Best Blackjack Tables by Rules: 3:2, Dealer Stands on Soft 17, Double After Split
Showing 6 of 6 casinos
1
RocketPlay Standard Rules at Four Live Studios, Every Evolution Format
Best Rule Set★ 4.8/5
Welcome offerUp to AU$2,000 + 100 free spins
- Decks8-deck shoe
- Dealer ruleStands on soft 17
- Natural pays3:2
- Evolution, Playtech, Pragmatic Play Live and Beter Live tables share one rule set: 8 decks, dealer stands on soft 17, double on any two cards, double after split, 3:2 on a natural
- Every Evolution format is on the shelf, so the rule variations of Infinite, Free Bet and Lightning Blackjack can be read side by side with the standard table
- RNG European Blackjack deals from a reshuffled shoe with the dealer standing on soft 17, from AU$1
- 21+3, Perfect Pairs and Bust It side bets at the Evolution tables, each with a published return
- Live table rules
- 8 decks, S17, double any two, DAS, split once, no surrender, 3:2
- RNG table rules
- European Blackjack, reshuffled each hand, S17, 3:2
- Side bets
- 21+3, Perfect Pairs, Bust It, Hot 3 at Evolution tables
- Limits
- AU$1 to AU$20,000 at Evolution; VIP rooms at Evolution and Playtech
RocketPlay leads because the rules a player wants are the same at every one of its four live studios and the variants are all present to compare against them. A player who learns the standard table here never has to relearn it in another room.
Read the full RocketPlay reviewPlay blackjack at RocketPlay
2
Vegastars Branded 8-Deck S17 Tables in AUD, Open at Any Hour
Best AUD Rules★ 4.7/5
Welcome offerUp to AU$6,000 + 125 free spins
- Decks8-deck shoe
- Dealer ruleStands on soft 17
- Natural pays3:2
- Branded Vegastars Blackjack and VIP Blackjack from Pragmatic Play Live: 8-deck shoe, dealer stands on soft 17, double after split, 3:2, from AU$1
- ONE Blackjack with unlimited seats, so the standard rules are always available without waiting for a chair; Bet Behind on the seven-seat rooms
- RNG blackjack reshuffles every hand, pays 3:2 and accepts bets from well under AU$1, with the same dealer rule
- AUD account with PayID in and out, so the table limits and the bankroll are in the same currency
- Live table rules
- 8 decks, S17, double any two, DAS, 3:2 at Pragmatic Play Live tables
- RNG table rules
- RNG blackjack, reshuffled every hand, S17, 3:2, from under AU$1
- Side bets
- 21+3, Perfect Pairs at Pragmatic Play Live tables
- Limits
- AU$1 to AU$10,000; VIP table in four figures
Vegastars is second with the standard rule set dealt under its own name in Australian dollars, a seat guaranteed by the unlimited table, and the lightest cashier of the group for getting money on and off it.
Read the full Vegastars reviewPlay blackjack at Vegastars
3
WinSpirit 3:2 and S17 at Every Table Across Four Studios
Most Complete Paperwork★ 4.5/5
Welcome offerUp to AU$2,000 + 100 free spins
- Decks8-deck shoe
- Dealer ruleStands on soft 17
- Natural pays3:2
- Every blackjack table across four live studios pays 3:2 and stands on soft 17, from AU$1, with 900 live games in the lobby
- RNG tables reshuffle every hand and open in demo mode, so a rule can be checked on the felt before a bet
- An eCOGRA certificate and a cashier that prints its limits and times, which is the paperwork behind the rules
- No Evolution formats, so Infinite, Free Bet and Lightning Blackjack are not on the shelf
- Live table rules
- 8 decks, S17, DAS, 3:2 across four live studios
- RNG table rules
- RNG blackjack, reshuffled every hand, 3:2, demo available
- Side bets
- 21+3, Perfect Pairs where the studio offers them
- Limits
- From AU$1; AUD account
WinSpirit is third for consistency: the same 3:2, dealer-stands-on-soft-17 rules at every table it has, live or RNG. What it lacks is the Evolution variants, which keeps it behind the two casinos above.
