While every casino game draws its fair share of attention, blackjack is no doubt the most widely played game. From Las Vegas to Europe, gamblers love hitting the blackjack tables in hopes of winning major cash. Blackjack is an easy game to pick up, and people have a better chance at beating the house during a blackjack session than they do at any other game.
But before you start contemplating any grand illusions of taking casinos for thousands of dollars, you should at least know how blackjack rules can vary in different parts of the world. Here is a look at 3 major casino areas in the world and how their blackjack rules vary in addition to what rules they all share in common.
Common Blackjack Rules
- Players get 3-2 payouts on any Blackjack hand (21 dealt in the first two cards).
- Insurance payouts are set at 2-1.
- Players can get insurance anytime the dealer is dealt a face up ace.
- The dealer has to draw whenever they have a have a score of 16 or less, and they must stand anytime they hold a 17 or higher (a few casinos require the dealer to hit on a soft 17, but this is the general rule in most cases).
European Casino Rules
- Cards of the same value can be split, but not split again.
- Players can double down after they split.
- When aces are split, players are only allowed to draw for one more card.
- People are only allowed to double down when a hand’s value is between 9 and 11.
As can be seen, the European rules for splitting cards in blackjack are pretty strict since you can’t split twice. Furthermore, Europe also has rigid rules for doubling down since you can only do so when your card total is between 9 and 11.
Las Vegas Casino Rules
- Players can double down on any combination of cards.
- People can double down after splitting pairs.
- Players can split with any pair, and even re-split if more pairs are dealt. The only exception to this rule is with split aces where you can’t split again and are only allowed to draw once.
Las Vegas rules differ greatly from European casino rules since you can double down with any initial combination of cards. Going beyond this, you can also re-split after splitting if you’re dealt more pairs. One similarity between the two gambling destinations is that you’re only allowed to split aces once, and hit with them once.
Atlantic City Casino Rules
- Re-splitting pairs is not allowed.
- Doubling down is allowed after splitting.
Atlantic City shares the rules that players can double with any pair, and also that people can double down after splitting cards. However, Atlantic City differs from Las Vegas in regards to players not being able to re-split pairs.
Other Major Differences
In addition to the rules where Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and European casinos differ, there are also some major dealer actions that vary greatly. In both American gambling areas, the dealer will check for a Blackjack anytime they have a face up card with a value of 10 or higher. Assuming the dealer gets a blackjack, the game ends and players will not get to make any further actions. Contrast this to Europe where players can split or double down their hand before the dealer checks for a Blackjack. If the dealer does have a Blackjack, players who split or doubled their hand will lose their bets.
Out of all three gambling areas, Las Vegas is considered to have the most favorable rules for players because there are no restrictions placed on doubling and people are allowed to re-split cards.
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