One of the great beauties of blackjack is derived from the fact that it’s (theoretically speaking) one of the most lucrative casino games. This of course necessitated by its low house edge. Well apart from this factor, another great thing about blackjack is that it comes in different variations and each variation has its distinct rules that guide gameplay. In this article, we are going to explore single deck blackjack rules.
What is Single Deck Blackjack
First things first, before we start exploring the single deck blackjack rules, let’s get to learn what single-deck blackjack really is. Single-deck blackjack is a more modern variation of blackjack whose gameplay is premised on the use of one deck of 52 cards. This variation, therefore, differs from classic multi-deck blackjack games.
Though using just one deck, the objective of single-deck blackjack is similar to that of multi-deck blackjack that is, get a hand of 21 without busting. Single-deck blackjack does however have a slightly higher house edge pegged at 0.15% while the house edge for multi-deck blackjack ranges from 0.46% to 0.65%. Likewise, the house edge for insurance in single-deck blackjack is slightly higher (5.9%) than in multi-deck blackjack (5.8%).
The Single Deck Blackjack Rules
Now that we have acclimatised ourselves to what single-deck blackjack is all about, let’s get to check the main basic rules and instructions which guide gameplay when playing this game.
- Firstly, as a single-deck game, the game uses one deck of 52 cards. This single deck of 52 cards is shuffled only once at the start of the gaming session
- The split rule is available when playing single-deck blackjack. However, all players who want to use this rule ought to note that they can split a hand up to three times only
- The dealer during the gaming session will always hit on soft 17
- When it comes to the Aces, the split rule applies. However, after players split Aces, they are dealt one card instantly afterwards. Regardless of the additional card they receive (whether it’s another Ace), a re-split is not possible. Essentially, what this therefore means is that the split rule of splitting hands up to three times applies to all other cards except Aces
- Still on the split rule, when players split Aces and they get an additional card with a value of 10, the hand is not deemed a blackjack. Only Aces that haven’t been split can constitute a natural blackjack
- When it comes to the payouts, the payout for blackjack is 3:2, insurance bets payout at 2:1 while all other winning hands payout at 1:1
- In some variations of single-deck blackjack, its possible for players to use the surrender action
- Ties exist in single-deck blackjack when players have the same total as the dealer at the end of the gaming session.