Read the full WinSpirit reviewPlay blackjack at WinSpirit
4
Fair Go Six-Deck RTG Table, Double After Split, Demo on Every Variant
Fewest Decks★ 4.4/5
Welcome offer100% up to AU$200 on each of 5 deposits
- Decks6 decks
- Dealer ruleStands on soft 17
- Natural pays3:2
- The classic RTG table deals from six decks, stands on soft 17, allows double after split and pays 3:2, a rule set about 0.02% better for the player than an 8-deck shoe with the same rules
- Six RTG blackjack variants, each clearly labelled with its own rules and each open in demo mode without an account
- No live dealer tables: every blackjack hand at Fair Go is dealt by software and reshuffled
- Apple Pay, Google Pay and Neosurf from AU$10 into an AUD account
- Live table rules
- No live tables
- RNG table rules
- RTG classic: 6 decks, S17, DAS, 3:2; variants labelled separately
- Side bets
- Perfect Pairs on the RTG variant of that name
- Limits
- AUD account; AU$10 minimum deposit
Fair Go is fourth for the best-printed rules in the group: six decks, double after split, dealer stands, 3:2, all stated on the table and all testable in demo. The absence of a live dealer is the only reason it is not higher.
Read the full Fair Go reviewPlay RTG blackjack at Fair Go
5
Rainbet Originals Table With Published 99.6% Return, Plus Evolution
Provably Fair★ 4.3/5
Welcome offerUp to 100% on 3 deposits + 60 free spins
- Decks8-deck shoe (live); Originals reshuffled
- Dealer ruleStands on soft 17
- Natural pays3:2
- Originals blackjack pays 3:2, offers insurance at 2:1, returns 99.6% with basic strategy and takes bets from US$0.10 to US$100,000
- Evolution and Pragmatic Play Live tables with the standard 8-deck, S17, double-after-split rules
- Every Originals hand is provably fair: the shuffle can be verified against the seed and hash after the hand
- The balance is held in US dollars and the table limits are printed in them
- Live table rules
- 8 decks, S17, DAS, 3:2 at Evolution and Pragmatic Play Live
- RNG table rules
- Originals blackjack: 3:2, insurance 2:1, 99.6% return, reshuffled
- Side bets
- 21+3, Perfect Pairs at Evolution tables
- Limits
- US$0.10 to US$100,000 on Originals
Rainbet is fifth on rules rather than on return: the Originals table is the best-returning game in the group, but its limits and its balance are in US dollars, which puts an Australian one conversion away from the table at every deposit and withdrawal.
Read the full Rainbet reviewPlay blackjack at Rainbet
6
Neospin Seven Live Studios on the Standard Rules
Daily Cashback on Tables★ 4.2/5
Welcome offer300% up to AU$11,000 + 300 free spins
- Decks8-deck shoe
- Dealer ruleStands on soft 17
- Natural pays3:2
- Pragmatic Play Live, BETER Live and five other studios deal 8-deck blackjack with the dealer standing on soft 17 and 3:2 on a natural
- RNG tables reshuffle each hand and run in demo mode
- Daily cashback of 5% to 20% on net losses counts table and live play
- No Evolution formats, and withdrawals pend for up to 72 hours
- Live table rules
- 8 decks, S17, DAS, 3:2 across seven live studios
- RNG table rules
- RNG blackjack, reshuffled each hand, 3:2, demo available
- Side bets
- 21+3, Perfect Pairs at Pragmatic Play Live tables
- Limits
- From AU$1; AUD account
Neospin closes the ranking with the standard rules at every one of its live tables and a cashback that counts the hands played at them. The cashier's pending window and the missing Evolution formats are what keep it below the rest.
