A Look at the Most Popular Blackjack Variations to Try Online

Here’s a look at some of the top Blackjack variants that you should try at least once.

Also referred to as Classic Blackjack, American Blackjack is one of the oldest and most widely played variants of Blackjack. As with several other Blackjack games, the main aim of American Blackjack is to get a hand value that’s exactly 21 or the closest to it. Picture cards are worth 10 here, with Aces being valued as either 1 or 11. All other cards are worth the value that’s printed on them.

What separates American Blackjack from other Blackjack games is the stage at which the dealer draws the hole card. Here, the dealer receives their hole card before the players decide what they wish to do with their hands. Then there are some other small differences in terms of splitting and doubling down.

This is another highly popular Blackjack variant that can be found at almost all Blackjack casinos. As experienced Blackjack players would tell, several aspects of European Blackjack and American Blackjack are basically the same. But there are some slight differences that one must be aware of.

Here, the dealer doesn’t get their hole card until you’ve decided what wagering option you want to go with. Also, European Blackjack comes with additional restrictions on several aspects of gameplay as compared to the traditional variant.

Developed in 2009 by popular casino game inventor Geoff Hall, Blackjack Switch has quickly become a staple at all the top online gambling venues out there. While the basic premise of Blackjack Switch is similar to that of American Blackjack, it comes with an interesting twist – it requires players to play two hands.

In Blackjack Switch, each player needs to place two identical stakes at the start of each gameplay round. The dealing of the cards then takes place in the normal fashion, but players have the option to switch one card each from either of their hands. This allows them to form stronger initial hands.

Also known as the British counterpart of classic Blackjack, Pontoon is quite popular in UK-based casinos. Pontoon shares several similarities with its American equivalent, but it also comes with some twists that make the overall gameplay more interesting.

A key differentiator here is that Pontoon allows players to see one of their cards before placing their wagers. Then players have the option to increase the size of their wager during the hand itself. Furthermore, the terms used in Pontoon are slightly different from the classic variant of the game.

The basic premise and other gameplay rules of Progressive Blackjack are essentially the same as classic Blackjack. The only major difference is that Progressive Blackjack comes with an optional side wager for players to place. Here, the side wager pays if your initial cards happen to be an Ace. And the payout rises as the number of Aces you’re holding increases. Here, the progressive jackpot is won by the player who gets four suited Aces consecutively.

Besides these, some other good Blackjack variants to play online include Blackjack Double Exposure, California Blackjack, Chinese Blackjack, Buster Blackjack and Bonus Blackjack.