Blackjack variations: every gift has a price.

Spanish 21 pays bonuses and lets you double on any number of cards. Double Exposure shows you both dealer cards. Blackjack Switch lets you swap cards between two hands. Each game pays for its gift with rules that take it back, and the trade decides whether it beats ordinary blackjack.

Only Switch ends up cheaper than a standard six-deck table, and it makes you play two hands. With the dealer hitting soft 17, our engine puts the standard game at 0.67%, Switch at 0.57%, Spanish 21 at 0.92% and Double Exposure at 1.14%.

See what each game trades Compare the four
What each game trades

Start from ordinary blackjack, then add the rules one at a time.

Each line is priced by our engine on top of the lines above it, starting from a standard six-deck table where the dealer hits soft 17. Green lines give the player something; red lines take it back.

Spanish 21

  1. A standard six-deck tableDealer hits soft 17, blackjack pays 3:2, double any two cards and after splitting
    0.67%house edge
  2. Take out the four 10sSix 48-card decks: jacks, queens and kings stay
    Takes back +2.11% 2.78%house edge
  3. A player 21 always winsEven against a dealer 21
    Gives −0.73% 2.05%house edge
  4. Blackjack beats a dealer blackjackPaid at 3:2 instead of pushing
    Gives −0.25% 1.80%house edge
  5. Bonuses for 21 in five or more cards3:2 for five cards, 2:1 for six, 3:1 for seven or more
    Gives −0.22% 1.58%house edge
  6. Bonuses for 6-7-8 and 7-7-73:2 mixed suits, 2:1 suited, 3:1 in spades
    Gives −0.16% 1.42%house edge
  7. Double on any number of cardsNot only the first two
    Gives −0.17% 1.25%house edge
  8. Surrender after doublingLose only the original bet: the double-down rescue
    Gives −0.03% 1.22%house edge
  9. Late surrenderGive up half the bet on the first two cards
    Gives −0.01% 1.21%house edge
  10. Hit and double split acesSplit aces play on like any hand
    Gives −0.29% 0.92%house edge
  11. Spanish 21, every rule in0.25% more than the standard game
    0.92%house edge

Six Spanish decks, the dealer hits soft 17. Resplitting and redoubling, which many tables allow, are left out, so the edge at those tables is a little lower. Where the dealer stands on soft 17: 0.51%.

Double Exposure

  1. A standard six-deck tableDealer hits soft 17, blackjack pays 3:2, double any two cards and after splitting
    0.67%house edge
  2. See both dealer cardsEvery decision made against the dealer’s actual hand
    Gives −10.54% 9.87%your edge
  3. Blackjack pays even money1:1 instead of 3:2
    Takes back +2.26% 7.61%your edge
  4. The dealer wins tiesExcept blackjack against blackjack, which the player wins
    Takes back +7.67% 0.06%house edge
  5. Double on hard 9 to 11 onlyNo soft doubles, no doubling 8 or less
    Takes back +1.08% 1.14%house edge
  6. Double Exposure, every rule in0.47% more than the standard game
    1.14%house edge

Six decks, the dealer hits soft 17, pairs split once. Where the dealer stands on soft 17: 0.75%. Where any two cards may be doubled: 0.06%.

Blackjack Switch

  1. A standard six-deck tableDealer hits soft 17, blackjack pays 3:2, double any two cards and after splitting
    0.67%house edge
  2. Switch the second cardsTwo hands, and the second cards may swap; a switched A-10 is 21, not blackjack
    Gives −9.82% 9.15%your edge
  3. Blackjack pays even money1:1 instead of 3:2
    Takes back +2.23% 6.92%your edge
  4. A dealer 22 pushesEvery hand but a blackjack
    Takes back +7.49% 0.57%house edge
  5. Blackjack Switch, every rule in0.10% less than the standard game
    0.57%house edge

Six decks, the dealer hits soft 17. Each hand is a bet, so every round is two. Where the dealer stands on soft 17: 0.17%.

Spanish 21

More ways to win, without the tens.