Read the full Neospin reviewPlay blackjack at Neospin
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| # | Casino | Rating | Decks | Dealer rule | Natural pays | Double after split | Live studios | Welcome offer | |
|---|
| 1 | RocketPlay | 4.8 / 5 | 8 | S17 | 3:2 | Yes | 4 studios, 40+ in total | Up to AU$2,000 + 100 free spins | Play |
| 2 | Vegastars | 4.7 / 5 | 8 | S17 | 3:2 | Yes | Pragmatic Play Live, branded rooms | Up to AU$6,000 + 125 free spins | Play |
| 3 | WinSpirit | 4.5 / 5 | 8 | S17 | 3:2 | Yes | 4 studios, 900 live games | Up to AU$2,000 + 100 free spins | Play |
| 4 | Fair Go | 4.4 / 5 | 6 | S17 | 3:2 | Yes | None (RNG only) | 100% up to AU$200 on each of 5 deposits | Play |
| 5 | Rainbet | 4.3 / 5 | 8 (live) | S17 | 3:2 | Yes | Evolution, Pragmatic Play Live | Up to 100% on 3 deposits + 60 free spins | Play |
| 6 | Neospin | 4.2 / 5 | 8 | S17 | 3:2 | Yes | 7 studios | 300% up to AU$11,000 + 300 free spins | Play |
The rules of a blackjack table decide the house edge before a card is dealt, and the ranking above sorts the casinos by the rules they print: the payout on a natural, the dealer's rule on soft 17, the double and split rules, the number of decks, and whether the same rules hold across the whole lobby. Every table in the ranking pays 3:2 and stands on soft 17, which is the baseline for the rules explained below. The differences are in the variants on the shelf, the number of decks and what the table limits are written in.
RocketPlay is first for one rule set across four studios with every Evolution variant beside it, Vegastars for the same rules under its own name in Australian dollars, WinSpirit for the same consistency without the Evolution formats. Fair Go has the best-printed rules of the group on a six-deck RTG table but no dealer, Rainbet the best-returning single table but limits in US dollars, and Neospin closes with standard rules at seven studios behind a slow cashier.
The Object of the Game and the Card Values
Blackjack is played against the dealer, never against the other players at the table. The player wins by holding a hand total closer to 21 than the dealer's without going over 21, or by the dealer going over 21 while the player has not. Going over 21 is a bust, and a player who busts loses the bet at once, whatever the dealer later draws. That order of events, player first, dealer second, is where the house edge comes from, and it is the reason most of the rules below exist.
| Card | Value | Note |
|---|
| 2 to 10 | Face value | Suits do not matter for the main hand |
| Jack, queen, king | 10 | Interchangeable with a 10 for every purpose, including a natural |
| Ace | 1 or 11 | Counts 11 unless that would bust the hand, in which case it counts 1 |
| Ace + ten-value card, first two cards | A natural (blackjack) | Pays 3:2 at a proper table; a 21 made with three or more cards is an ordinary 21 |
Hard Hands and Soft Hands
A hand with an ace counting 11 is soft: ace-six is a soft 17, and a ten drawn to it makes a hard 17 rather than a bust. A hand with no ace, or with an ace that already counts 1, is hard: ten-seven is a hard 17 and any card above a four busts it. The distinction matters because a soft hand can take a card without risk, which changes the right decision, and because the dealer's rule on a soft 17 is one of the two rules that vary most between tables.
Worked Hand Totals
- A,5 is soft 16. Draw a 10 and it becomes hard 16. Draw a 5 and it is 21.
- A,A is soft 12 played as one hand, or two hands starting at 11 if split.
- K,Q is hard 20. It is not a natural, because 20 is not 21, and it never splits.
- A,J dealt as the first two cards is a natural and pays 3:2. The same two cards arriving after a split ace count as 21 and pay 1:1.
- 7,7,7 is hard 21 and pays 1:1, beaten only by a dealer natural.
How a Hand of Blackjack Is Played: From the Bet to the Settlement
A hand runs through the same sequence at every table, online or on a casino floor. The timings are those of a live dealer table online, where a betting window and a decision window replace the dealer's glance.
