Online Blackjack Variations for US Players

Online blackjack players in the US will find plenty on offer, and that’s not just in the number of casinos that offer this fantastic and entertaining table game. Major online casino games development companies provide a vast array of blackjack variations, for example the largest provider of games to US casinos, RTG offers no less than seven varieties. Rival Gaming also provide many blackjack variations as does Wager Gaming Technology who power some fine US online casinos, in fact they offer five variations that range from Vegas rules with 2 decks to Vegas Strip Blackjack which is played with 6 decks. Here we’ll take a look at the most popular and the most played variations on offer in US friendly online casinos.

Most Popular US Online Blackjack Variations

Standard Blackjack - Standard blackjack is the basic game that all US blackjack players know and love. Although the rules may differ very slightly from casino to casino and from land based establishment to online casino, they do not differ very much at all. The most common versions you’ll find online will include rules that mean the dealer hits on soft 17, you may double on any 2 same cards, you may double after a split, except on aces, and only one card each when splitting aces. It’s enjoyed by millions around the world and is by far the most popular table game played.
Perfect Pairs Side Bet - Perfect Pairs is offered by all RTG casinos and is played with the same rules as standard blackjack with just two exceptions. Firstly the player may only play one hand, and secondly, the perfect pairs side bet is added. The side bet gives odds of 25/1 for a suited pair, 12/1 same colored pair and 6/1 for a different colored pair.
European Blackjack - Similar to classic standard American blackjack however, the big difference is that the dealer does not take a second card until the player has acted. This changes the strategy a little and there’s also other slight rule changes, such as dealer stays on all 17’s, player may double only on hard 9 or 11, players may split to a total of 3 hands except with aces and the player may double after a split only on hard 9 or 11.
Face Up 21 - This new and popular version of blackjack is dealt without any cards face down, meaning that the player can see both of the dealers cards. There are of course a few rule changes, such as all ties and the dealer wins and blackjack will only pay even money. Seems easy, however the tricky part is that to win you must actually beat the dealer, meaning playing basic strategy and sticking on 14,15 and 16 when the dealer is showing a poor card is not an option.
Match Play 21 - Similar to Spanish 21 in that all 10’s have been removed from the deck. The lack of 10’s gives the dealer an advantage and to compensate for this there is a totally different payout structure.
Pontoon - Pontoon is played a lot in Australia and is catching on in the US. Both dealers cards are dealt face down, meaning that the player is totally unaware of what the dealer is holding. To compensate there is a special payout of 2 to 1 on all ‘five card tricks’ which are hands under 21 that contain five cards.

The Choice is Huge!

There are of course many other variations and you’ll find that each US online casino offers different game selections. many are indeed very similar with different names and you’ll also need to check in your casino of choice how many decks are used in each variation. The variety of blackjack games provides much of the fun, and it’s another reason why blackjack is such a popular game in US online casinos.