Spanish 21 is dealt from decks with the four 10s taken out; the jacks, queens and kings stay. Fewer ten-value cards mean fewer blackjacks and weaker doubles for you, and fewer busts for the dealer. On its own, taking them out costs the player 2.11%.

The game hands most of it back: a player 21 always wins, five-card and longer 21s pay bonuses, so do 6-7-8 and 7-7-7, and you can double on any number of cards, give up a doubled hand for the original bet (the double-down rescue), take late surrender and play on after splitting aces. With the dealer hitting soft 17 the result is 0.92%, a quarter of a point worse than a standard table. Where the dealer stands on soft 17 it is 0.51%.

The catch is the strategy. With fewer tens to come, the dealer’s small cards bust less often and your doubles land on fewer tens, so you hit hands you would stand on elsewhere and double less. Played by the standard chart, the game costs more than the figures here.

The plays that change from the standard chart
Hit more stiff handsHit 12 against every card, 13 against 2 to 5, and 14 against 2 and 3.
Double lessDouble 9 only against a 6, and 10 only against 2 to 8.
Double fewer soft handsSoft 13, 14 and 19 never; soft 15 against a 6; soft 16 against 5 and 6; soft 17 and 18 against 4 to 6. Stand on soft 18 against 2 and 3.
Split differentlyNever split 4s. Split 6s only against 4 to 6, and 2s and 3s against 2 to 8. Stand on 9s against a 2.
Surrender against an aceHard 16, hard 17 and a pair of 8s, all close calls.

Decisions on your first two cards, Spanish 21 as priced above. Every other two-card play is the same as on the standard chart.

Double Exposure

You see both dealer cards. You lose every tie.

Both dealer cards are dealt face up, so there is no hole card to guess at: you know whether the dealer has 20 or a stiff 15. With nothing else changed, that would give the player an edge of 9.87%.

The game takes it all back and more. Blackjack pays even money (2.26%), the dealer wins every tie except blackjack against blackjack (7.67%), and you may double only on hard 9 to 11 (1.08%). With the dealer hitting soft 17 the result is 1.14%; where the dealer stands on soft 17 it is 0.75%.

Ties are the trap. Against a dealer 20 your own 20 loses, so you hit it: an ace is the only card that saves it, and hitting loses $8.44 per $10 on average where standing loses all of it. Against a dealer stiff you stand on anything from 12, and you split 10s against a 13 to 16.

When to stand, against each dealer hand
20Stand on: Never: hit even a 20Double: Never
19Stand on: 20Double: Never
18Stand on: 19 or moreDouble: Never
17Stand on: 18 or moreDouble: Never; 11 against a soft 17
12 to 16Stand on: 12 or moreDouble: 9 to 11
Soft 13 to 16Stand on: 12 or more; 13 against a soft 13Double: 10 and 11; only 11 against a soft 13
7 to 11Stand on: 17 against a 7, 16 against an 8 or 9, 15 against a 10, 14 against an 11Double: 10 and 11 against a 7 or 8; 11 against a 9
4 to 6Stand on: 12 or moreDouble: 9 to 11

Your hard totals against the dealer’s two cards, hard unless marked soft; dealer soft 17 to 20 play like 17 to 20. Six decks, the dealer hits soft 17.

Blackjack Switch

Two hands, one swap, and a dealer 22 that pushes.

You play two hands of equal stakes and may swap their second cards, turning two poor hands into a strong one and a playable one. With nothing else changed, that would give the player an edge of 9.15%.

The price: blackjack pays even money (2.23%), and a dealer who busts with exactly 22 pushes every hand except a blackjack (7.49%). With the dealer hitting soft 17 the result is 0.57%, the only game here cheaper than a standard table; where the dealer stands on soft 17 it is 0.17%. But every round is two bets, so at $10 a hand an hour costs $6.84 against $4.02 at a standard $10 table.

The dealer-22 push changes the standard plays too. A dealer bust is worth less, so you double less (not 11 against a 9, 10 or ace), and you stop splitting 8s against a 10 or an ace and hit them instead.

