Variations of Blackjack. Play Different Rules to Improve Your OddsThere are a number of variations of the game blackjack and, whilst the general principle of the game remains the same, there are some subtle differences between the various online blackjack games. We cover some of these games in more detail on the links to the left, but in summary: Black Jack Variations 1. Dealer Stands on Hard 17- This is the blackjack standard, and most common type of blackjack. The dealer has to stand when his or her score hits 17 or more (without an ace in the hand). 2. Dealer Stands on Soft 17-- The dealer stands if he or she has 17 or more with an ace in his hand. 3. Dealer Hits on Soft 17-- Soft 17 is a rare beast, but this variation is used in Blackjack Switch. This type of blackjack requires the dealer to draw another card if he or she’s got a soft 17 (ie a 17 with an ace in the hand). The dealer will still stand on a hard 17. 4. Doubling-- some online casinos do not allow doubling, while others do. Some only allow doubling on the first two cards, while others allow it on any number of cards. Others will allow you to double only if your cards are of a certain value, normally 9-11 When you double down, you double your bet and receive one additional card to your hand. 5. Doubling After Split-- This variation is not that prevalent. It allows you to double even after the hands have been split. This improves your odds by about by 0.14%. Splitting is dividing your initial hand when you have 2 identical value cards (say 2 kings, two jacks, etc.). You then play 2 separate hands independently. Some casinos will let you to keep splitting, as long as you keep getting pairs on the initial hand. Normally, you can split up to three times, ie you play 4 individual hands. 6. Surrender-- While this variant may not be offered, if it is, it can be “early” or “late”. An “early” surrender can be executed before a dealer checks for Blackjack, while a “late” surrender can be carried out after the initial check. If you surrender your hand, you lose the hand and half of your original bet. It is a cheap escape, so you have to hunt high and low for casinos that offer this. 7. Insurance- if the dealer turns an up-card of an Ace, “insurance” will be offered to the players, whereby you bet up to half your original bet. The dealer checks to see if he has a 10-value card underneath his Ace (ie whether or not he has a blackjack), and, if he does, you can claim insurance at 2:1. You’ll lose your first bet (unless you have a blackjack), so you´ll be even stevens. If the dealer does not have blackjack, you just end up paying the insurance. Here is a list of common blackjack variants Atlantic City Blackjack
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