Online blackjack variants
Every variant changes one or two rules, and each change moves the house edge. Knowing which way it moves lets you pick the better table and adjust your play. The RTP figures below assume the right strategy for each game.
European blackjack
RTP: ~99.6%. The dealer takes one card face up and the second only after every player has finished. If the dealer then makes blackjack, your doubles and splits are lost with it, so be more careful doubling against a ten or an ace.
American blackjack
RTP: ~99.5%. The dealer takes a hidden second card at the start and checks for blackjack whenever the up card is an ace or a ten. A dealer natural ends the round before you can put more money in. Insurance is offered against an ace; decline it.
Blackjack Switch
RTP: ~99.9%. You must play two hands and may swap their second cards, turning two weak hands into strong ones. The price: blackjack pays 1:1, and a dealer 22 pushes against everything except a natural.
Spanish 21
RTP: ~99.6%. Played without the tens, only face cards count ten. In return, a player 21 always beats a dealer 21, and five-card, six-card and seven-card 21s pay 3:2, 2:1 and 3:1. Mixed-suit 6-7-8 or 7-7-7 also pays 3:2.
Surrender blackjack
RTP: ~99.6%. Standard rules plus the right to fold your first two cards for half your stake. Late surrender, after the dealer checks for blackjack, is the common form; early surrender is rarer and better for you.
Pontoon
RTP: ~99.6%. Both dealer cards stay hidden, which makes decisions harder. In exchange, a pontoon (ace plus a ten-card) beats any other 21 and a five-card trick beats everything but a pontoon.
Perfect Pairs
RTP: ~99.5% main game. Classic blackjack with an optional side bet on your first two cards forming a pair: 25:1 for a perfect pair, 12:1 for a coloured pair, 6:1 for a mixed pair. The side bet carries an edge of around 6%.
Variants: frequently asked questions
Which blackjack variant has the best odds?+
Blackjack Switch can reach about 99.9% with its own strategy, because swapping cards between two hands is worth more than the rules it gives up. European blackjack and Spanish 21 both sit around 99.6% when played correctly.
Is Spanish 21 better than regular blackjack?+
It removes the four tens from each deck, which helps the dealer, then hands value back through bonus payouts and liberal rules: a player 21 always wins, and five-card or 6-7-8 hands pay extra. Played with its own strategy chart, the two games are close.
What is Pontoon?+
The British cousin of blackjack, with its own vocabulary: twist to hit, stick to stand, buy to double. Both dealer cards stay face down until the end, and a five-card hand under 21 beats everything except a pontoon.