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13. What about drinking while playing?

The complimentary drinks that casinos offer to players can be very tempting, but an old adage says that it's best not to mix alcohol and gambling. Blackjack is a game which can require great concentration on the player's part. Keeping track of the count and using perfect basic strategy are best done with a clear head. If you're a total rookie who is just out to play a few hands during your vacation, wait until after your playing session has ended before having those Mai-Tais. Even if you aren't employing advanced strategies, you'll still want to have good focus on bankroll management. It's easier to avoid getting carried away, and you'll feel better about it when you do finally kick back.

Side Bet Bonus Blackjack Games

There are so many side bets in Blackjack these days. Mostly they add fun to the game with the additional chance to win a little bit more cash. Most of the time the house has a considerable edge on the side bets; hence, you will never see a card counter place bets on any side bets offered.

Side betting is very prevalent in the online casinos as virtual technology allows for the inclusion of side bets very easily; whereas, on the brick and mortar casino scene side bets are not overly common. That is obviously aside from the aforementioned Blackjack Lucky 13s game.

Where can I find plenty of side bet and a variant of Blackjack games?

One of the most diverse Blackjack games out there right now is an online version created by Microgaming called Premier Blackjack where there are 4 different tables to play. You literally open the game and have the choice to play on any of the below tables.

Switching Tables

During game play you can decide to change tables at any time. An option of 4 different game styles will be presented. Each game has 4 different table styles to choose from just to keep things interesting and fresh. You then instantly swap tables without having to close the game and selecting a new table.

Table 1: Multihand

• 2 decks played with European Blackjack rules
• 5 hands can be played against the dealer simultaneously
• Splits allowed
• Double downs allowed on 9, 10 or 11
• No double downs on splits
• Insurance pays 2-1
• No surrender allowed
• Dealer stands on 17
• Blackjack pays 3-2
• All other wins even odds

Table 2: Multihand with Side Bet Bonus

• 2 decks played with the following rules
• 5 hands can be played against the dealer simultaneously
• Dealer hits soft 17
• Double downs allowed on any cards
• Double down on splits
• Split to make up to a max of 4 hands
• Aces permitted to split just once
• Split Aces receive only 1 card
• Any 10 value cards can be split
• Dealer and player must stand when 11 cards have been dealt

Side Bet in this game is decided on the cards

• Jack and Ace spades pays 30-1
• Jack and Ace suited pays 25-1
• Any 2 suited cards pays 5-2
• Optional side bet
• The bet only counts for the first 2 cards dealt
• Side bets can only be placed alongside a standard bet

Table 3: Blackjack with High Streak Side Bet

• 2 decks played with the following rules
• 1 hand can be played
• Dealer stands on all 17 hands
• No peeking
• Double downs only on 9, 10 and 11
• Split only once
• Split Aces and Tens are 21 and not Blackjack
• Unlike 10 cards cannot be split
• If 11 cards are dealt to a hand, player/dealer must stand

Side bet in Blackjack High Streak depends on how many hands are won consecutively

• A second consecutive win will trigger the high streak
• 2 consecutive wins pays even odds
• 3 consecutive wins pays 2-1
• 4 consecutive wins pays 5-1
• 5 consecutive wins pays 10-1
• Optional side bet
• A standard bet must be placed to activate the side bet

Table 4: Blackjack Hi/Lo Side Bet

• 2 decks played with the following rules
• 1 hand can be played
• Dealer stands on all 17s
• No peeking
• Double downs only on 9, 10 and 11
• Splits can make a max of 2 hands
• Ace 10 hands from splits count as 21
• Unlike 10s cannot be split
• 11 cards to hand forces player/dealer to stand

Side bet is decided on the hi/lo value of the first 2 cards dealt

• Bet 1-12 as the total of the first 2 cards = even pay
• Bet 14-21 as the total of the first 2 cards = even pay
• Bet total 13 as the total of the first 2 cards = 10 to 1
• Optional side bet
• Main bet must be placed to participate in the side bet
• Ace always counts as 1

With so many variants does basic strategy become confusing?

All basic strategy does is tell you as the player what your optimal move is mathematically in a certain situation. However, where it does become a little confusing is when you have to memorise a new basic strategy chart because you are swapping between games.

If you want to play Blackjack, the trick is to learn the basic strategy that goes with the game that you play most often. Pretty obvious stuff! Once you have all the moves down and memorised, you can then start switching between variants learning where the basic strategy changes are quite quickly.

Most of the time, only a few simple changes are made to the way the player should act. This can definitely begin to get confusing when you know so many basic strategy tables and switch between games a lot. This is something card counters have had to do because they tend to play in different casinos not drawing too much attention themselves by winning consistently at any 1 casino.

