Single Deck Blackjack

Single Deck Blackjack at the BetRivers Casino has excitement, drama, and a great design. Key features include four different table limit options, doubling after splits, doubling on any two cards, quick deal, and auto-rebet. You can play three hands at a time and that means three times the action and the fun. Check out Single Deck Blackjack at the BetRivers Casino.

Blackjack with a single deck was commonplace in the good old days. The 0.15 percent house edge was exploited by happy players who played it regularly throughout the world. Card counters quickly gained popularity and used their own single deck Blackjack approach to beat the house. Card counting is simple when one deck is used, but casinos quickly adapted. To increase their own advantage and make it more difficult to count cards, they started creating Blackjack games using two or more decks.

What distinguishes multi-deck blackjack vs. single-deck blackjack? In addition to the number of decks, payments vary significantly as well. For example, single-deck games at numerous casinos give payouts of 6:5 for blackjack, whereas multi-deck games typically pay 3:2.

When playing single deck Blackjack, the fundamental idea and goal are still the same. The goal is to reach 21 points, or as near to 21 as you can without breaking. The dealer will deal the hands after you’ve placed your wager. One face-up and one face-down card will be dealt to the dealer, and you will receive two face-up cards.

Examining your cards as well as the dealer’s upcard, you must next determine whether to hit, stand, split, or double down. Recall that the rules for single-deck Blackjack at land-based and online casinos are typically different from those for multi-deck. These consist of:

Whether the dealer stands or hits a soft 17

If players are allowed to double down following a split

When and if gamers are allowed to surrender

Because these rules improve the house edge, it’s typical to have the dealer hit on a soft 17, to forbid players from doubling down after a split, and to forbid surrender. However, the specific online casino site of your choice will determine these and other rules.

Strategies & Advice for Single Deck Blackjack

Recall that in a single-deck game, each card played affects the distribution of the remaining cards in the deck significantly—more so than in multi-deck games. Always take advantage of this and keep an eye on the cards being played. Additionally, it’s a good idea to refer to some fundamental strategy charts for blackjack in order to choose the best play for your hand. If the dealer strikes on a soft 17, you may adhere to the following rules, which prohibit splitting after doubling down and surrendering:

Hard Hands

5-7: Always hit

8: Double if dealer shows 5 or 6, otherwise hit

9: Double if dealer shows 2-6, otherwise hit

10: Double if dealer shows 2-9, otherwise hit

11: Always double

12: Stand if dealer shows 4-6, otherwise hit

13: Stand if dealer shows 2-6, otherwise hit

14: Stand if dealer shows 2-6, otherwise hit

15: Stand if dealer shows 2-6, hit on 7-ace

16: Stand if dealer shows 2-6, hit on 7-ace

17-21: Always stand

Soft Hands

A-2: Double if dealer shows 4-6, otherwise hit

A-3: Double if dealer shows 4-6, otherwise hit

A-4: Double if dealer shows 4-6, otherwise hit

A-5: Double if dealer shows 4-6, otherwise hit

A-6: Double if dealer shows 2-6, otherwise hit

A-7: Double if dealer shows 3-6, stand on 2,7, & 8, hit on 9, 10 & ace

A-8: Double if dealer shows 6, otherwise stand

A-9: Always stand

A-10: Always stand

Pairs:

2-2: Split if dealer shows 3-7, otherwise hit

3-3: Split if dealer shows 4-7, otherwise hit

4-4: Split if dealer shows 4-6, otherwise hit

5-5: Double if dealer shows 2-9, hit on 10 & ace

6-6: Split if dealer shows 2-7, otherwise hit

7-7: Split if dealer shows 2-7, stand on 10, hit on 8, 9 & ace

8-8: Always split

9-9: Split if dealer shows 2-6 and 8-9, otherwise stand

10-10: Always stand

Ace-Ace: Always split

Keep in mind that this is not an optimal strategy for every game, because you won’t just make different plays according to the dealer’s upcard; single deck basic strategy play Blackjack is also dependent on the house rules. If the dealer stands on soft 17, you know that he has no chance of improving this hand. Keep this in mind as you make your decisions, because it actually increases your odds of beating him with certain plays. Double down rules will affect your bets, so pay close attention to them. If you can double down after a split, you’ll want to be a bit more aggressive with your splits than the guide displays—for example, you could split a pair of 3s if the dealer shows 2 or 3, not just 4 through 6.

Likewise, if you can surrender, you’ll want to do so strategically. For example, if you have a pair of sevens and the dealer shows 10, you know your odds aren’t good, so surrendering would be the best option. Never take insurance at even money, because the house edge on insurance is 5.9% in single-deck Blackjack.

Check out Single Deck Blackjack at the BetRivers Casino