp, author of the 1960s book Beat the🌻 Dealer; Ken Uston, who popularized the concept of team play; Arnold Snyder, author and editor of the Blackjack Forum trade🌻 journal; and Stanford Wong, author and popularizer of "Wonging".
References [ edit ]
Further reading [ edit ]
General literature [ edit ]
Depaulis,🌻 Thierry (April–June 2010). "Dawson's Game: Blackjack and the Klondike". In Endebrock, Peter (ed.). The Playing-Card . Journal of the International🌻 Playing-Card Society. Vol. 38 (4). The International Playing-Card Society. ISSN 0305-2133.
Hoyle's Games Improved . New York: G. Long. 1825.
Jones, Charles🌻 (1800). Hoyle's Games Improved (New, considerably enlarged, revised and corrected ed.). London: Ritchie.
Parlett, David (1990). A History of Card Games,🌻 OUP, Oxford. ISBN 0-19-282905-X
Blackjack literature [ edit ]
Mathematics of blackjack [ edit ]