| Step | What happens | Online |
|---|
| 1. Bet | Each player places a main bet within the table limits, and any side bets beside it | A betting window of 10 to 15 seconds; chips are tapped onto the felt |
| 2. Deal | Each player receives two cards face up. The dealer receives one card face up and, at most tables, one face down | Cards are dealt on camera from the shoe; the hole card is drawn and left unseen |
| 3. Insurance and peek | If the dealer shows an ace, insurance is offered. If the dealer shows an ace or a ten, the dealer checks the hole card for a natural at a table that peeks | An insurance prompt appears; at a no-peek table the dealer's natural is discovered later |
| 4. Player naturals | A player with a natural is paid 3:2 at once unless the dealer also holds one, in which case the hand pushes | Paid before the other hands are played |
| 5. Player decisions | Each player in turn hits, stands, doubles, splits or surrenders until the hand stands or busts | Buttons inside a decision window; the default on a timeout is stand, or hit on a total under 12 at some tables |
| 6. Dealer's hand | The dealer turns the hole card and draws by a fixed rule: hit on 16 or less, stand on 17 or more, with the soft 17 treated as the table states | No decisions; the dealer's play is the same at every table with the same rule |
| 7. Settlement | Hands closer to 21 than the dealer's win 1:1, hands further away lose, equal totals push and the bet is returned. A dealer bust pays every standing hand | Credited to the balance before the next betting window opens |
Hand Signals and the Table Floor
At a land-based table in Australia the cards are dealt face up and players do not touch them. A hit is a tap of the finger on the felt, a stand is a flat hand waved over the cards, a double or split is a second stack of chips beside the first with one finger or two raised. The signals exist so that the overhead cameras can resolve a dispute. Online there are no signals and no disputes of that kind: every action is a button, and the hand history is in the account.
Bet Behind and Unlimited Seats
Two online features change who is playing a hand. Bet Behind lets a player wager on another seat's hand when the table is full, following that player's decisions. Unlimited tables, Evolution's Infinite Blackjack and Pragmatic Play's ONE Blackjack, deal one hand to every player at the casino and let each decide it independently, which removes the queue for a seat altogether. The main-hand rules are unchanged in both.
Player Actions: Hit, Stand, Double Down, Split and Surrender, With the Rules That Limit Them
Every decision at the table is one of five actions, and the house prints rules that limit three of them. The rule variations are listed with each action because they are what separates one table from another.
Hit and Stand
A hit takes one more card; the player may keep hitting until the hand stands or busts. A stand ends the hand at its current total. Neither has rule variations, and together they make up most of the decisions in a session. The basic strategy chart on the strategy page gives the correct one for every hand.
Double Down
The player doubles the bet and receives exactly one more card, then stands. It is the most valuable action in the game, because it puts twice the money on a hand that one card is likely to finish well: hard 11 against almost anything, hard 10 against a dealer 2 to 9. Tables limit it in three ways.
- Double on any two cards is the standard rule at the live and RNG tables ranked above and the one the chart assumes.
- Double on 9, 10 and 11 only removes the soft doubles and costs the player about 0.09%.
- Double on 10 and 11 only, common on single-deck tables, costs about 0.18%.
- Double after split allows a double on a hand created by a split. It is allowed at the tables ranked above and is worth about 0.14%; a table that forbids it changes five pair decisions.
Split
A pair of cards of the same value can be split into two hands, with a second bet equal to the first placed on the new hand. Each hand then plays on its own. The variations: whether a pair can be re-split if another matching card arrives, usually to three or four hands; whether aces can be re-split, which is worth about 0.08% when allowed and is rare; whether split aces receive one card each, which is the usual rule and means a ten on a split ace is a 21 and not a natural; and whether unlike ten-value cards, a king and a jack, count as a pair, which they do at most tables. None of it matters to a player who follows the chart, because tens are never split.
Surrender
Surrender returns half the bet and ends the hand. Late surrender, the usual form, is offered after the dealer has checked for a natural; early surrender, before the check, is worth far more to the player and is almost never dealt. Late surrender is correct on hard 16 against a 9, 10 or ace and hard 15 against a 10, and is worth about 0.08% where it is offered. The standard live tables of Evolution, Pragmatic Play Live and Playtech do not offer it; some RNG tables do, and the rules panel says which.
