Blackjack has evolved a lot since its beginnings. To date, there has been no clear answer, but most agree blackjack probably originated in a French casino around 1700. It was called “Vingt-et-Un” which means twenty-one in French. 

Although there is a debate about its origins, one thing is for sure; all gamblers have a soft spot for blackjack and enjoy playing against the dealer. Now, it is even possible to play online blackjack at home in the comfort of your own home. Online blackjack not only has the classic game but also many variations of the game! 

This is the original blackjack variant. Casino game innovator Geoff Hall invented the game in 2001. Blackjack Switch is based on one of the simplest yet effective game strategies. 

In the game, players put up two bets to start. Then, all players receive two different starting hands. From there, players are allowed to change the second card dealt with each hand if doing so can improve their holdings. By switching the second card, hopefully, both hands are better than they were initially. This adds a skill element allowing skilled blackjack players to shine.

Playtech produces blackjack Switch on its online casino platforms.

A casino game player favorite, Double Exposure Blackjack has a long history before it showed up online.

In 1967, a game theory expert, Richard Arnold Epstein, published a remarkable contribution to gambling strategy literature. Epstein’s work included how playing blackjack against a dealer with both hole cards exposed can affect the overall gameplay. Fast forward and Double Exposure Blackjack is now one of the most played online blackjack games.

It should be assumed that the dealer’s card that is faced down is a ten-value card because that is the most common card value in the deck. A 52 card deck has 16 of the ten-value cards, which are tens, jacks, queens, and kings. The same 52 card deck has 36 non-ten-value cards. Double Exposure Blackjack eliminates the guesswork entirely.

The rules in the game have blackjack’s paid out, while the dealer wins every tied hand, except for blackjack. Other than that, Double Exposure Blackjack is played just like any classic game. It has variable house rules which change the play, such as splitting and a dealer’s approach to soft seventeens.

Double Attack Blackjack combines a few features from modern hybrid table games. This includes a bonus “bust it” side bet. This means that payout is according to a rising scale, which is determined on a dealer’s bust card. Double Attack Blackjack is one of the players’ favorite games because it takes one of the great excitements of the regular game, the double down, and makes it possible on every hand!

Generally speaking, players are taught to restrict their double downs to only a few hands. These constrictions make sense because doubling the wager in bad spots is never a profitable play. Doubling down is the most enjoyable play in the standard game. It makes sense to expand the player’s reason to use it.

The idea of Double Attack is easy. The first card dealt is face up for the dealer and, after seeing the card, players have the choice to double their bet. The player does not know their own cards, which makes this offer less enticing, but the casino has to maintain an edge, correct? 

So in effect, this game flips the usual double down dynamic, because rather than basing the play on your own favorable total, Double Attack Blackjack encourages you to “attack” the dealer’s weak up cards with doubled bets.

As a compensating rule, some online casinos opted to use a 48 card “Spanish” deck. This means the 52 card deck is used minus the four ‘ten’ card. As mentioned before, sometimes players use a ‘bust it’ side bet, which pays out bonuses if you win. 

There are many games that use the 48 card Spanish deck, and one is the game Spanish Twenty-one. It is another exciting blackjack variant that hits the perfect balance between tradition and new twists! This game is played in all parts of the world, and it is possible to find on a lot of live and online casinos.

Aside from removing the deck’s four tens, which favors the house, Spanish Twenty-One is filled with a variety of player-friendly rule adjustments. Some rules included, player twenty-one total hands always beat dealer twenty-one hands, doubling down after splitting is allowed, and so is doubling down on any number of cards. 

Also, players can take a “doubling down rescue” option, which means the player surrenders if he or she receives a bad double down card. Another attractive quality of Spanish Twenty-One has the popular table game “jackpot” element. This is a feature that awards various bonus payouts when certain scenarios happen.

For example, a way to win 3 to 1 involves getting the combination of cards of six, seven, eight or seven, seven, seven using mixed suits. If a player has those combinations with the same suit, the payout is at 2 to 1. And those combinations with the suit of all spades offers a 3 to 1 bonus on top of the normal winnings. 

The best rule for players in all of Spanish Twenty-One is known as “redoubling.” When redoubling is used correctly, it can produce great dividends. A redouble happens after doubling down once, and the player takes another card. In many cases, Spanish Twenty-One games allow redoubling one time. But, always check the house rules because sometimes it allows the players to do up to three redoubles.

Spanish Twenty-One is a ubiquitous title, so you should not have a problem finding tables at any online casino! 

 

Blackjack is one of the oldest and most played casino games out there. These are just a few variations of the game, and you can find a lot more on any online casino. 

Back in the 1700s, the French who were playing the first games of blackjack were probably not thinking about how much it would evolve and develop over the years. Now, blackjack can be played anywhere with a mobile device or computer with so many online variations including, Switch, Double Exposure, Double Attack, Spanish Twenty-One, and many more!