American Blackjack – Rules of the Game and Tips to Play it

The name of this popular casino card game, American Blackjack, is given to a typical set of rules used in a collection of games. In fact, it is called American rules because those particular rules directly oppose the ones used more commonly in European-style casino games – and as these rules are followed more frequently in the North American casinos.

More About This Game

In the online version of American Blackjack, the player has to make bets against the house represented by the dealer. This game differs from other versions of online Blackjack, and in this one, players can play up to either 1, 3 or 5 hands at a time. American Blackjack provides multiple options to players for betting minimums and maximums. Like any other variant, you can select the table you want to play at with Green, Red, Blue, and Black available.

American Blackjack gives you an opportunity to play with Turbo mode – all you have to do is click on the on/off button. You will also have various hand options with the availability of x1, x3, and x5. You also have the option of turning the background music on or off.

Then, there are 6 decks of cards in American Blackjack, and each has 52 playing cards, which are shuffled after every single round. In this version, a Winning Hand has a payout at a rate of 1 to 1, Blackjack pays at a rate of 3 to 2, the Insurance payout is 2 to 1, and Even Money will payout at 1 to 1. You can enjoy online American Blackjack on your mobile smartphone, laptop, tablet, or phablet. The game starts in the Turbo mode by default, but you can switch off the Turbo mode from the settings.

How to Play American Blackjack

It’s important to note that among all Blackjack games, the basic rules remain the same. You might pick up any variant of Blackjack to play, but your goal is always to beat the dealer. You do this by having a higher value hand but not going over 21. The game of American Blackjack starts by making the bets. Similar to other table games, the bets usually start at $1.

You and the dealer will get two cards each. After getting your cards, you should see your hand and what is its value. You can also see one of the dealer’s cards. Now, your next move will be based on this information.

Probable Next Move - What does it mean?

Hit - You need to ask for one more card, but the total bet would remain the same
Stand - Playing with the current hand and not asking for more cards. Here too, the total bet remains the same
Double Down - Ask for one more card, which will be the last. In this case, the total bet is doubled
Split - You need to split the cards of the same value into two hands. The total bet in this case doubles
Taking Insurance - If the dealer has an Ace, place a side bet which will be won if the dealer has a natural. Then, the total bet would be increased by 0.5 of the original wager
Surrender - Quit before seeing how the game would play out. The total bet is decreased by 0.5 of the original wager

Except if you are surrendering after you have made your last move, you will see the dealer’s hole card. Then the dealer will play out their hand.

Probable Outcome - What does it mean?
Your hand beats the dealer’s hand-You win and you get the winnings or payout
The dealer’s hand beats your hand-You will lose your wager
Both of you have the same value hand-This is a push. In such a case, you might get your wager back or may lose it (some tables may have different rules about the push)

American Blackjack Rules

This variant of Blackjack has one dealer and a single player. Typically, the cards are dealt from a shoe that has 6 decks having 52 cards each. The cards are always shuffled after every single round. Before the hand begins, players need to place their wagers by choosing from the $1, $5, $25 or $100 chip denominations that are available to them, and then they have to click on the table to confirm the bet. After placing the bets, players have to click the Deal button to start the hand.

After the cards have been dealt, you cannot alter the bets in any way. However, you can place extra bets by using Double Downs, Insurance plays, and Splits throughout a hand. But these special chances will only appear for you to select in cases where they are allowed. For instance, the Split button will not appear or be active if you don’t have a hand that can be split.

Player hands should be finished before the dealer draws any cards. In a scenario, where the dealer and player both get two card Blackjacks, then the hand would be ruled a push. In case the dealer busts by going over the 21 total, then all the players still in hand would automatically win.