Dealer Rules: Soft 17, the Hole Card and the Peek
The dealer has no decisions. Every dealer draws on 16 or less and stands on hard 17 or more. What varies is printed on the felt in two places: what happens on a soft 17, and whether the dealer takes and checks a hole card before the players act.
| Rule | What it means | Effect on the player | Where it is dealt |
|---|
| Dealer stands on soft 17 (S17) | An ace and a six, or any soft total of 17, is a standing hand for the dealer | The baseline; the chart on the strategy page assumes it | Evolution, Pragmatic Play Live, Playtech and Ezugi standard tables; RTG and the RNG tables at the casinos above |
| Dealer hits soft 17 (H17) | The dealer draws to a soft 17 and stands only on a hard 17 or a soft 18 and above | About 0.22% worse for the player; five chart cells change | Many American land-based shoes, some RNG variants |
| Hole card with peek | The dealer takes a second card face down and checks it for a natural when showing an ace or a ten, before the players act | A player who doubles or splits against a dealer natural loses only the original bet, because the hand ends before the extra bet is placed | American-style tables, most live studios |
| No hole card (European) | The dealer takes the second card only after every player has finished | About 0.11% worse for the player where a dealer natural takes doubles and splits as well; the chart avoids doubling or splitting against an ace or a ten accordingly | European RNG variants; some live tables, which state whether the original bet only is lost |
Why the Dealer's Fixed Rule Is the Player's Advantage
The dealer's lack of choice is what basic strategy exploits. Because the dealer must hit a 16 against a player's 12, and must stand on 17 against a player's 20, every dealer outcome from each up card has a fixed probability, and the chart is built from those probabilities. The dealer busts from a 6 about 42% of the time and from an ace about 12%, and those two numbers decide more of the chart than anything the player holds.
Payouts: Naturals, Pushes, Insurance and the Side Bets
Four payouts cover the main hand, and the first of them decides whether a table is worth sitting at.
| Result | Payout | On a AU$10 bet | Note |
|---|
| Natural (ace + ten-value in two cards) | 3:2 | Wins AU$15 | The rule to check first; a 6:5 line pays AU$12 and adds about 1.4% to the house edge |
| Winning hand | 1:1 | Wins AU$10 | Including a 21 made with three or more cards |
| Push (equal totals, or natural against natural) | Bet returned | AU$0 | A rare variant has the dealer win ties; it adds about 9% to the edge and should be refused |
| Losing hand or bust | Bet lost | −AU$10 | A player bust loses even if the dealer busts afterwards |
| Insurance (dealer shows an ace) | 2:1 on up to half the bet | AU$5 wins AU$10 if the dealer has a natural | House edge about 7.5%; declined by basic strategy |
| Surrender | Half the bet returned | −AU$5 | Where offered; correct on 16 vs 9, 10, A and 15 vs 10 |
3:2 Against 6:5
A natural arrives about once in 21 hands. At 3:2 it pays AU$15 on AU$10; at 6:5 it pays AU$12. The AU$3 difference, spread over 21 hands, is about 1.4% of every bet, which is three times the entire house edge of a good table played with the chart. A 6:5 table is the most expensive rule in blackjack, and it is usually printed on a single-deck table whose fewer decks would otherwise favour the player. Every table in the ranking above pays 3:2.
Side Bets and Their Published Returns
Side bets are settled on the cards dealt, independently of how the hand is played, and carry a higher edge than the main hand. Evolution publishes the returns of its own: 99.29% on the main Blackjack hand with optimal play, 96.30% on 21+3 and 95.90% on Perfect Pairs. 21+3 pays on the player's two cards and the dealer's up card as a three-card poker hand, from a flush at 5:1 to a suited three of a kind at 100:1. Perfect Pairs pays when the first two cards are a pair, up to 25:1 for a suited pair. Bust It pays if the dealer busts, with the odds rising by the number of cards in the dealer's hand. A player who likes them should size them as entertainment beside the main bet, not as part of the strategy.
The Rules That Change the House Edge, and a Calculator That Prices Any Table
With basic strategy, an 8-deck table where the dealer stands on soft 17, doubling is allowed on any two cards and after a split, and a natural pays 3:2 has a house edge of about 0.4%. Every rule on the felt moves that figure by a known amount. The table lists the standard values, rounded, and the calculator below adds them up for any combination.
