Classic Blackjack is exactly that, a classic. No matter whether you play in a brick-and-mortar casino or an online casino, the game remains popular, as the number of tables in any given platform will highlight. But despite this popularity, you’ll find a lot of different variations of the game, particularly if you play online Blackjack. While the adage goes ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, some of these variations of Blackjack are fun, more challenging than the original and well worth considering if you wish to stray away from the classic.
Blackjack Switch
Blackjack Switch is a really fun variant of classic Blackjack, largely because it involves a move that is otherwise regarded as cheating – in Blackjack Switch, you are able to switch cards between your hands. Geoff Hall is the man to thank for this more popular variation, as he was playing regular Blackjack when he realized that his two weak hands could easily be improved if he was able to switch cards. And voila – Blackjack Switch was invented.
The game begins much the same as classic Blackjack, but with players dealt two hands instead of one. The cards are still dealt face-up and the starting bet must be wagered on both hands. Once the cards are dealt, players are given the option if they’d like the swap the second-dealt cards or not, depending on if it’s favorable. However, players can only switch cards once and then the game proceeds as standard.
Two rules to Blackjack Switch that make it slightly less favorable, however, are that the pay-out for a Blackjack is 1:1, as opposed to the usual 3:2. Also, if the dealer hits 22, he isn’t bust; this is considered a push and it means that all hands are tied.
Blackjack Surrender
Much like Blackjack Switch, Blackjack Surrender is not too dissimilar from its predecessor, meaning if you’re a fan of classic Blackjack, you’ll be halfway to understanding the rules – but may wish to give it a go as the rules are tweaked slightly.
Like standard Blackjack, the payout for a natural is 3:2, but the big difference with Blackjack Surrender is that for half of your wager, you are able to surrender your hand if it’s not good enough, meaning you disregard it and throw it away. Surrendering comes in two forms: early surrender and late surrender. Generally speaking, late surrender is found in the majority of casinos and only allows you to surrender once the dealer had checked for a blackjack. Early surrender is less common but would allow you to surrender your hand before the dealer checks – thus giving you a slight advantage.
Spanish 21
This variant may also be known in some countries as Pontoon, but it uses Spanish decks of cards, so is already massively different to standard Blackjack, as each deck doesn’t contain the 10s, thus each deck consists of 48 cards. This increases the house edge. Spanish 21 is either played with six or eight decks.
There are a lot of options available to the players which make Spanish 21 a lot more fun, but equally as challenging. One major difference in Spanish 21 is the doubling down rule. Players are able to double down on any number of cards, as opposed to the first two, with some variations even offering a ‘redoubling’ rule. Surrendering is also still an option.
More interestingly, there are many different pay-outs available, dependent on the player’s hand. For example, a five-card hand pays out at the standard 3:2; however, a six-card hand pays out at 2:1 and a seven-or-higher-card hand pays out at 3:1. Even the different suits offer different pay-outs, depending on the rules you’re playing by. Like we say, a lot more challenging than traditional Blackjack, but well worth learning if you’re bored of that, or just want to play something new.