Blackjack – The Four Most Popular Forms of the Popular Card Game – The Game Haus

When it comes to popular card games, often the key to their success comes down to a combination of simplicity and playability, and Blackjack very much delivers the goods in both departments.

Casinos will always like the speedy turnaround of play that Blackjack brings, where players can lose or win large sums with the turn of a single card, and thats doubly so when it comes to online services that offer the game on their platforms.

There are many different versions of the classic game; heres a closer look at four of the most popular types of Blackjack.

American Blackjack

Also known as classic blackjack, American Blackjack sees the dealer deal himself a hole card before the player plays. The dealer is given two cards, one which is in full view of the other players and the other that is face down.

Players go against the dealer in the battle to reach 21, or the closest to it; the options are to stay or stick or to hit in order to get another card. Usually, there are between two and four decks of cards used; the dealer has a soft hit of 17, splitting is allowed, as is doubling.

European Blackjack

In European Blackjack, there are usually two decks of cards used. If the dealer and the player get Blackjack, then this results in a push. Players can double down on points that total 9, 10, and 11.

The house advantage on this type of Blackjack is lower than American Blackjack, and as such, you have a marginally better chance of winning. Another crucial difference with European Blackjack is that the dealer will only get to see his second card after the player has had his two cards shown.

Face Up 21

As the name suggests here, the dealers cards are dealt and shown face up, which gives you a slight advantage. However, a dealer blackjack beats a players Blackjack, and Blackjack only pays even money, so that evens things out a little.

The house percentage here is 0.69%, but you lose a bit in terms of the element of surprise, and this form of Blackjack isnt as popular as the first two discussed.

Spanish 21

Here all the ten cards are removed from the deck, and a players Blackjack beats the dealer and resplitting is allowed, which helps you maximize your potential winnings. You can also double down at any point.

You can even double down after splitting, which isnt the case for the other types of Blackjack weve referenced here. The payout structure of Spanish 21 is a little more complex, with, for instance, a five-card 21 paying out 3:2 and a six-card 21 paying 2:1. The house edge here is a little better, but the possibility of a massive win is more pronounced in this form of Blackjack than in any other popular version of the game.

There are many other formats of blackjack, and these are just a handful of those regularly played. A key factor to take into account is that casinos, both online and offline, may have house rules that alter the ones weve laid out above, so always double-check before you play.

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Blackjack - The Four Most Popular Forms of the Popular Card Game - The Game Haus