| Rule | Change in house edge | Direction |
|---|
| Natural pays 6:5 instead of 3:2 | +1.39% | Against the player |
| Natural pays 1:1 | +2.27% | Against the player |
| Dealer hits soft 17 | +0.22% | Against the player |
| No double after split | +0.14% | Against the player |
| Double on 9 to 11 only | +0.09% | Against the player |
| Double on 10 and 11 only | +0.18% | Against the player |
| No hole card, dealer natural takes doubles and splits | +0.11% | Against the player |
| Split once only, no re-splitting | +0.05% | Against the player |
| Late surrender offered | −0.08% | For the player |
| Re-splitting aces allowed | −0.08% | For the player |
| 6 decks instead of 8 | −0.02% | For the player |
| 4 decks instead of 8 | −0.06% | For the player |
| 2 decks instead of 8 | −0.19% | For the player |
| 1 deck instead of 8 | −0.48% | For the player |
The calculator assumes basic strategy adjusted to the rules chosen; a player who uses the S17 chart at an H17 table gives up a little more. The figures are the standard rule-variation values used across the industry, rounded to two decimals, and they are additive to within a few hundredths. A single-deck table that pays 6:5 and restricts doubling comes out worse than an 8-deck shoe with liberal rules, which is the arithmetic behind the ranking above.
Rule Variants: Blackjack Plus, Free Bet, Infinite, Lightning and the Australian Casino Floor
A variant is a blackjack table with one or more rules changed and a name attached. Some of the changes favour the player and are paid for elsewhere in the rules, which is the thing to read before sitting down.
| Variant | What changes | What pays for it | Where |
|---|
| Blackjack Plus | Player 21 always wins; five-card 21 pays 3:2 and more | A dealer 22 pushes against standing hands instead of busting | Crown and The Star tables |
| Free Bet Blackjack | Free doubles on hard 9, 10 and 11 and free splits on all pairs except tens | A dealer 22 pushes | Evolution, at RocketPlay and Rainbet |
| Infinite Blackjack | Unlimited seats, one hand dealt to every player, each played independently; Six Card Charlie pays | Nothing on the main hand; published return 99.47% | Evolution |
| Lightning Blackjack | Random multipliers up to 25x on winning totals | A fee on every bet, which raises the edge on the main hand | Evolution |
| Pontoon | Both dealer cards face down; a five-card hand beats 21; the dealer wins ties | The tied hands, which is a large cost | RNG shelves; some Australian floors |
| European Blackjack | Two decks, no hole card, double on 9 to 11 only | The no-hole-card and double rules | RNG tables at most of the casinos above |
| Double Exposure | Both dealer cards dealt face up | A natural pays 1:1 and the dealer wins ties | RNG shelves |
The Australian Casino Floor
Crown Melbourne, Crown Perth and The Star deal mostly from 8-deck shoes or continuous shuffling machines, with Blackjack Plus on many of their tables and standard blackjack with the dealer standing on soft 17 on the rest. Minimums start at AU$10 to AU$25 on the main floor and rise with the hour. Online, the same 8-deck S17 rules start at AU$1, the shoe is dealt on camera rather than from a shuffling machine, and the variants are labelled on the lobby tile. The variants section on the blackjack ranking covers each format in more detail, and the live casino page compares the studios that deal them.
Rules of the Online Table: Windows, Timeouts, Limits and Bonus Terms
A few rules exist only online, and they catch new players more often than the card rules do.
- The betting window closes. Live tables open bets for 10 to 15 seconds; a bet placed after the window closes waits for the next hand. RNG tables wait for the player.
- The decision window has a default. A player who does not act in time stands at most tables, or hits on a total under 12 at some. The rules panel states which. A dropped connection is settled the same way, and the hand is in the history.
- Table limits are per seat, with a maximum on the side bets separately. Bet Behind carries its own limit, usually lower than the seat's.
- A split or a double needs the balance to cover it. A player with AU$10 at the table cannot split or double a AU$10 bet; the buttons are greyed out rather than the bet declined.
- Bonus terms are rules too. Table games count 0% to 10% towards the wagering of a welcome package at the casinos ranked above, and a maximum bet of AU$7.50 to AU$25 applies while a bonus is active. The bonuses page covers the cashbacks that count table play instead.
- The dealer is not tipped and cannot be asked for advice. Chat is for the table; the strategy chart is the adviser.
