Decoding 5 versions of blackjack with Minimum Deposit Casinos

Playing Blackjack at an Online casino, where cards are dealt, and fortunes are won with a click. A luck and strategy-based card game, Blackjack can be played on desktop, tablet and mobile. Every card dealt brings excitement, and the graphics are cutting-edge. Blackjack gameplay is highly immersive, and with so many versions available, the game of Blackjack never gets old. The goal of classic Blackjack is to outsmart the dealer by hitting the magical 21, and there are many ways of achieving this goal. Our article explores the five versions of Blackjack and how to decode them.

Number 1: European Blackjack

One of the most popular variants of Blackjack is European Blackjack, which follows the basic rules of Blackjack: to beat the dealer by getting the cards in your hand to equal as close to 21 as possible without going over. When the dealer deals you cards, an Ace is worth 1 or 11, and King, Queen and Jack (face cards) are worth 10. Here’s how to play online Blackjack:

• Step 1 – Find a great online casino on our pages at Minimum Deposit Casinos.org
• Step 2 – Choose your favourite Blackjack game or join a Live Dealer Casino table
• Step 3 – The dealer will deal two cards face up to each player, and two cards, one face up, the other face down to themselves. Depending on your cards, you can HIT or STAND. If you HIT, you ask for another card, and if you STAND, you won’t get cards, and the game advances to the next player.
• Step 4 – If your hand is valued at 21 or less, you will stay in the game.
• Step 5 – The dealer reveals their face-down card, and you either bust the dealer or lose.

In some European-style Blackjack games, players can get half their wager back by surrendering their hand. If you’ve never tried European Blackjack before, consider registering at one of our featured top-rated online casinos and play the Casino game in demo mode before you play with real money.

Number 2: American Blackjack

While all Blackjack online casino games have the same basic rules, American Blackjack is more flexible and user-friendly, with more opportunities to increase your wins. In American Blackjack, the dealer’s face-down card is also known as a HOLE card, not found in European Blackjack. If the dealer gets an Ace, he or she is allowed to peek at their face-down card, and if they get 21 or Blackjack, the hand instantly ends, and the dealer collects all players’ bets. European Blackjack uses 2 standard decks of cards, but in American Blackjack, between 6 to 8 standard decks are used.

In European Blackjack, players can SPLIT their hand into two hands when getting card values of 10, Jack, Queen, and King. In American Blackjack, players can split their hand three times. American Blackjack is also different from European Blackjack in that players can SURRENDER and concede defeat, thus losing only 50% of their stake. When all players have completed their hands, the dealer reveals their HOLE card; if their hand is 16 or less, they will HIT, and 17 or more, they will STAND.

Number 3: Blackjack Perfect Pairs

Blackjack Perfect Pairs adds an extra betting option so players can wager whether their first two cards will form a pair. There are three types of Perfect Pairs players can get:

• Mixed pair – The same number/face card value, with a different suit and colour
• Coloured pair = The same number/face card value, with the same colour and a different suit
• Perfect pair = The same number/face card value, of the same colour, and the same suit

Playing Blackjack Perfect Pairs must be decided by players before any cards are dealt, and this side bet is settled before the main game of Blackjack is played out. The main Blackjack game is played according to the standard rules, regardless of the side bet outcome. Common payout ratios include:

• Perfect Pair. The payout can reach 25 to 30 times the side bet amount.
• Coloured Pair: The payout can reach 12 to 15 times the side bet amount.
• Mixed Pair: The payout can reach 6 to 7 times the side bet amount.

Number 4: Blackjack Switch

An exciting Blackjack variant patented in 2009 by Geoff Hall, a card counter who became frustrated at being dealt two weak hands, Blackjack Switch is based on the standard game of Blackjack. Hall decided that Blackjack could be improved if the top two cards could be switched, and he presented Blackjack Switch at the G2E conference in Las Vegas in October 2000. Blackjack Switch was soon available at Harvey’s Casino in Iowa, and since then, the game has grown massively in popularity.

To start playing Blackjack Switch, players are dealt two standard Blackjack hands face up, and assuming the dealer doesn’t have Blackjack, players can then switch the second cards dealt to each hand. For example, if your first hand is a 10 and a 6, and your second hand is an 8 and a 7, you can switch the 6 and 7 to form a hand with the 10 and 7 and another with an 8 and 6. After switching cards, the game continues as normal according to standard Blackjack rules.

Number 5: Blackjack Vegas Strip

Blackjack Vegas Strip is named after Las Vegas Boulevard and is played with 4 decks, setting it apart from other Blackjack games. Playing Blackjack Vegas Strip is similar to how Classic Blackjack is played, but as only four decks are used, it invites card counting, which is frowned upon at online casinos.

After placing their bets to play Blackjack Vegas Strip, the dealer places two cards face-up to each player, and one card face-up and the other face-down to themselves. Blackjack Vegas Strip is played like classic Blackjack with payouts of 3:2 for Blackjack (Ace and a 10) and 1:1 for other winning hands.

Top pick for Blackjack

Our top pick for Blackjack is Blackjack Switch. Every blackjack player has found themselves wishing they could trade their cards with another player, but that’s not legal, except if you’re playing Blackjack Switch. In this variation on the classic Blackjack card game, players can make two bets to play two separate hands and then have the option of switching two of their cards. It’s an entertaining twist that improves your chances of winning and makes the game more interesting.

We chose Blackjack Switch as our favourite version, as we want to pay tribute to Geoff Hall, the undisputed most acknowledged name in the casino industry. From an early age, his fascination with card games caused him to develop his skills and create Blackjack Switch, which spread like wildfire, causing award-winning software company Playtech to include the game at their online casinos.

Most popular Blackjack game on Minimum Deposit Casinos

Despite Blackjack’s unclear birthplace, evidence suggests that “Vingt-et-Un” spread to Europe in the 18th century and landed in the USA by the early 19th century. There is no concrete information on when Vingt-et-Un became known as Blackjack, but what is clear is that today, Blackjack is one of the most popular games at online casinos globally. Regardless of the version, Blackjack is simple enough for everyone to understand and complex enough to allow skilled players to shine.

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