Popular Variations of Blackjack

Published July 16, 2019

The exact origins of blackjack are unknown, but the first reference of the game was found in a book by Miguel de Cervantes. Today, centuries later, blackjack is one of the most popular casino games. To help popularize the game, early gambling houses offered bonus payouts if the players’ hand consisted of the ace of spades and a black Jack, which, in result, became the game’s name.

However, did you know that blackjack isn’t the original game but rather a popular American variation of the game known as Twenty-One? As a matter of fact, there are numerous other variations of blackjack out there and if you would like to learn about them, keep reading — we’ve made a small list comprised of the most popular and most fun variations of blackjack.

Classic Blackjack

Classic blackjack is undoubtedly one of the most popular variations of the game. As the name suggests, it’s also a variation that deviates from the standard the least. To win, you have to be closer to 21 than the dealer. Aces count either 1 or 11, face cards are worth 10, and 2-9 cards are worth their pip value.

If you’re playing in a brick-and-mortar casino, you are most likely to play classic blackjack with a single deck of cards. However, if you are looking for a place where you can play bitcoin blackjack or any other form of online blackjack, you might end up playing a game with multiple decks. That being said, make sure to check the software’s details.

There are also additional rules; for example, the dealers will hit on a soft 16 and stand on a soft 17. The payout for a natural blackjack is 3:2, and it beats any other hand with a value of 21. You can split any two cards that have the same face value into two separate hands. Doing that doubles your initial wager and, if you split aces, you will be able to receive only a single additional card, while you can hit multiple times if you split other hands.

Blackjack Switch Blackjack Switch doesn’t introduce a ton of new changes, but the ones that it does make the game a lot more fun and entertaining. The game is usually played with four, six, or eight standard 52-card decks. Instead of playing with one hand, players are dealt four cards in total at the beginning of each round.

Players can then choose to switch their top cards and exchange them between hands. For example, instead of having a 10-4 and 10-3 hand, you can have a 10-10 and 4-3. After everyone makes a decision whether they want to switch or not, the dealer presents the players with a chance to hit, stand, or double down for either of their hands.

However, to balance things out, casinos employ additional rules you should be aware of. For example, the dealer’s hand is a bust at 23 and a push if their hand’s value is 22.

Blackjack Surrender

Blackjack Surrender is one of the more popular variants of blackjack among the veterans of this game. It introduces the Surrender feature that can help players save a lot of money whenever they feel like they have an unfavorable hand.

It includes most of the rules you can encounter in other variants of blackjack, such as the dealer standing on 17, splitting any pair, or doubling down. A 7-card Charlie will also beat any other hand except for the natural blackjack.

Naturally, the game revolves around the Surrender feature. While some other variants may also offer the Surrender option, they usually allow you to surrender only if the dealer has peeked for a natural blackjack. In Blackjack Surrender, you can use the feature any time before you stand, hit, split, or double.

Notable Mentions

While we’ve included only a few popular variants of blackjack, there are many others you can play. The list of popular variants of blackjack includes games like Super Fun 21, Three Card Blackjack, European Blackjack, American Blackjack, Pontoon, Spanish 21, and many more.

Naturally, the game that the players enjoy the most boils down to players’ personal preference, and possibly whether you’re playing online or in a brick-and-mortar casino since there are a lot more options if you’re playing online.

Regardless of your preference, and whether you’re looking for a variant of blackjack that’s more exciting or has the lowest house edge, make sure to find the one that suits your playstyle the most