For a first session, the sequence is short: open an account at a casino from the ranking above, deposit by PayID or crypto, open the live lobby, filter for blackjack, check the 3:2 line and the minimum on the tile, and keep the strategy chart open in a second window until it is no longer needed.
Blackjack Rules: Frequently Asked Questions
What are the basic rules of blackjack?
Each player plays against the dealer, not against other players. The aim is a hand total closer to 21 than the dealer's without going over. Cards 2 to 10 count at face value, face cards count 10, and an ace counts 1 or 11. Each player receives two cards, the dealer two with one face up. The player may hit, stand, double, split a pair or, where offered, surrender; the dealer then draws to 16 and stands on 17 by a fixed rule. A two-card 21 is a natural and pays 3:2 at a proper table. Wins pay 1:1, ties push, and a hand over 21 loses at once.
How many decks are used in blackjack?
Online live tables deal from an 8-deck shoe at Evolution, Pragmatic Play Live, Playtech and Ezugi. RNG tables typically use 6 or 8 decks and reshuffle every hand. Land-based tables in Australia use 6 or 8 decks, and some use continuous shuffling machines. Fewer decks favour the player slightly: a single-deck game with the same rules has a house edge about 0.5% lower than an 8-deck game, so single-deck tables usually compensate with a 6:5 natural or no double after split.
What does the dealer stand on in blackjack?
The dealer draws on 16 or less and stands on hard 17 or more at every table. The difference is a soft 17, an ace and a six: at an S17 table the dealer stands on it, at an H17 table the dealer hits it. Standing on soft 17 is better for the player by about 0.2%. The live studios dealt at the casinos ranked above stand on soft 17, as do their RNG tables; the rule is printed on the felt or in the table's help panel.
What is a natural, and what does it pay?
A natural, or blackjack, is an ace and a ten-value card as the first two cards. It pays 3:2 at a proper table: AU$10 wins AU$15. A hand that reaches 21 in three or more cards is not a natural and pays 1:1. Some tables, mostly single-deck games and some land-based pits, pay 6:5, which adds about 1.4% to the house edge and turns the best game in the casino into an ordinary one. A natural is a push, not a win, when the dealer also holds one.
Can I double down after splitting?
At the tables ranked above, yes. Double after split lets a player double on a hand created by a split, for instance a 3 that draws an 8 after 3,3 is split. The rule is worth about 0.14% to the player and changes the pair rows of the basic strategy chart: 2,2 and 3,3 split against 2 and 3, 4,4 splits against 5 and 6 and 6,6 splits against 2 only where the double is allowed afterwards. A table that forbids it should say so in its rules panel.
What is insurance in blackjack?
A side bet offered when the dealer's up card is an ace, for up to half the main bet, paying 2:1 if the dealer's hole card is a ten-value card. About 31% of the cards in a shoe are ten-value, so the bet wins less than one time in three and pays as if it won one in three. The house edge on insurance is about 7.5%, and basic strategy declines it every time, as it declines even money, which is the same bet offered to a player holding a natural.
Are the rules the same at online and land-based tables in Australia?
The mechanics are the same; the details differ. Crown and The Star deal mostly from 8-deck shoes or shuffling machines and offer Blackjack Plus, a variant where a dealer 22 pushes against standing player hands and the player's 21 always wins. Online live tables deal 8 decks with the dealer standing on soft 17, double after split and 3:2, and no hand signals are needed: the actions are buttons inside a betting window of 10 to 15 seconds. Online tables also start from AU$1, well below a land-based minimum.
The rules of blackjack fit on a card: closer to 21 than the dealer without going over, aces count 1 or 11, a natural pays 3:2, the dealer draws to 16 and stands on 17. The rules that matter are the ones printed in smaller type, and the casinos ranked above deal the good version of each: 3:2, dealer stands on soft 17, double on any two cards and after a split. The blackjack simulator deals any of these rule sets with a coach that follows the rules in play, the strategy page turns those rules into the chart, the blackjack ranking compares the tables, and the live casino page covers the studios and their formats.
Ready for a table with the right rules?
RocketPlay deals 8-deck blackjack with the dealer standing on soft 17, double after split and 3:2 at four live studios, from AU$1, with every Evolution format beside them.
Play blackjack at RocketPlay
