Common Variations of Blackjack

With an origin traced to as far back as the 1600s, blackjack is an incredibly old and popular game. Its popularity has also been boosted by the emergence of software powered online casinos where players can play from anywhere across the globe.

With a good understanding of this casino game, there's a lot of money to be made at a blackjack table. Armed with an effective strategy and a little bit of luck, blackjack players can get considerable returns on their bets. The centuries-old game, previously known as “Twenty-one,” comes in different variations and names.

Some blackjack feature rules are slightly different from the classic blackjack, while others have a significantly different set of rules. Notwithstanding, irrespective of the differences in names or rules across different blackjack variations — the core principles of the game remain the same. Below are some variations of blackjack:

The Classic Blackjack

The classic or American blackjack is the most prevalent variation of blackjack. In the American blackjack, there are usually between one to eight card decks.

The dealer and the player both get two cards each. One of the dealer's cards is a hole card (i.e., the card is kept face down) while the other is exposed.

The player wins if the total value of their cards equals 21 but not exceeding that number. The player is adjudged to have lost (i.e., a bust deal) if the cards' total value has exceeded 21.

The European Blackjack

As opposed to the American or classic blackjack, European blackjack uses two standard decks of cards. Also, there is no hole card in the European blackjack variation.

This means the dealer is just dealt with one card, which is usually face up and only receives the second card after the player has completed his or her hand. This arrangement makes it impossible for the dealer to check for blackjack before it completes his or her hand.

The Progressive Blackjack

This progressive blackjack variation can borrow the rules of either the American or European blackjack. Its distinguishing feature is the progressive jackpot.

With the progressive jackpot, after each hand or round of play, more money is added to a jackpot claimed by a final winner. There can also be some differences in rules surrounding a stand, a hit, a split, or a double.

The Atlantic City

The Atlantic city blackjack is a much newer variation of blackjack that features eight decks. It has gained rapid popularity thanks to its lower house edge as compared to some other variations.

In the Atlantic city version, a dealer can peek at the face-down card and is required to stand on a soft 17. Players in this version have the liberty to split for as much three times and double down on any two cards. Doubling down is allowed even after a split. It also features late surrender and has insurance.