Single Deck Blackjack Online

Single Deck Blackjack is one of the simplest variants of blackjack. In fact, the only thing that defines this game is the fact that one deck is used; the rest of the rules can vary and are different in some casinos. One of the best single-deck variations that you can play online is offered by the leading gambling operator in the UK:

The deck is standard, with 52 cards. The use of a single deck is, in general, is beneficial for the player. But one has to take into consideration the other specific rules and options which are offered in order to determine the characteristics of the particular game, i.e. what is the house edge, which strategy can be applied.

Single Deck Blackjack Rules

The main goal, just as in any other blackjack variant, is to reach 21, or be as close to 21 as possible, without going above 21. In a single-deck game the cards that the player is dealt are hidden from the dealer, i.e. are face down. That goes for the two initial cards; all the other cards are dealt face up. The ace can be counted as either 1 or 11. A ‘soft’ is when you count the ace as eleven and you can still hit without even possibly going bust, whereas a ‘hard’ is when you count the ace as 1 and you will go bust if you hit a card above a certain particular value.

In single deck blackjack, the dealer hits on a soft 17. You can split up to 3 times, which can create up to 4 hands. If you want to split, you’ll need to turn your cards face-up. After that, you follow the face-up protocol, where tapping the cards means hit and waving your palm horizontally means stay. For face down games, i.e. when you don’t split, you need to scratch the pair of cards if you want to hit and push them towards the dealer if you want to stay. The pay-out for a natural blackjack in this game is 6:5; instead of the regular 3:2 pay-out in multi-deck blackjack games. This decreases the amount of money a player could earn in a single hand. For example, if you were to bet £10, you would earn £12 if you get a natural blackjack, whereas in multi-deck blackjack the amount would be £15.

The House Edge

The fact that there’s a single deck automatically lowers the house edge. If all of the standard blackjack rules are applied, the house edge for a single deck game would be -0.001%, i.e. there’d be no house edge. However, casinos want to make sure that they’ll have at least some advantage. The rule that the dealer hits soft 17 increases the house edge by about 0.18%, which can be considered a starting house edge for the game. The other rules may be altered, which could increase or decrease the house edge. The rules may vary from one casino to another.

Playing with Insurance

The point of getting insurance in any variant of blackjack is to protect yourself when you think that the dealer might get a blackjack. In single-deck blackjack, the dealer’s first card is dealt face up, so if the dealer’s got an ace, then s/he might have a blackjack and you are allowed to buy insurance. The price of the insurance is 50% of your actual bet. If he has a blackjack, the insurance pays 2:1 and if he doesn’t have a blackjack you lose your insurance. If their first card is not an ace and s/he still has a blackjack you can’t buy insurance and you lose.

Helpful Pointers for This Game

The use of a single deck does affect the house edge in a way that’s beneficial for the player. This variation of blackjack was very popular in the first few decades after the WWII, but then the casinos realised that the players can count the cards. Since there was no efficient mechanism against them, casinos stopped offering this variation and switched to multi-deck games. This also decreased the shuffling time. Nowadays, single game blackjack is popular again.

The facts that you can see one dealer’s card and that s/he’ll hit soft 17, help a lot in planning the strategy for single deck blackjack. If your hand is only 4-7, then you should hit, regardless of which card the dealer has. If you have an 8, you should also hit always and double (if the casino/software provider has that option) when the dealer has a 5 or a 6.

If you have an 11 you should always double, and hit if that’s not an option. If you have 15, 16 or 17 and the dealer has an ace, then it would be wise to surrender, if the rules permit that, if not, you should stand on 17 and hit on 15 and 16. You should always stand on 18 or more, as well as on 17, if the dealer doesn’t have an ace.

If doubling is not allowed, you should always hit when you have soft 13-17 (including 17), and if double is an option, you should double whenever the dealer has 4, 5 or 6. If you have two 2s, 3s, 6s and 7s, you should split always when the dealer is below 7, but hit when you have two 4s and the dealer has 2 or 3.

Overall Characteristics

This game is one of the favourite variants, especially for the skilled counters. The fact that it is easier to count cards is often listed as one of the greatest advantages of this game. The fact that many casinos very reluctant to put single deck blackjack on their ‘menu’ speaks volumes of how advantageous it is for the players. The biggest disadvantage of the game is the fact that some casinos/software providers have 6:5 pay-outs for natural blackjack, a rule which significantly increases the house edge. Although, some of them may compensate with other rules which are in favour of the players.