Blackjack Game Variants: Adding Flavour to a Favourite Game

The game of Blackjack has been around for quite a while. Starting back from the 1700’s, and up to its spread to the US where it became known as 21, to its definitive renaming to Blackjack, the game has laid down the way gaming is perceived and accepted by the general public. With the industry shift towards online gaming, it was only natural for a trade mark game such as it to make the cut into the digital world of gaming. However, the bar has been set high and while the basic premise of blackjack is still very popular, the players want more variety. Thus, there is now a greater emphasis on providing a more varied and different blackjack experience through several new iterations of the game.

The Newest Trend in Online Casinos – Live Blackjack

In order to attract more players who prefer the “hands on” approach to playing blackjack, online casinos have for some time now, been offering live games. This is intended for players who like the feeling of actually playing at a casino, with a direct video feed to the Blackjack table, chatting and interacting with the dealer and a slower pace of the overall game experience.

Most casinos tend to offer only the standard version of blackjack since the majority of players are familiar with it so don’t expect to find a great variety of Live Blackjack games. The rules that govern the live game are pretty much the same – if there are any changes, they are made to the overall user interface (UI) to make it possible to maintain the functionality and ease of use for the player during a game. Arguably the best reason for choosing to play at a Live Blackjack table is the social factor – not only will you be able to interact with the dealer but you can also chat with other players and share experiences while playing the game. The slower play-style is also better suited to players who like to enjoy the game rather than play for keeps.

Innovative Variants

Blackjack Switch

Blackjack Switch Game+This particular variant mixes things up by making card switching (hence the name) possible. The game is played with 6 or 8 decks of cards. Players have the option to place two bets of equal size and receive two sets of cards. The difference to regular blackjack comes into play then – you can switch the second card of each hand. The idea is to increase your chances of getting a Blackjack or reach as close to 21 as possible. This change of the rules is not without a compromise. First, the dealer can now go up to 22 (without going bust) and will win push against all other player’s hands which haven’t gone bust. Second, the standard pay-off for getting a Blackjack (3:2) is even money here – 1:1.

The rest of the rules that govern Blackjack Switch are pretty straightforward (i.e. similar to the regular game). The dealer hits at a soft 17. All the cards are dealt face up. The minor difference mentioned above concerns the dealer having a 22 which will win against a conventional 21, but will still lose against a proper Blackjack (an Ace and a 10 point card).

Duel Blackjack

Duel Blackjack Variant+In order to make things more entertaining and far more interesting for those tired of the same old blackjack rules and play style, the Duel version was introduced. What it adds is quite different from many other versions of the game. In Duel Blackjack, players need to make an ante (initial bet before the actual betting begins). An option to place a side bet is also available for those brave enough to do so. The cards are dealt then – two for the player (one is face down, the other visible) and two for the dealer (both face down). Now, the unique aspect of the game – additional 2 cards are placed in the middle of the table (left and right), both face up. These cards will be the determining factor for the winner.

Once the cards are dealt, the player can choose to surrender (and lose the initial ante) or chose to proceed forward. If the latter is chosen, a wager needs to be made. Next, the player selects one of the two available community cards on the table in order to make his or her hand. The player has the option to stand if the value of the hand is 21 (or very close to 21) or hit, upon which he or she will trade the face down card. The winner is determined afterwards and the result generally depends on the dealer’s combination of cards. If you care to learn about strategy charts, you may check this article and further explore blackjack winning strategies.

Crazy Blackjack

Crazy Blackjack with Jackpot+Apart from the silly name, there isn’t anything crazy about this version of blackjack. The goal hasn’t changed – beat the dealer by having a better hand of cards (i.e. closer to 21 but greater than the dealer’s). Crazy Blackjack follows all the standard rules when it comes to playing the game. The game is played with four decks of card, each of them reshuffled after a game. There are several notable differences in the bet department however.

The standard option for placing a regular blackjack bet is present. This is an obligatory bet which then lets you place side bets as you please. The two new bets are as follows: Safe Bet (a bet used if you believe your cards will be of lower value, without any aces or cards of the same value) and Highest Hand Bet (only usable when you play with multiple hands and you place it on the one hand that you think will contain cards of the highest value). All the other betting options such as splitting, insurance and doubling down are also present and follow standard blackjack rules.

UK Blackjack

UK Blackjack variant of the game+Playing the UK version of blackjack isn’t all that different from the original. The goal as always is to beat the dealer’s hand by getting a better hand without going over 21. Some restrictions do apply – for instance, splitting can be achieved up to 4 times (four different hands) though you cannot split same value cards, including 10’s, 5’s and 4’s.

Generally, the rules of the game are the same. Players choose an initial bet and receive two cards from 6-8 decks. What is interesting in UK Blackjack is that players can double their bet after splitting, further increasing the winnings. The game has also several unique winnings that are only part of this iteration of the game. Getting a Blackjack will only get you the standard 3 to 2 payout, but if you score a Red/Black Pair you can win as high as 6 to 1. If you’re even luckier, getting a colored pair (suits) will earn you a 12 to 1 payout of your initial wager, and a Perfect Pair – a 25:1! Another thing to note is the Insurance bet – if the dealer has a blackjack, the player is paid 2:1 of the insurance bet.

Pontoon

Pontoon game of blackjack+Another British variant of blackjack, Pontoon, has a lot of similarities with the game, however, there are enough differences to set it apart for players to want to play it. For a regular game with 5-8 players just one deck of 52 cards is used. If there are more, two decks are utilized. Pontoon also includes a banker – when played online, the banker has the role of the dealer. This role grants the banker advantage over the player in a situation when the two have pairs of cards of equal value. In this situation, the player loses.

As we already stated above, Pontoon’s rules, card values and bets are similar to the original game, though there are several differences. First, you can double your bet every time you hit. It doesn’t matter how many cards you draw – you can double as much as you like. The game gets its name from one of the best possible combinations – an ace and a ten. Players can also win if they have a combination of 3 or more cards bellow or equal to 21 – this is called a five-card-trick.