European Blackjack has UK and global versions

In the past when you play European Blackjack in the UK, splits on 4s, 5s or 10s were not allowed on European Blackjack tables. Saying that, this rule has now changed and UK casino cannot enforce this rule any longer. Nonetheless, when it was in action, it changed the way players would play their basic strategy, and thus this became confusing for some players.

Dealer stands on soft 17 or dealer hits on soft 17

Here is an example of how basic strategy still changes using today’s current Blackjack rules. On some tables a dealer will stand on soft 17

Soft 17 combinations:

• A-6
• 8-9
• 10-7, J-7, Q-7, K-7

How to score hands in blackjack

At the start of each round, you’ll be asked to place a bet. Depending on the blackjack rules in play, the size of your bet will have to fall within a certain range.

Once you’ve made a bet, you’ll receive two cards. From here, the same blackjack card rules apply to everyone else at the table, including the dealer. To put it another way, everyone in play receives two cards. The important point to note is that player cards are dealt face-up, while the dealer’s cards are mixed. In other words, blackjack dealer rules state that only one of the dealer’s cards is visible after the initial deal.

Depending on the variant you play, the status of the hidden card will change. For example, blackjack rules in the UK state that the hidden card must be on the table in a face-down position. In contrast, American casino blackjack rules will leave the second card in the deck until it’s the dealer’s turn to act. Whichever ruleset the house is using, the fact remains that you’ll only know the value of one dealer card.

Once the initial deal is complete, your job is to make the best score/total possible, with 21 being the goal. Anything over 21 is invalid and you’ll have gone bust. When the action starts, you can stand if you have a strong total e.g. if your first two cards equal 18. However, if you feel like you need to improve, there are various moves you can make. In practice, the drawing rules in blackjack are:

Insurance

When a dealer has an Ace showing, the probability of them having a ten-value card in the hole (10, Jack, Queen, or King) exceeds 31% in a single-deck blackjack game. This percentage drops ever so slightly the more decks come into play. As I specified earlier in the guide, most blackjack games with decent rules utilise multiple decks, so I will list all the probability percentages of the dealer having a natural when showing an ace below:

• the likelihood of the dealer having a blackjack in a 4-deck game is 30.91%
• the likelihood of a dealer blackjack in a 5-deck game is 30.88%
• the likelihood of a dealer blackjack in a 6-deck game is 30.86%
• the likelihood of a dealer blackjack in a 7-deck game is 30.85%
• the likelihood of a dealer blackjack in an 8-deck game is 30.84%

Keep in mind these percentages are valid for games where the dealer stands on all 17s and apply only to the start of the shoe when no cards are dealt. But why does this matter? It matters for the simple reason your dealer will offer you to insure your hand against a potential blackjack when their up card is an ace.

Insurance is practically a side bet equal to half of your initial wager and pays 2 to 1 if the dealer indeed flips over a 10 or a face card. If the dealer has a blackjack and you do not, you will break even on this coup if you buy insurance. However, if the dealer does not have a blackjack, you will lose your insurance bet, then play your hand as you normally would and receive even money if you win. Accepting insurance has zero effect on your overall odds of winning your initial bet.

Conclusion

Crypt blackjack variants bring more spice to the already popular game. You can find them at the best online casinos, giving you the freedom to explore. Nevertheless, you should settle on one or two variants you are comfortable playing.

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Use our simple blackjack strategy calculator to get an edge over the house. Quickly analyse any blackjack hand and increase your odds of winning.

GIMMICK GAMES

A corollary to ‘short pay’ blackjack is the growth of ‘gimmick games’ at some casinos. Casinos love ‘gimmick games’ because they can advertise rules that sound ‘player friendly’ on the surface but in reality screw the player in some way or another.

A perfect example:

The so-called ‘Blackjack Switch’ game found at some Nevada casinos.

Here’s how it works:

a player must play two hands (this in itself isn’t a good idea unless you’re a very adept player) but after the initial deal he can switch one card with the other hand.

Now…

…if you’re trying to figure out the math for this variation don’t bother—it doesn’t matter due to the other ‘screw the player’ rules for this game. Blackjack only pays 1-1 and a dealer bust on 22 is a ‘push’. Combined, these two rules give the house an additional edge of approximately 9.5%!

Build Up Your Bank

What’s really important is that you don’t get tempted to spend all your winnings immediately. The more of a “bank” you can build up, the more quickly you can do multiple offers at once. By all means treat yourself, but if you keep spending your winnings it can be difficult to complete some of the bigger offers.

Some of the offers have really high earning potential. If you don’t have enough money available to make the most of this offer you’re letting go of free money. For this reason start with the smaller offers first, building up both your confidence and bank, then move on to the larger offers.

It can take a bit of time to complete offers and withdraw your winnings, so if you’re able to reinvest your winnings you can more easily use this cash to take part in more offers.

