Some casinos offer a side bet with their blackjack games. Examples include side bets based on getting three 7s, a three card poker-style bet, a pair, and many others.[1] For the side bet, the player will typically put up an additional wager alongside his or her main bet and can win or lose the side [...]
If the dealer’s upcard is an ace, the player is offered the option of taking insurance before the dealer checks his or her ‘hole card’. Insurance is a side bet of up to half the original bet placed on a special portion of the table usually marked “Insurance Pays 2 to 1″. This side bet [...]
In most non-U.S. casinos, a ‘no hole card’ game is played, meaning that the dealer does not draw nor consult his second card until after all players have finished making decisions. With no hole card, it is almost never correct basic strategy to double or split against a dealer ten or ace, since a dealer [...]
This rule, often called the Reno rule, restricts the player to doubling down only on an initial player total of 10 or 11 (sometimes 9, 10, or 11 – more common in Europe). It prevents doubling on soft hands such as soft 17 (ace-6), and is unfavorable for the player. It increases the house advantage [...]
After a player has split a pair in blackjack, most casinos allow him or her to “double down” on either or both of the new two-card hands. This is called “double after split” and provides an advantage to the player of about 0.12%.
After splitting aces, one 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. Allowing the player to hit hands resulting from split aces reduces the [...]
If the player splits a pair other than aces and a third card of that value appears, the player can usually split again (or “resplit”) by putting up another bet equal to the original bet. Then there will be three bets on the table and three separate hands. Some casinos allow unlimited resplitting of cards [...]
Some casinos offer a favorable option called “surrender,” which allows the player to give up half his bet and not play out the hand. This option is sometimes referred to as “late” surrender because it occurs after the dealer has checked his or her hole card for a blackjack. When casinos first opened in Atlantic [...]
The number of decks used has a major effect on the player’s chance of winning, because it affects the house advantage. All things being equal, fewer decks are always more favorable for the basic strategy player. One cause of this is that player blackjack is slightly more likely in single deck blackjack (because blackjack requires [...]
