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American Blackjack

American Blackjack online American Blackjack is a less common version of the popular card game. It’s been rather superseded by other “American” variations such as Atlantic City and Vegas Strip, which is why American Blackjack is not found at too many online casinos these days.

Nevertheless, some players like it and it is still offered at a minority of blackjack sites and apps. So in today’s online American Blackjack guide I’m going to show you how to play.

We’ll look at which casinos still feature American Blackjack, then examine the rules of the game. I’ll explain the rules, how it differs from Classic Blackjack, and what strategy you need to get the best RTP.

Which Casinos Offer American Blackjack

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American Blackjack is not found at too many of the popular blackjack sites these days. This is because it’s played less frequently than other variations, so most of the casino software providers prefer to concentrate their efforts on the more popular games. Only Nucleus and Playtech casinos tend to offer this game.

However, there are still a few places to play American Blackjack online, and we have listed the approved casinos that offer it above. When you sign up you will be able to play for free in demo mode first, so you can see how the game suits your style of play before you decide whether to play for real money.

Rules of American Blackjack

how to play American Blackjack on mobile American Blackjack is played with 6 decks which (when you play online) are shuffled after every round.

  • Blackjack Pays 3/2
  • Insurance Pays 2/1
  • Dealer must hit Soft 17
  • Player may split only once
  • Player may double after splitting
  • Player may double on 10 or 11 only
  • No late surrender
  • Dealer peeks for blackjack when up card is 10 or Ace

Most online casinos, particularly those that use Nucleus software, allow for multi-hand play on American Blackjack. This allows you to play up to 3 hands simultaneously against the dealer.

How To Play American Blackjack

When playing American Blackjack online or on your mobile devices, you’ll find the gameplay works very much the same as Classic Blackjack. If you’re playing multi-hand tables, place your stake in each position you want to bet, then click the button to deal. You can use different stakes in different positions if you like, although there’s not usually much point unless you have limited chips left.

After the initial cards are dealt the dealer may offer insurance (which you should decline) and peek for Blackjack.

The gameplay then moves on much the same as any other version of Blackjack, using the rules I listed above. Keep an eye out for the restrictions on doubling down though. The fact you can only double on 10 or 11 will affect basic strategy and does lower the RTP in this game.

American Blackjack Strategy

One or two of the rules are fairly harsh on the player, but by making some adjustments to basic strategy we can still adapt a playing style that can reduce the house edge somewhat.

Use these American Blackjack strategy tables to get the best RTP.

Hard Hands

PlayerDealer Card

Hard 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
5 to 9 H H H H H H H H H H
10 D D D D D D D D H H
11 D D D D D D D D D D
12 H H S S S H H H H H
13 S S S S S H H H H H
14 S S S S S H H H H H
15 S S S S S H H H Q H
16 S S S S S H H Q Q H
17-21 S S S S S S S S S S

Soft Hands

PlayerDealer Card

Soft 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
13-17 H H H H H H H H H H
18 S S S S S S S H H H
19-21 S S S S S S S S S S

Pairs

PlayerDealer Card

Pairs 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A
2, 2 P P P P P P H H H H
3, 3 P P P P P P H H H H
4, 4 H H H P P H H H H H
5, 5 D D D D D D D D H H
6, 6 P P P P P H H H H H
7, 7 P P P P P P H H H H
8, 8 P P P P P P P P P P
9, 9 P P P P P S P P S S
10, 10 S S S S S S S S S S
A, A P P P P P P P P P P

Key:

  • H: Hit
  • S: Stand
  • D: Double if permitted, else Hit
  • P: Split
  • Q: Surrender if permitted, else Hit

Who Should Play American Blackjack

I’ll be honest, American Blackjack is not my favourite blackjack variation. I’m not a fan of some of these rules, which make the game less player friendly than some of the other more popular blackjack versions.

My style is to be aggressive with doubling down, so when the player only gets to double on 10 or 11 it’s too restrictive for my liking. Plus I’m never comfortable with the dealer hitting soft 17.

Nevertheless these are only personal opinions, and some players prefer American Blackjack to any other type. That’s fair enough and each to their own. Like I always say, it would be a boring world if we all liked the same thing.

If you haven’t played before then my advice as always is to run through a few hands in free play, and decide for yourself. If you like it, then of course you can then go ahead and play for real money. If not, then you’ve lost nothing by trying.

And the beauty of Blackjack is that even if American Blackjack isn’t for you, there are plenty more versions you can play on your mobile instead.

David Graham

Last Updated on September 8, 2022

Posted in Games

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