Keep or switch? Two $10 hands
10-5 and 6-10 against a 6Make 20 and 11, then double the 11
Switch
Keep
−$4.22
Switch
+$10.90
8-8 and 7-7 against a 6Two splits beat two 15s
Keep
Keep
+$0.60
Switch
−$4.26
A-10 and 10-7 against a 10A switched A-10 is only 21
Keep
Keep
+$4.09
Switch
+$1.37
A-7 and 10-10 against a 1021 and 17 beat 18 and 20
Switch
Keep
+$1.37
Switch
+$2.46

Average result of the two hands together, each played on correctly. Six decks, the dealer hits soft 17.

Side by side

Which one to sit down at, if any.

The soft-17 rule moves every game, and Switch most of all. Check it on the felt before anything else.

House edge of the standard game and the three variations with the dealer hitting and standing on soft 17, the cost per $100 bet and the bets a round
GameDealer hits soft 17Stands on soft 17Per $100 betBets a round
Standard six-deck0.67%0.46%67¢One
Blackjack Switch0.57%0.17%57¢Two
Spanish 210.92%0.51%92¢One
Double Exposure1.14%0.75%$1.14One

Six decks. Per $100 bet is with the dealer hitting soft 17. With eight decks: Spanish 21 0.94%, Double Exposure 1.17%, Switch 0.61%.

The cheapest game is not always the cheapest evening. Switch has the lowest edge here, but every round is two bets: at $10 a hand an hour costs $6.84, against $4.02 at a standard $10 table. Bet $5 a hand and it costs $3.42. Pricing a table by the hour is in the table selection guide.

Questions about blackjack variations.

Which blackjack variation has the lowest house edge?

Of these three, Blackjack Switch: 0.57% with the dealer hitting soft 17 and 0.17% where the dealer stands, against 0.67% and 0.46% for a standard six-deck table. But you play two hands every round, so an hour at the same stake per hand costs more.

Is Spanish 21 better than regular blackjack?

Not under the usual rules: 0.92% against 0.67% with the dealer hitting soft 17. The bonuses and the doubling and surrender rules give back most of the 2.11% the missing tens cost, not all of it. Where the dealer stands on soft 17 Spanish 21 is 0.51%, close to a standard table that does the same.

Why does Double Exposure pay even money for blackjack?

Because seeing both dealer cards is worth so much. On its own it would give the player an edge of 9.87%. Even money takes back 2.26%, losing ties 7.67% and the doubling limit 1.08%, which leaves the house 1.14%.

Do I need a different strategy for each variation?

Yes. Spanish 21 hits more stiff hands and doubles less; Double Exposure is played against the dealer’s actual total, including hitting a 20 against a 20; Switch doubles less and stops splitting 8s against a 10 or an ace. The figures on this page assume each game’s own strategy. The standard chart is the place to start, not the place to stop.

What is the dealer 22 rule?

In Blackjack Switch, and in some other modern variations, a dealer who busts with exactly 22 pushes every hand except a blackjack. The dealer finishes on exactly 22 in 7.4% of rounds, and each time every hand still standing ties instead of winning. In Switch it costs 7.49%.

Are there other variations?

Plenty, from Free Bet Blackjack to Pontoon. The test is the same for every one: list what the game gives, find what it takes back, and check the blackjack payout and the soft-17 rule on the felt. The side bets many of them add are a separate price, covered in our side bets guide.

Before you sit down at a variation

Read the gift, then find the catch.

Three things the prices say about every game on this page.

01

The gift is real

On their own, seeing both dealer cards would give you a 9.87% edge, and switching cards between two hands 9.15%. Spanish 21’s bonuses and extra options give back 1.86% of the 2.11% its missing tens cost.

02

The catch is priced to match

Even-money blackjack, ties to the dealer, a dealer 22 that pushes and the missing tens take the gifts back. Only Switch ends below the standard game’s 0.67%, at 0.57%, and it is two bets a round.

03

The soft-17 sign moves them all

Where the dealer stands on soft 17: Switch 0.17%, Spanish 21 0.51%, Double Exposure 0.75%. Where the dealer hits: 0.57%, 0.92% and 1.14%.