SUPER FUN 21

Super Fun 21 is another variant of blackjack that was invented by none other than card counter Howard Grossman. (I knew Howard from my playing days in Atlantic City.) The game offers plenty of liberal player rules, which is the attraction of the game.

What are the Rules of Premium Blackjack?

The object of Premium Blackjack is to get a hand that totals 21 or is closer to 21 than the dealer's hand without exceeding 21.

The value of a hand is the sum of the individual cards values. Blackjack is the highest hand and consists of two cards: an ace and any 10-point card. Blackjack beats a score of 21.

You can choose 1 to 5 hands to play on in a game round.

The chosen hands are played clockwise, starting from your rightmost hand.

The dealer's hand is played last. You may split, double and take insurance, just like in standard Blackjack.

Premium Blackjack is a variant of Blackjack with the following rules:

• 6 decks of cards are used. After each round, used cards are returned to the deck and the deck is shuffled.
• Aces count as either 1 or 11, face cards count as 10 and number cards count at their face values.
• The player may not split a split hand.
• Only one card is drawn to each Ace in a split hand.
• The player may double after splitting.
• The dealer will not automatically check for Blackjack, regardless of the value of the dealer's first face-up card.
• Ace and a 10-point card after a split are considered 21, and not Blackjack.
• Blackjack pays 1.5 times the bet amount (3 to 2).
• If the total value of the player's cards is closer to 21 than the dealer's after the dealer has stopped taking cards, the player wins the bet amount (1 to 1).
• If the total of the player's cards is more than 21, the player's hand is “bust” and the player automatically loses the bet for that hand.
• If the player and the dealer have the same point total (17 to 21), neither of them wins and the player's bet is returned to the player in a “push”.
• The dealer always draws to 16. The dealer stands when the dealer's hand has a value of 17 or greater (including soft 17). The dealer does not draw when the player is “bust”.
• If the dealer's first card is an Ace, and the player then doubles, and the dealer then reveals Blackjack, then the player loses the doubled bet.
• If the dealer's first card has a 10-point value, and the player then doubles, and the dealer then reveals Blackjack, then the doubled bet is returned to the player.
• Blackjack beats a score of 21.

Split

If your first 2 cards have the same value then you may split them into 2 separate hands.

The second hand will have the same bet as the hand it was split from.

You will then draw additional cards to each hand.

You may draw as many cards as you like on each split hand, unless you split 2 aces (in which case you can receive only 1 additional card for each ace). If you receive an ace and a 10-value card in a split hand, it is considered 21 and not Blackjack.

Double

You can double your bet on a hand before you take a third card. You cannot double the bet on a hand after taking a third card. After doubling a bet, a third and final card will be dealt to you automatically. You can double on all your hands, if you wish. You can also double your bet on a split hand.

Insurance

If the dealer's first face up card is an Ace you will be given a chance to insure each of your regular bets against the dealer having Blackjack. If you take Insurance then an amount equal to half your original bet will be deducted from your balance and placed separately on the table. If the dealer has Blackjack, you are paid 2 to 1 on your insurance. This way you do not lose your original bet (because you receive the value of your original bet plus the insurance amount back). If the dealer does not have Blackjack, you lose the insurance amount. Insurance does not affect any side bets.

10-Card Charlie

It is theoretically possible for the player to draw 10 cards without going bust.

In this case the player's hand automatically wins, except when the dealer has Blackjack. 10-Card Charlie is also applicable on a split hand.

Side Bets

A side bet is a wager you can make beyond the regular game bet to get an extra win even if your regular game hand does not win.

The side bet payout depends on the combination that the cards form.

Perfect Pairs

You can place a Player's Pair side bet on the 'Player's Pair' betting area, found beneath each regular betting area, for each of your hands that has a regular bet placed on it.

The Dealer's Pair side bet can be placed on the 'Dealer's Pair' betting area near the dealer's hand once per game round.

This type of side bet wins when the first two cards in the hand form a Perfect Pair, a Colored Pair or a Red/Black Pair.

• Perfect Pair means that your, or the dealer's, first two cards form a pair of the same suit (for example, two 4 of Diamonds cards).
• Colored Pair means that your, or the dealer's, first two cards form a pair of the same color but different suits (for example, 4 of Diamonds and 4 of Hearts).
• Red/Black Pair means that your, or dealer's first two cards form a pair, but with different colors and suits (for example, 4 of Diamonds and 4 of Spades).

21+3 Bets

You can place a 21+3 side bet on the '21+3' betting area, found beneath each regular betting area, for each of your hands that has a regular bet placed on it.

This side bet wins if your first two cards and the dealer's first card form a Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Straight Flush or Suited Three of a Kind combination.

The Perfect Pair, Colored Pair, Red/Black Pair, and 21+3 combinations pay in accordance with the paytable below.

Side bets cannot be placed without placing a regular bet. All types of side bets can be placed at the same time.